Holiday Fun Fest Extras - It’s a Blunderful Life
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“Wonderful news... about wonderful people! ... in a wonderful picture! It's a wonderful love! It's a wonderful laugh!”
In our special Non-Denominational Holiday Fun Fest episode of Springfield Googolplex, Nate reintroduces Adam to one of his annual Christmas faves, It’s a Wonderful Life (1946). Not only is this film one of the top 10 most frequent Simpsons movie references, but it also taught us a lot about how the show crafts some of its most touching moments.
Read on to see every reference to It’s a Wonderful Life on The Simpsons, plus some movies to check out if you liked this one, and links to further reading and viewing.
Every Simpsons Reference to It’s a Wonderful Life
By our count, It’s a Wonderful Life has been directly referenced in 14 episodes of the first 13 seasons of The Simpsons, including 7 scene parodies and 7 smaller references. The first reference appears in “Simpson and Delilah” (S2E2) in 1990, 44 years after the release of the movie.
Scene Parodies
Simpson and Delilah (S2E2): When Homer discovers he has regrown his hair, his run through Springfield is modeled exactly on George Bailey’s run through Bedford Falls after reawakening from his miracle.
When Flanders Failed (S3E3): Not only is this episode structured similarly to It’s a Wonderful Life (95% downhill, 5% uplifting ending), but the finale at the Leftorium mirrors the final scene of the movie exactly. The townspeople gather to support a down-on-his-luck small businessman, with a parade of characters each making their own offering. Wiggum even has an accordion, just like Burt the cop. Both scenes end with a toast, in The Simpsons case, “To Ned Flanders, the richest left-handed man in town," followed by a singalong moment.
And I could resist calling out this shot of Maude Flanders, which meticulously recreates a shot of George’s wife Mary Bailey in the scene, right down to the outfit. Great detail!
Bart the Lover (S3E16): The cold open of this episode features an Bell Labs-style educational video called “A World without Zinc” that parodies the wish fulfillment sequence at the climax of It’s a Wonderful Life, where George finds out what the world would be like if he were never born. In the video, Jimmy tries to complete everyday tasks, but a man with a pipe playing a similar role to the guardian angel Clarence keeps informing him that his appliances—including his pistol—won’t work without zinc.
(However, we think the scene where Jimmy wakes up in his bed at the end may be more of a parody of the ending of The Wizard of Oz…)
The Last Temptation of Homer (S5E9): In a classic Simpsons parody mashup, Homer’s encounter with his guardian angel in this episode draws from three different sources. The overall framing of the scene seems most inspired by guardian angel Clarence in It’s a Wonderful Life offering to show George an alternate version of his life, but Homer’s angel has to appear to him as Colonel Klink from Hogan’s Heroes to make him feel comfortable, and the way they fly over the scenes draws more from A Christmas Carol, particularly the Ghost of Christmas Past sequence.
The PTA Disbands (S6E21): A prank by Bart in this episode brings us one of the deep-cut references to It’s a Wonderful Life. Bart starts a rumor down at the First Bank of Springfield (BS for short) that the bank is out of money, causing a run on the bank. Much like in the Black Tuesday scene in the movie, Jimmy Stewart tries to calm the crowd by explaining how home loans work—”I don’t have your money here. It’s in Bill’s House and Fred’s house!”—but Moe misinterprets his words and starts a brawl.
Miracle on Evergreen Terrace (S9E11): After The Simpsons have their Christmas ruined “by robbers,” the townies once again bands together to bail out a friend, just like the end of It’s a Wonderful Life. Even the local miser Mr. Burns shows up—unlike Mr. Potter in the movie—asking if anyone has change for a button.
Minor References
Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish (S2E4): The governor of the state the Springfield is in, Mary Bailey, shares her name with George Bailey's wife.
The Way We Was (S2E12): Homer’s run to Marge about spending money on the two of them sounds a lot like George's run to Mary in the cab right after they get married.
Dog of Death (S3E19): Homer sings "Buffalo Gal (Won't You Come Out Tonight)" for money, although this might just be a reference to the song.
Fear of Flying (S6E11): Homer misquotes George Bailey’s line, "I want to shake off the dust of this one-horse town!"
My Sister, My Sitter (S8E17): At the opening event for Springfield’s new South Street Squid Port, Homer and Marge pass by a store called "It's a Wonderful Knife."
