Frank Capra (Motion Picture Director) was visiting his aunt in 1945 in nearby Auburn, NY when he stopped in Seneca Falls for a haircut. Upon leaving town, he crossed a steel trussed bridge and noticed a plaque commemorating a death that occurred there. A young man, Antonio Varacalli had jumped off that bridge to save a woman that tried to commit suicide in the icy waters of the canal. Antonio managed to save the woman but he later died from exhaustion. Capra viewed young Varacalli’s sacrifice as her “guardian angel”.
It’s a Wonderful Life is based on a short story by Philip Van Doren Stern titled “The Greatest Gift”. Capra followed true to the story by Stern about a frustrated and beaten down man contemplating suicide by jumping off a bridge and meeting his “guardian angel”. If you have not seen this movie, put it on your holiday list; it will become a favorite for sure.
In Seneca Falls (there is no falls here) you will find the museum dedicated to the film and a lot of memorabilia associated with each of the main characters. After we left the museum, there’s directions to the fabled bridge where the character of George Bailey professed “I want to live.” That bridge is still proudly there along with the Antonio Varacalli plaque. What you will notice as you approach the bridge is the bells of all sizes that are attached along the railing placed there by fans of the movie or perhaps those in search of their “guardian angel”.
Lin and I thoroughly enjoyed visiting Seneca Falls. The town itself is beautiful with older historic buildings and you can understand why Capra chose this town to be his “Bedford Falls”!
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