It’s a Wonderful Life is one of those classic movies that other films love to emulate. I’ve heard Back to the Future compared to it by Siskel and Ebert, and I likened Click to it. There’s one film that I’ve never heard compared to It’s a Wonderful Life, but I think there are a lot of similarities between the two. It’s a little film called Pollyanna.

I was introduced to Pollyanna many years ago by a friend at a hard time in my life. It helped me look for the good rather than the bad in the world around me. I think that’s a wonderful lesson for all of us as we face hard times. So let’s see all the things that Pollyanna and It’s a Wonderful Life have in common.

Harrington and Pottersville

Pollyanna tells its story in an opposite way to It’s a Wonderful Life. Instead of having the main character save their town from a terrible fate and get to see what would have happened if they hadn’t stepped in, Pollyanna showcases a town that has fallen into the clutches of a bitter person and has become everything the main character opposes. The people are all gloomy husks of their former selves, forced to hide their true feelings, and live lives of quiet desperation. But the main character comes in and shows everyone a better way to live.

By the end of both films, the town receives a new name. Pottersville is replaced by Bedford Falls. Harrington gets a new sign added to it: “The Glad Town” in honor of Pollyanna Whittier’s Glad Game she plays to help people think positive.

Harrington is much the same as Pottersville. They’re both named after the meanest person in town. Sure, there aren’t as many bars or gambling joints in Harrington, but it’s just as tragic as Pottersville. No one is strong enough to speak up against the person in charge: Polly Harrington.

Polly Harrington and Mr. Potter

Polly Harrington is an interesting character. At first glance, she comes across as a clone of Mr. Potter. She’s mean and imposing, has a firm grasp over the town she lives in, and is feared by everyone under her control. But that’s only one side of her character. She also feels a real obligation to the town she grew up in because of her family name like George Bailey, and she never married the man she loved in her youth, which left her lonely and sad like Mary Hatch. In a lot of ways, she resembles the good guys in It’s a Wonderful Life just as much as the villain.

Pollyanna Whittier and George Bailey

Like Polly Harrington, Pollyanna Whittier seems like she only relates to one character in It’s a Wonderful Life at first glance. She’s just like George Bailey. Let’s put the characters side by side to see all the connections.

George Bailey is a young man who suffers a major tragedy when his father dies. This forces him to stay in Bedford Falls and live a poor life with his wife. Everywhere he goes, he brings hope to people around him. But he doesn’t realize the good that he does over the course of decades.

Pollyanna Whittier is a little girl who suffers a major tragedy when her parents die. This forces her to come to Harrington and live with her rich aunt. Everywhere she goes, she brings light and joy to people around her. But she doesn’t realize the good that she does over the course of just a few weeks.

I would also compare Pollyanna to the angel Clarence. They both want something very dearly. More than anything in the world, she wishes she could get a doll. Clarence wants wings. Pollyanna sure could have used wings to save her from a problem involving her doll at the film’s saddest moment. Pollyanna and Clarence both help people to see that they have the power to solve their own problems if they simply change their perspective. They’re both angels sent from God to help people in dire straits. They’re rejected at first, but people eventually come around to their way of thinking.

Falling and Losing Hope

Both films have a moment where the hero falls a great distance and loses all hope. In It’s a Wonderful Life, George Bailey behaves very unlike himself when he feels on the verge of losing everything he’s built over the years. He yells at the people he loves and refuses to be helped. Then he almost commits suicide by jumping off a tall bridge into freezing water. He does wind up jumping in, but it’s to save the life of Clarence.

Pollyanna does things a little out of order. Pollyana Whittier almost dies after she falls off the fourth story of her aunt Polly’s house. She was trying to grab her doll when she fell. She then behaves very unlike herself when she learns that she’s lost the ability to walk and it feels like everything she’s done has been in vain. She yells at the people she loves and refuses to play the Glad Game to cheer herself up.

Townsfolk to the Rescue

The whole town comes to help the main character in their moment of need. George Bailey can’t get out of his financial problem by himself, so everyone in Bedford Falls comes to give him the money he needs. He just got back to his own reality after being shown a vision from an angel of what his town would have been like without him. He’s glad to see everyone back to their normal selves as a result of his actions in their lives.

Pollyanna Whittier needs surgery to repair her legs, but she can’t find the strength to hope that it will succeed, so everyone in Harrington comes to give her the hope that she needs. The Reverend just finished telling Polly Harrington that God sent Pollyanna to them to make the town a better place. Pollyanna is glad to see everyone so much happier than their former selves as a result of her actions in their lives.

I’m Glad Both These Movies Exist

As I said at the start, Pollyanna and It’s a Wonderful Life tell a similar story in different ways. Pollyanna shows that even in the worst of circumstances, things can change for the better. We can transform Pottersville back into Bedford Falls by reaching the people inside it and showing them that there is a better way to be.

It’s a Wonderful Life shows that even a seemingly mundane life has a profound impact on other people. Neither George Bailey nor Pollyanna Whitter knew the impact they had on the people around them until they were shown it in dramatic fashion. I’m glad that both of these movies exist to show us that we can have hope in our trials.

Not all angels have wings. Let’s be like Clarence and Pollyanna by looking for the good in people and helping them see it in themselves. Like them, we’ll be rewarded with heavenly gifts for our efforts.

This is the Deja Reviewer bidding you farewell until we meet again.

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