Part 09: Mary Hatch, Hero (For Our Times)

The most controversial moment in It's a Wonderful Life for modern fans is the fate of George Bailey’s spouse Mary in the part of the multiverse in which he had never been born.  An examination of Mary as the true hero of Bedford Falls leads to the stories of Donna Reed as unappreciated feminist, femme punk Zuzu’s Petals' Laurie Lindeen's “woman behind the man” relationship with the Replacements’ frontman and the most impactful effect of this holiday classic, the short story writer’s daughter’s success in using banking to bring more than 100 million out of poverty.  Through conversations with influential women, from Washington Post’s gender columnist to a popular Vox television critic, from Seneca Falls’ Women’s Rights National Historic Park to our own “George Bailey” theme song writer and performer, a debate over Mary heats up – with ramifications for fixing our culture!  SaveGeorgeBailey.comSupport the show: https://www.patreon.com/DoubleAsteriskSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.