Daily Dialogue — February 14, 2020

“Don’t look now, but there’s something funny going on over there at the bank, George. I’ve never really seen one, but that’s got all the earmarks of being a run.”

— It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), screenplay by Frances Goodrich & Albert Hackett and Frank Capra, story by Philip Van Doren Stern

The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Taxi.

Trivia: During the bank run scene, director Frank Capra rehearsed the scene between James Stewart and Ellen Corby several times. When Corby’s character was asked how much money she needed, she replied $17, which was in the script. Just prior to the first actual take, Capra took Corby aside and told her to give Stewart an odd number, thinking it would be funnier. When she said “17.50” to Stewart, he was taken off-guard and impulsively kissed her, which was not in the script. Stewart’s spontaneous reply was so genuine that Capra left the scene in the final film.

Dialogue On Dialogue: On a taxi ride to George and Mary’s honeymoon, there’s a run on the bank.