The two gentlemen mentioned were teachers I had at Immaculate High School in Danbury,CT. I am grateful to them because they, in their creative educational styles, introduced me to the work of Jimmy Stewart..
Mr. Genovas (or was it Genova?) was my Way Liberal Social Studies teacher. Despite our polar opposite beliefs, he was a great teacher. He made me understand the systems of government. Where does Jimmy S. fit in here? We viewed the classic film "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington". Wow. I was blown away by the character and what he stood for. Plus, I learned all about filibusters, but in my old age forget how they work...gotta put Mr. Smith on my Netflix queue!
Mr. Velez, one of my English teachers, the week before Christmas showed us a movie I had never heard of. It was about this man on the brink of suicide on Christmas Eve, because his not-so-swift Uncle misplaced $8000 of the family business's money, and the company was being visited by the Bank Examiner.
No one in that class in 1985 (or maybe 1984. again the memory going) had heard of It's a Wonderful Life. It was the start of the resurgence, the marathons on TBS, the God Awful Colorized bastardization, the period of time when the film was actually being discovered as a great film for the first time since its post-World War II release. Again, I was taken in by this decent character, who's dreams never materialized, as life as we know it got in the way. But George Bailey realized his life WAS a dream come true, beautiful wife, cute kids, a big old drafty house, family and friends who loved and appreciated him.
I was so excited about this movie. At the dinner table, I told my parents and brothers about it. They, too, had never heard of the movie. We rented it, and we all fell in love with it. (Well, not sure about my brother Tom, whose December 21st birthday caused him to hate all things related to Christmas. Check out his blog). Each year after that, the holiday season was not complete without a viewing of the picture. In fact, in various moves the past few years, we tended to buy the video, then later the DVD, forgetting we had a copy WAY in the back of the video cabinet!
I watch it at least once during the holidays, occasionally during the summer on a real humid day to feel good (and a bit cooler). Wonderful Life trivia: filming took place during a very HOT summer...all those actors in heavy coats in August! Yea, gads! It has come in handy, I have had 3 Ghoul Pool hits from the cast ( Sheldon Leonard (Nick the Bartender), Ellen Corby (Grandma Walton/ Building and Loan customer seeking 17.50 to tide her over until the banks re-opened), and, my proudest G.P. hit ever, little Bobbie Anderson, little George Bailey, a steal from my sister-in-law.
But, seriously. It makes me focus on what is important, family and friends. Each year, I see how much more I really have in life. If you haven;t watched it lately (or never have), rent it today.
Thanks again, Mr. Velez.
BTW: The photo above was last Christmas, 4 weeks after Elizabeth was born, and Neil's and my first Christmas as husband and wife. That was a day I felt truly blessed in spending the day with my growing family.
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