Downtown Bedford Falls

I grew up on a farm, but as a kid I always wanted to live downtown. Since childhood I have always been fascinated by the downtown areas of small towns and even cities, the sort that were dying out even as I was growing up. Of course, this has also led to a fascination with the downtowns of fictional small towns, such as Central City on Dobie Gillis,  Mayberry on The Andy Griffith Show, and Stars Hollow on Gilmore Girls. One fictional town whose downtown I have long been fascinated with is Bedford Falls in the classic movie It's a Wonderful Life (1946).

Downtown Bedford Falls was actually a set at thee RKO movie ranch in Encino. Genesse Street, the main street in Bedford Falls that cuts through its downtown, utilised portions of an earlier set called "Modern Street" at the ranch. Modern Street itself had been built for the fictional Oklahoma town of Osage in the Cimarron (1931), and was among the sets that won Max Rée the Oscar for Best Art Direction. Modern Street was also used on such films as Alice Adams (1935), Wells Fargo (1937), and The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), among others. Genesse Street in It's a Wonderful Life (1946) was particularly impressive. It was 300 yards long and boasted over 30 stores. 

In many ways, downtown Bedford Falls is as much a character in It's a Wonderful Life (1946) as George Bailey or Mr. Potter. Unquestionably, certain businesses play a central role in the film. This is certainly true of the Baily Brothers Building & Loan, the business founded by George's father and his Uncle Billy, and the business that keeps George from leaving Bedford Falls. Also central to the film is Gower's Drug Store, where George worked as a boy, owned by George's friend Mr. Gower. As the other financial institution in town, the bank also plays an important role in the film.

Of course, the Bailey Brothers Building & Loan, Gower's Drug Store, and the bank are not the only businesses downtown. In one scene George makes reference to the department store, and I have to think this is the Emporium that is prominently seen in some scenes, given "emporium" literally means a large store that sells a variety of merchandise. There is also the Bijou Theatre, seen prominently in the film's climax, the Tiptop Cafe, the town newspaper, (the Bedford Falls Sentinel), World Luggage and Sports Shop, a Western Union office, and an American Airlines office. As if that wasn't enough, downtown Bedford Falls also boasted an antique store, a bakery, a barber shop, a beauty shop, a bicycle shop, a bowling alley, a candy store, a florist, the Bedford Falls garage (seen prominently at the beginning), a grocery,  a hardware store, a hotel, a music store, pool hall,  a tailor, and  a toy store. Not all of Bedford Falls's businesses are located downtown. The bar Martini's is located on Bridge Street, near the town's canal. The town also boasts a railroad depot that figures prominently in the movie.

As an adult I live right off the downtown of my hometown. Like the downtown of Bedford Falls, it also boasted many businesses in its heyday, from two grocery stores to  a movie theatre. Sadly, it is a shadow of what it once was, with next to nothing in the way of stores. The downtowns of the sort seen in It's a Wonderful Life (1946) largely seem to be a thing of the past, something that makes movies like It's a Wonderful Life (1946), featuring a prosperous downtown, all the more poignant for those of us who loved the downtowns of old.