The idea of George Bailey saying "You made one mistake Mr Potter - you double crossed me and you left me alive!" will always fill me with absolute glee 😂😂😂

"You made one mistake, Mr. Potter. You double-crossed me and left me alive" - damn that's one of the most badass lines i've ever heard

What I love most about this is its not even particularly funny, but it scratches such a deep cultural itch that its insanely satisfying to watch.

"I don't want the money, I want a piece of you Potter!". I lost it!!!!!

Every Christmas eve for the past 5 years we watch this after we finish the movie

Every time a bell rings, old man Potter gets his ass kicked ❤

When Potter stands up and reveals he's not crippled, I died. Fantastic skit.

“Mary, hold him for me” gets me every time. We watch this sketch every year, it’s a holiday tradition in my house

2:58 “Why-why you’re nothing but a fraud! You’re not even a cripple!” Carvey Jimmy Stewarts the hell of out that that line, hand gesture and everything.

Dana Carvey's imitation of Jimmy Stewart is perfect. He even pulled off the accent nearly perfectly.

As someone who's seen It's A Wonderful Life, this ending is IMMENSELY satisfying...

No joke, I was actually a little teary-eyed in the beginning with how faithful the recreation was...which quickly dissolved into tears of laughter. Well played.

I love how this is literally the exact opposite feeling of the actual ending and it’s still just as great 😂

That’s an incredible Uncle Billy impression

They forgot the very last scene when the whole town decides to cover up this homicide and lie to federal investigators.

"Look Daddy! Teacher says, every time a corrupt banker gets his brains smashed in, an angel gets his wings!"

Listen to the audience cheer when Potter gets his after 40 years.

"You doubled crossed me and you left me alive"

It always amazed me that William Shatner only hosted one episode considering that this episode is one of the greatest SNL episodes ever. No joke, almost every skit is laugh out loud funny.

After watching the movie for the first time I was left wanting an ending like this, so so happy to see it 😊

This cast, in my opinion, produced some of the best SNL seasons.

Not even kidding, I saw this as a kid and actually thought it was part of the movie so when I saw it again a couple years ago I was like, “where’s the rest of the movie?”😂

"I never get tired of that ending" - Abe Simpson

That the audience cheers when Potter gets dumped out of his chair tells what a cathartic sketch this was for everyone...

This sketch is always mandatory viewing for us immediately after watching the film itself at Christmas each year, and of course Carvey's spot on impersonation of Jimmy Stewart kills me every time. My personal favorite lines: "In the vast configuration of things you're nothing but a scurvy little spider." "I don't want the money i want a piece of you, Potter." "Why you're nothing but a fraud, you're not even a cripple!!!" XD

"You made one mistake, Mr. Potter! You double crossed me and you left me alive!" continues to be the funniest line ever uttered in SNL.

"Mary, Mary! Hold him for me!" Mary: Still the perfect wife.

When Shatner said the lost clip is 40 years old, I went like "what?". Then quickly realized that "oh, right, right, right.. This skit is 34 years old".

Most people don't catch that at 1:55 Uncle Billy said he just called *_Clarence_* at the bank. This means George's guardian angel gives up Old Man Potter. 😂 Priceless.

This ending is canon for me. 😊

Our family use to watch _It's a Wonderful Life_ every Christmas. I'll never forget how hard I laughed my ass off the first time I saw this. Merry Christmas everyone...

R.I.P. Jan Hooks, One of the funniest ladies I've ever seen...Janet Vivian Hooks (April 23, 1957 - October 9, 2014)

Wow, he sounds exactly like Jimmy Stewart

It always pissed me also he got away with it in the end of the movie. I like this alternative ending.

3:30 My favourite part, the diving elbow drop 😂😂

0:25 I love the way William Shatner emphasises each word in “lost ending of” and then the way his voice gets more gentle and melodic on “‘It’s a Wonderful Life’!”

A couple points about this movie the show got wrong: The movie was released in 1946 (not 1947), and Sam Wainwright offered to advance up to $25,000, much more than the $8,000 lost.

The original HISHE.

I have the real movie on VHS. In about 1988 I put a piece of tape over the copy protect slot and recorded this onto it after the end credits. This needs to be included on every DVD sold as a bonus feature.

Mr. Potter is never caught as the thief who embezzled $8000, which he apparently gets to keep. This was very unusual for a Hollywood film at the time; the Hays Office--the censor--code required that criminals must always be shown to be either punished or made to repent at the end of every film.

I love happy endings.

Just saw the real ending again last night for the first time in like 16 years so this is even more absurd to me now lol. Also Phil Hartman copies that guy in the crowd perfectly. 😂

I remember seeing this movie for the first time and wondering: How could they NOT address Potter stealing all that money?! And then I found this video, and life was great! :)

I am here immediately after finishing watching the movie, what a cathartic way to end 2020.

I was a college student when this episode aired. I taped it on VHS. Probably my favorite SNL episode of all time. There was a sketch where Kirk , Bones and Spock run a salad bar , and Dana Carvey ( Khan) is the food inspector.

"Harry, Marry, hold him for me..." LOL

No matter how many times I watch this I never get tired of it.

One of the best, most memorable laughs I shared with my dad was watching this skit together when it originally aired. Seeing it again makes me feel my beloved father's presence once again.

😂 I never get tired of this one. Merry Christmas Everyone!

I came for the Jimmy Stewart impression. I stayed for the beating of Jon Lovitz.