Natural Born Kissers (S9E25): The Old Jewish Man gives Bart and Lisa an alternate ending reel for It's a Wonderful Life—the “killing spree ending.”
Beyond Blunderdome (S11E1): At a screening of a Mel Gibson remake of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Homer comments, "At least the Jimmy Stewart version had that giant rabbit who ran the Savings and Loan." (Of course, he’s mushing Mr. Smith together with two other Stewart pictures, Harvey and It’s a Wonderful Life.)
Grift of the Magi (S11E9): In an ending parodying A Christmas Carol, the narrator tells the viewer, "Moe, seeing what the world would be like if he had never been born, pulled his head out of the oven and replaced it with a plump Christmas goose."
Did we miss something? Let us know!
Extra Credit
Enjoyed this movie? Here are a few others we would recommend:
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992): As we talk about on the podcast, It’s a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Carol are mirror images of each other, and as far as Adam is concerned, this is the definitive version of the latter. Michael Caine nails the role of Ebenezer Scrooge, with equal parts miserly gruff, holy terror, and redemptive joy. The Muppets and Paul Williams’ musical numbers are a welcome addition, making the story a little more family friendly without sanding down too many of the rough edges, particularly in the darker “Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come” sequence.
Jerry Maguire (1996): Nate racked his brain trying to think of what modern movies make him feel like It’s a Wonderful Life, and he unexpectedly landed on this sports agent drama/romantic comedy by Cameron Crowe. What ties these two movies together? A main character that makes mistakes that will give you a pit in your stomach, a rollercoaster ride of emotional highs and lows, and an exploration of how “the little guy” can carve out something ethical and meaningful in a capitalist society.
Click (2006): Special guest Daniel Baptista suggested this more comedic take on a similar story. Much like It’s a Wonderful Life, Click tells the story of a family man who learns to appreciate the life he has through an encounter with a magical entity—in this case, a remote control rather than a guardian angel. But Click trades in Capra and Stewart’s sincerity for a cartoonish ensemble, including Adam Sandler, Christopher Walken, Henry Winkler, and The Simpsons’ own Julie Kavner among others.
Plus, here’s some further reading, viewing, and listening we came across in our research:
Article: James Stewart, “James Stewart on It’s a Wonderful Life,“ Guideposts, December 1987. Jimmy Stewart offers his own take on making the film, including some particular insight into the prayer scene at the bar.
Book: Philip Van Doren Stern, The Greatest Gift: A Christmas Tale, Simon & Schuster, 2014. The film is based on this short story, which focuses mostly on the miraculous third act of the movie where George gets to see a world without him.
Article: Kat Eschner, “The Weird Story of the FBI and It’s a Wonderful Life,” Smithsonian Magazine, December 20, 2017. During a time of Communist witch hunts in Hollywood, It’s a Wonderful Life was accused by one FBI agent as being anti-capitalist because of its depiction of bankers, i.e. Mr. Potter. (Never mind that the protagonist is also a banker.)
Article: David Grossman, “It’s a Wonderful Life shouldn’t need Christmas to be considered a classic,” Polygon, December 9, 2021. This article makes a strong case for the timeless themes of It’s a Wonderful Life at any time of year.
Article: Geoff Williams, “It’s a Wonderful Life—And Its History as a Holiday TV Classic,” The TV Professor, December 15, 2021. If the film was a flop when it was released in theaters, how did it become so beloved? This article explains the strange tale of how It’s a Wonderful Life became one of the most ubiquitous Christmas movies on television.
Article: Rachael Scott, “How World War II shaped It’s a Wonderful Life,“ CNN, December 25, 2021. The film was release just one year after the end of World War II, and many of the cast and crew were directly affected by their wartime service. This includes director Frank Capra who produced propaganda during the war and star Jimmy Stewart who served with distinction.
Article: “NASA’s Webb Sheds Light on Galaxy Evolution, Black Holes,” NASA, July 12, 2022. The “angels” in the sky at the beginning of It’s a Wonderful Life are a real cluster of galaxies called “Stephan’s Quintet,” and thanks to the Webb Space Telescope, now we can get a way better look at them than we could in 1946.
Photo Essay: Ben Cosgrove, “It’s a Wonderful Life: Rare Photos From the Set of a Holiday Classic,“ Life, accessed December 4, 2022. This film revolutionized fake snow by replacing the standard use of painted cornflakes with a soapy mixture made from wartime chemicals. These on-set photos show the magical results.
