When Holiday Cheer Turns Ugly [VIDEO]

The Restaurant Industry According to Hollywood #35

George (James Stewart) orders a Double Bourbon and Clarence the Angel orders a Flaming Rum Punch then switches it to Mulled Wine heavy on the cinnamon. This film was made in 1946. In this scene, Clarence also says that he's 293 years old...so the writers in the 1940s assumed that people drank Flaming Rum Punches and Mulled Wine in the 1650s?

With the holidays upon us, we couldn’t resist including the famous bar scene from this Christmas classic, It’s A Wonderful Life. Jimmy Stewart plays the down on his luck protagonist who is seeing what the world would look like without him in it. When he enters the local watering hole, Martini’s, he is treated to a harsh reality that many bars present of cold indifference because they don’t recognize him. This clip proves the importance of meeting new guests and making them feel immediately welcome.

If you are a movie fan, then you will know that this was a Frank Capra film and he broke barriers in film-making that are still the standard today.

Consider how dark this scene is for 1950s America. The roadhouse bar filled with merry holiday cheer turns ugly as the bartender sprays poor Mister Gower and then throws George and Clarence out because he doesn’t like the look of them.

Let’s take our lessons here where we can and make sure you greet all your guests as if it were Christmas with warmth, empathy, and gratitude. You’ll likely make the same impact old George Bailey did in his life.