I just love watching this immediately after the original movie

I saw this when it was originally broadcast. This was shortly after IAWL had re-emerged. Absolutely a SNL all time highlight.

I screamed with laughter when this parody first aired. Dana Carvey’s my all-time favorite SNL cast member. 😂😂😂😂

After years of watching It’s A Wonderful Life, we finally get closure!

They did an excellent job capturing the full essence of a movie filmed in this era. Everything from the grainy quality to the cadence and accents felt authentic. This is definitely something special and every person who contributed to it should be proud.

One of the greatest sketches in the nearly 50 year history of this show. I always come back to it during the Christmas season

Go on Mary, get a piece of this! 😅😅😅😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣

In The It's A Wonderful Life Book, by Jeanine Basinger, regarding the fact that the Hays Code dictated that criminals in movies were supposed to pay for their crimes and Potter stole the $8,000 with no punishment, director and co-writer Frank Capra said that since IAWL deals with angels and other heavenly entities it must be assumed that some form of divine justice should take care of Potter in the afterlife, therefore the Hays Code requirements were somehow satisfied.

I wonder if the actor Jimmy Stewart ever saw this. I’m sure he did because he died 11 years after this was aired.

Every year I watch Imake sure to watch this ending instead of the real one

This is my favorite SNL Christmas sketch.

Being reminded of this SNL skit when watching "It's a Wonderful Life" at Christmas, then coming to KZfaq to watch it has become as much of a custom for me as watching "It's a Wonderful Life" at Christmas.. lol

George: “Mary, have piece of this!” Mary: “oh yeah!! You know it, baby!” (Enthusiastically starts stomping on Potter)

I’ve seen this movie 10 times and I never get tired of this ending.

R. I. P. Phil Hartman :|

Boy, that escalated quickly..

I just finished the movie and this guy does a really good George Bailey impression

As much as I completely love this it ruined the ending of the movie for me because now I want it to end like that LOL

*FINALLY* they upload this!!! Been looking for this for *YEARS* !!!

OMG. This is simply the BEST SNL Christmas sketch of all entire time...A lot of good ones have been done, to be sure...But, this was pure genius. And, Dana Carvey's impression of Stewart is amazing.

That elbow drop to Potter! Lol!!!!

I now consider this to be canon, and watch it straight after any time I see It's a Wonderful Life. 😂

What are we waiting for,let's go get him

2021 and this is still the best alternate ending of all time 🤣

Six degrees of Bill Shatner. Immortalized in a Christmas classic, forever.

I remember seeing this SNL skit with my husband about 30 years ago, I was not familiar with the movie , my husband told me this is not how " It's a wonderful life" ended, but the SNL version is the way you wished it had .

Who else is here Christmas Eve 2020?

Possibly the best single episode of SNL. Every sketch was a hoot. The Star Trek convention skit is classic comedy gold.

Dana Carvey as Jimmy Stewart gets me every time.

I remember this show in it's entirety. It was one of the best SNL episodes of all time. The other skits included Star Fleet turning the Enterprise into a rotating restaurant. William Shatner making fun of people that attend Star Trek conventions. T.J. Hooker holding on to the hood of a car for miles and being snowed on, and the musical guest was Lone Justice.

Captain Kirk went back to 1986. He saved the whales and he saved Christmas.

I remember watching this when it originally aired. I laughed so hard. Plus, it's a wonderful life has always been my favorite movie. Not because it's considered a holiday film (because it's not and never was intended to be a holiday film.) but because it's just a great movie even by today's standards. It's a slow burn (really slow) but eventually, if you are patient, you will see at the end how ever single scene builds up to probably the biggest climax in cinematic history. EVERY scene is important. Every word of dialogue builds the climax. George Baily represents the every-man. Other than marrying Mary, George never got to do anything he dreamed of doing. Even had to miss his honeymoon to save the building and loan. He had big dreams and never realized any of them because of family and the town. It's relatable because few ever realize their dreams. Last year i had a co-worker admit he had never seen it and the reason, "it always looked really boring." i encouraged him to be patient and give it another try. He came back and said, " you were right! That's one of the best movies ever."

"You're not even a cripple"... well, when it's all over he'd be that's for sure.

The whole Shatner-hosted 1986 SNL was great, especially the 'Get A Life' Trek convention sketch.

I declare this skit a Christmas classic.

The little girl held by Dana Carvey is now older than Carvey was when this was filmed.

The ending we all really wanted! Hysterical after all these many years!

I've always loved this "What if?" alternate ending of "It's a Wonderful Life" done by SNL w. Mr Potter finally getting what he deserves! Lol 😆

When Dana did the elbow drop at 3:30, i lost it! LMAO!! Classic.

"I don't want the money. I just want a piece of you Potter!"

My Christmas holiday is not complete until I see the alternate ending

The ending that we needed!

As always Dana Carvey is spot on with his impersonation! This is definitely one of his best!

Omg!!! The most satisfying ending to a classic movie EVER!!!

I love that Clarence ratted Potter out! Now that's what I call a guardian angel!

They left out the part where George sets Potter on fire from the fireplace flame, and they roast marshmallows over his burning corpse. Damn TV censors..

I watched this yesterday. For the first time I wondered why Uncle Billy didn't remember right away he had examined the envelope in the bank before writing a deposit slip and figure it out quicker or at least ask Potter about it.

One of the best parodies. RIP Phil Hart. We miss you.

This ending is much more satisfying.

Let's face it: its tradition to watch this every Christmas because the ending of its a Wonderful life could be way more satisfying