George Bailey (It's a Wonderful Life) George Bailey (It's a Wonderful Life) George Bailey is a fictional character and the protagonist in Frank Capra's 1946 film "It's a Wonderful Life". The character is a building and loan banker who sacrifices his dreams in order to help his community, to the point where he feels life has passed him by. Eventually, due to a cruel business rival's manipulations, Bailey falls into despair so deep that he contemplates suicide, until his guardian angel, Clarence Odbody, gives him a valuable perspective on the worth of his life. The character was listed ninth on the American Film Institute's 2003 list
It's a Wonderful Life has a score 89 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Prior to the Los Angeles release of "It's a Wonderful Life", Liberty Films mounted an extensive promotional campaign that included a daily advertisement highlighting one of the film's players, along with comments from reviewers. Jimmy Starr wrote, "If I were an Oscar, I'd elope with "It's a Wonderful Life" lock, stock and barrel on the night of the Academy Awards". The "New York Daily Times" published an editorial that declared the film and James Stewart's performance to be worthy of Academy Award consideration. "It's a Wonderful