ROCHESTER, N.Y. — It’s not just the Christmas decorations that draw visitors to Doug Avery’s home in Seneca Falls; it’s the resemblance it has to a home from one of the most iconic movies.
“If Seneca Falls is Bedford Falls, that would make this old Granville mansion,” said Avery, who owns the home. “They stop and take pictures, having fun in front of my house.”
George Bailey and Mary Hatch threw rocks at the Granville house, making a wish for the future during “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
“Thankfully, no one throws rocks through our window,” said Avery. “But we’ve claimed the address and made it our own.”
For Francis Caraccilo, a long-time Seneca Falls resident and “It’s a Wonderful Life” fan, he’s made a game out of spotting the similarities between his town and the fictional Bedford Falls. If the rumors are true, the movie’s director, Frank Capra, traveled from New York City to Auburn to visit family in the 1940s. Wanting to spruce himself up for his visit, he stopped in Seneca Falls to get a haircut.
It was during this trip that he asked the barber about the town.
“He asked, ‘what’s the industry, what are the people like and what’s the story with that bridge?’ ” said Caraccilo.
The story he was told was about a young man who lost his life trying to save a woman who jumped off the bridge. He’s remembered with a plaque on the side of the bridge.
“We think he took that act of heroism and plugged it in, and it made the movie,” said Caraccilo.
The bridge is one of the biggest, but not the only similiarity to the movie. Fans say Capra captured the architecture of Seneca Falls with his designs of the Granville house to the Main Street shops, best seen at the end of the movie when George Bailey runs through the streets. Other New York cities, like Buffalo and Rochester, are even mentioned in the film.
“Capra said Bedford Falls represented slices of small towns everywhere,” said Caraccilo. “We just happen to think we have a bigger slice.”
That connection drew thousands of visitors to the small town, where a museum and festival were created to celebrate the movie year-round. But for the community of Seneca Falls, it’s about what the story represents.
“They need something to remind themselves that we’re all human, that we all need each other and we all impact each other,” said Caracillo. “We’re all George Bailey.”