It's a Wonderful Life election. The angel shows him Bedford Falls as it would have been not if he had never been born, but as it would have been if he had gone into business instead of politics. Seneca Falls, New York, claims that when Frank Capra visited their town in 1945, he was inspired to model Bedford Falls after it. The town has an annual "It's a Wonderful Life Festival" in December. In mid-2009, The Hotel Clarence opened in Seneca Falls, named for George Bailey's guardian angel. On December 10, 2010, the "It's a Wonderful Life" Museum opened in Seneca Falls, with Karolyn
It's a Wonderful Life II lives, won most of the awards that year, including four of the five for which "It's a Wonderful Life" was nominated. (The award for "Best Sound Recording" was won by "The Jolson Story".) "The Best Years of Our Lives" was also an outstanding commercial success, ultimately becoming the highest-grossing film of the decade, in contrast to the more modest initial box office returns of "It's a Wonderful Life". "It's a Wonderful Life" received a Golden Globe Award: Capra won the "Best Motion Picture Director" award from the Golden Globes, and a "CEC Award" from the Cinema Writers Circle in