Is this Finger Lakes town the REAL Bedford Falls?

“My lip’s bleeding! Bert, my lip’s bleeding!”

If that line of movie dialogue brings a smile to your face or a tear to your eye, keep reading. If it inspires mystification—or, worse, derision—skip to the next post, dear reader. Nothing for you to see here.

Those of you who grinned in recognition may well have seen the Christmas classic It’s a Wonderful Life as many times as I have. And, like me, you’ve probably felt almost as relieved as George Bailey when George (played by Jimmy Stewart) returns from the nasty parallel world of Pottersville to a snow-covered bridge in good old Bedford Falls, his bleeding lip proof that he’s back where he belongs.

But have you ever wondered whether Bedford Falls is a real place?

The It’s a Wonderful Life Museum in Seneca Falls is still welcoming Harry Bailey home, 68 years after the movie’s release. Photo by Laura Byrne Paquet.

A few folks in Seneca Falls, New York, have pondered that very question, and they believe their Finger Lakes community—a four-hour drive from Ottawa—is the model for director Frank Capra’s iconic Christmas town.

Not surprisingly, Anwei Law—who co-owns the local It’s a Wonderful Life Museum—is one of the theory’s staunchest advocates. With practised ease, she argues her case.

A local barber swore Capra came in for a trim in 1945, two years before the movie’s release.

The town’s Fall Street used to be part of the Genessee Turnpike, and Bedford Falls had a bustling Genessee Street.

Can you picture Jimmy Stewart running down Fall Street, calling out greetings to the dear old Bailey Savings & Loan? Photo by Laura Byrne Paquet.

Like the movie town, Seneca Falls is near upstate New York communities such as Rochester and Elmira.

And the capper? A bridge over the Cayuga-Seneca Canal not only bears a striking resemblance to the bridge where George leaps into icy waters to rescue Clarence, but it was also the site of a similar rescue attempt in 1917. (In that case, the brave rescuer wasn’t as lucky as George; he drowned after jumping into the canal.)

It does look like the movie’s bridge, doesn’t it? Photo by Laura Byrne Paquet.

The It’s a Wonderful Life self-guided walking tour brings up a few more links, some more tenuous than others. Did one of the town’s Second Empire-style homes inspire the abandoned mansion that George and Mary Bailey renovate for their growing family? Can I picture Harry Bailey arriving home from the war at the one-time train station? Maybe…if Clarence the angel gave my imagination a bit of a boost.

Could this Second Empire house have inspired Capra? Who knows? Photo by Laura Byrne Paquet.

But hey, it’s Christmas, when we all want to believe. And, to that end, Seneca Falls hosts a humdinger of an It’s a Wonderful Life Festival each year (December 12 to 14, 2014). Fans of all things Bailey (and 1940s nostalgia) can wallow in everything from a gingerbread house contest to a dance with a live swing band. Karolyn Grimes and Carol Coombs—who played Zuzu and Janie Bailey, respectively—will be on hand to sign autographs. And, of course, there will be several big-screen showings of the movie itself. Bring a few hankies…and leave your 21st-century cynicism at home.

Seneca Falls isn’t shy about milking the possible movie connection. Photo by Laura Byrne Paquet.

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I travelled to the Finger Lakes region as a guest of Finger Lakes Visitor Connection, which neither reviewed nor approved this post.

If You Go

Distance from Ottawa: 377km

More information: It’s a Wonderful Life festival