The Real Bedford Falls
Who has not seen the classic 1946 holiday film It’s a Wonderful Life starring James Stewart and Donna Reed. Stewart plays George Bailey, the main character, who has been forced to remain in Bedford Falls, especially after the death of his father, while his brother travels the world and lives out his dreams. George has a string of very bad luck and in order to keep his aging and forgetful uncle from going to jail he confesses to embezzling money from the Bailey Building and Loan, a crime which was never committed. To avoid certain humiliation for his wife and children, Bailey tries to kill himself by jumping off a bridge on Christmas Eve. He is saved by an angel named Clarence. George tells Clarence that he wishes that he was never born. The angel shows George that the world, especially the town of Bedford Falls and his loved ones, who have been very different is he had never existed. Or as IMDB describes the movie; “An angel is sent from Heaven to help a desperately frustrated businessman by showing him what life would have been like if he had never existed.” With that synopsis, something is definitely lost in the translation. However, no matter how you describe the movie, the message is very profound and it still brings tears to my eyes every time I watch it, even after decades. It is clear why is a favorite for so many people.
The town of Bedford Falls, the back drop for the movie, is an average 1940s small American town. Many communities have tried to claim fame as the inspiration for Frank Capra’s classic. One town right here in the Finger Lakes region of New York state has so many similarities that they all can’t be coincidences.
The similarities between Seneca Falls and Bedford Falls start with the abundance of Second Empire Victorian homes like the one that George and Mary lovingly renovated and raised their family in. The list just grows from there. Both towns have canals with, of course, bridges. The steel truss bridge that George jumped from is exactly like the bridge over the Cayuga-Seneca Canal on Bridge Street, complete with the abandoned mill on the shore. In 1945 both Bedford Falls and Seneca Falls were mill towns. Their main streets had globe street lights ad a grassy center median, although Seneca Falls’ center medium on the wide street is gone today, having fallen victim to modernization. There was a large Italian community in each. Bedford Falls had Bailey Park, a community of homes built by loans from the Bailey Building and Loan. In Seneca Falls there was Rumseyville, a community built by the Rumsey Pump Company. Rochester and Buffalo were both mentioned in the movie, and both were just a short drive from Seneca Falls. And at the time, a train from New York City stopped regularly at the depot. The list of reasons why Seneca Falls was Bedford Falls does not end there.
Frank Capra, the movie’s director, had an aunt that lived in Auburn, New York, which was fourteen miles east of Seneca Falls and whom he visited frequently. A local barber named Tony Bellissina maintains that in late 1945, he gave Capra a haircut and that afterwards Capra walked throughout the town and took in the sights. Just as Bedford Falls had Mr. Potter, Seneca Falls had Norman J. Gould who had a controlling hand in the town’s politics and economy.
The icing on the cake in the argument that Seneca Falls inspired Frank Capra happened on April 12, 1917. That day a woman named Ruth jumped from the bridge. He angel was Antonio Varacalli. The sixteen year old Italian immigrant was working on the canal. He jumped into the icy water after her even though he could not swim. Antonio grabbed Ruth and managed to get her to the shore before sinking below the surface of the water. Unfortunately he drowned saving the life of a perfect stranger. The town “passed the hat” and raised enough money to bring his family in Italy over to America. It is very similar to the closing scene of the movie when the town collected money to save the building and loan and keep George out of jail.
Whether or not Seneca Falls was the real town behind Bedford Falls will never be known. However the parallels between them are hard to dismiss. If you want to get a taste of Bedford Falls for yourself, Seneca Falls hosts an It’s a Wonderful Life festival each December. Plan a visit and make your own decision.
