![]() ![]() ![]() Local barber Tommy Bellissima claimed he cut Capra’s hair in 1945. The word “genesee” is from the local Iroquois and is closely associated with the Finger Lakes region that includes Seneca Falls.Īnd while there’s no slam-dunk proof that Capra ever set foot in Seneca Falls, there is the haircut story. ![]() George’s wealthy friend Sam Wainwright talks of building a factory outside of Rochester, and his brother is offered a job in Buffalo. The bank examiner wants to get back to his family in Elmira for Christmas. The film also is loaded with references to nearby upstate cities. Karolyn Grimes, who played George’s daughter Zuzu in the movie and is a festival regular, said Seneca Falls’ similarities are so striking she blurted out “It’s Bedford Falls!” during her first visit. Seneca Falls has a nice broad main street like Bedford Falls’, and there’s a bridge with a plaque dedicated to a man who jumped from the span to save a suicidal woman in 1917 - an act echoed in the film. But many in this town of 9,000 say they have a strong circumstantial case. ![]() If Bedford Falls (the nice one, not the naughty one) really was modeled after Seneca Falls, Capra never let on, and died in 1991. The homey town falls into the clutches of the greedy slumlord Potter, and his Pottersville becomes a city of sin, brimming with sleazy nightclubs, burlesque halls, pawn shops and neon lights. ![]()
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