She only wanted $17.50
- JP
- Jun 3, 2024
- 1 min read
Ellen Corby (June 3, 1911 – April 14, 1999).
Ellen Hansen Corby was an American actress and screenwriter. She is best remembered for the role of Esther "Grandma" Walton on the CBS television series The Waltons, for which she won three Emmy Awards. She was also nominated for an Academy Award and won a Golden Globe Award for her performance as Aunt Trina in I Remember Mama (1948).
During the bank run in It's a Wonderful Life, Ellen was one of the customers asking for her money. In the script and in the rehearsals, Ellen was to ask for $17, which she did. Before shooting the scene, though, director Frank Capra took Ellen aside and told her to ask for $17.50. He said it would be funnier, so she did. Both Jimmy Stewart's and Ellen's reactions were genuine, unexpected, and delightful.
Corby guests in "The Gift Shop" on The Donna Reed Show (Season 7, Episode 23).
I never really thought about that $17.50 bank‑run moment in It’s a Wonderful Life in this way before, but reading how Frank Capra tweaked Ellen Corby’s line from a tidy $17 to the oddly precise $17.50 made me appreciate how a split‑second comedic decision can ripple into a tiny, unforgettable slice of cinematic magic. It’s lovely to see how a simple “funnier” nudge from the director not only threw Jimmy Stewart off‑balance but produced a genuinely spontaneous kiss and reaction that stayed in the final cut, turning a throwaway deposit‑request into one of the film’s most human, quietly funny beats.
At the same time, I came across the internet, and while it’s a completely different world, it reminded me how…