Clarence (Angel) (Henry Travers)’s Timeline and Summary

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• Two angels, Joseph and Franklin, call on Clarence to prevent George Bailey from killing himself. If he succeeds, he'll finally earn his wings.
• Clarence heads down to Earth, and (intentionally) falls into the very river that George was thinking of hurling himself into.
• George rescues him, and they get to talking. After George says he wishes he was never born, Clarence shows George what the world would be like without him.
• They visit George's loved ones, who are lonely and unhappy.
• As they journey through Pottersville (formerly Bedford Falls), George sees how terrible everything is now. Clarence explains how Harry is dead because George wasn't around to save him, while Mary is a lonely, unmarried librarian.
• Clarence has to bail him out at one point, when Bert the cop tries to arrest him.
• Finally, after George admits he wants to live again, he's transported back into his life. Clarence earns his wings—as indicated by a bell that rings on George's Christmas tree—and all's well in heaven and earth.