George Lassos the Moon

"George Lassos the Moon" (short for "Buffalo Gals and George Lassos the Moon") is a famous scene from 1946 Christmas masterpiece film It's a Wonderful Life starring James Stewart and Donna Reed.
The scene starts off in the twenty forth minute of the film and lasts for six minutes. George Bailey played by James Stewart, and Mary Hatch (later Bailey) played by Donna Reed have just come out of a high school dance in Bedford Falls and George is wearing an American Football shirt and trousers while Mary is wearing a dressing gown. This is because their clothes got very wet after they both fell into a swimming pool while dancing in the sports hall at the high school. They are both singing the American folk song Buffalo Gals after it was being played at the dance. This song is played throughout the film being the movies score composed by Dimitri Tiomkin. They both stop at an abounded house called The Old Granville House, which is down the street where both of their houses are. Mary says to George that it is a romantic place. George differs and says "I wouldn't live in there if I was a ghost" (this is the house later in the film where both of them live when they get married). He throws a stone at a window of the house and says to Mary if you throw a stone at the window and the window smashes, you can make a wish. Mary asks what he wishes for. George starts saying that it's a bunch of wishes about getting out of the crummy little town and travelling around the world and to build things like bridges and buildings. At this point Mary throws a stone at the window and wishes. George asks her what her wish was, she just smiles at him and walks on singing Buffalo Gals (you later find out in the film that she wished to marry him and live in that house). George follows her and sings to until he changes some of the lyrics to asking her what her wish was. Mary says "If I tell you, it won't come try.
At this point George say a quote which is regarded one of the best quotes in American and film history. While George is with Mary, a man sitting on his porch (played by Dick Elliott) is listening to what they are saying. George says to Mary "What is it you want, Mary? What do you want? You want the moon? (points at the moon through some trees) Just say the word and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down. Hey. That's a pretty good idea. I'll give you the moon, Mary." Mary says back "I'll take it, then what?" George then says "Then you can swallow it, and it'll all dissolve, see... and the moonbeams would shoot out of your fingers and your toes and the ends of your hair". (George starts to waffle and says) "Am I talking too much". Then the man on the porch interrupts and says "Yes. Why don't you kiss her instead of talking her to death?". George says back "How's that", and the man says the same thing again. George works out what he just said and says back "You want me to kiss her, huh?" and the man says back "Ah, youth is wasted on the wrong people." The man walks into his house and George tells him to get back, as he is saying this Mary starts to walk away but her robe gets caught under George's foot who is standing still and falls out of her gown. George looks down and notices that Mary has gone but her gown is still there. George looks shocked but hears a shuffle in a Hydrangea bush right next to him. She asks him if she could have the robe back. George doesn't and starts to wonder around the bush. She says to him "I'll tell your mother". He says back "She's right there in the corner" (pointing at her house). She then says "I'll call the police". He says back "But they'll be on my side". She then says "Then I'll scream". And he says "And walk up the whole neighborhood".
George then starts to hear a car driving down calling him so he throws the gown onto the bush. The car stops and it contains his Uncle Billy played by Thomas Mitchell and his brother Harry played by Todd Karns. They tell him that his dad has had a stroke. George says by to Mary who is still in the bush, and gets in the car. As the car drives away Mary gets up with her gown on and stares to the car driving off like she has just lost her chance with George Bailey. This is where the scene ends and goes into the next scene where Gerorge now has his fathers job as he died.
Cast
* James Stewart as
* Donna Reed as Mary Hatch
* Dick Elliott as Man on Porch
* Thomas Mitchell as Uncle Billy Bailey
* Todd Karns as Harry Bailey

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