It's A Wonderful Life - Then & Now
Thought I'd make a little post having something to do with favorite Christmas movies. Just up the road a bit from where I live is where they filmed the 'Bailey Park' section of Frank Capra's great holiday classic - It's A Wonderful Life. It's actually in La Cañada, California (for you out of towners!) The movie takes place of course, in the fictional town of Bedford Falls NY, which the residents of Seneca Falls NY say the town was modeled after. I thought I'd share some pics of the fictional Bailey Park of 1947 and Viro Road today in La Cañada where it was filmed. It really was today too, as I took these pictures this afternoon. So enjoy.
1947 - Entrance to Bailey Park. Obviously a new development of $5000 homes going up just after the war. Big housing boom in the Los Angeles suburbs like everywhere else after the war.
2007 - Entrance to this side street in La Cañada. The old tree is missing, and I didn't quite get the angle right but I didn't want to trespass on the owner's property to the left on the corner. Nice mature trees & paved roads. You can barely make out the mountains in the back. A very nice neighborhood too. I'm sure it's quite pricey today, about a half mile from Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
1947 - The front of the new Martini home that George Bailey got them via the old Building & Loan.
2007 - The same house today. Some paint and trim and walkways have changed but basically it's the same place 60 years later.
1947 - Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed welcome the Martini's to their new home, at number 4587.
2007 - No one was home, but the number is still up there the same as it was. I actually wonder how many visitors they get on this street during the holidays, or that maybe the owners leave town as not to get bothered.
posted by Kevin @ 12/26/2007 10:54:00 PM
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