Frank Capra

PARIS: Nothing, not even a cigarette butt on the ground, I can’t believe it. This town would make Frank Capra wanna throw up.

Francesco “Frank” Capra (1897-1991), Italian-born American film director, producer and writer, the creative force behind many of the award-winning films of the 1930s and 1940s. He won six Oscars, and numerous other awards, both in the US and in Italy.

He is perhaps best-known for his 1946 Christmas fantasy drama film, It’s a Wonderful Life, based on the 1943 short story, The Greatest Gift by Philip Van Doren Stern, itself loosely based on Charles Dickens’ novella, A Christmas Carol.

The film stars James Stewart as George Bailey, a man who has given up his own dreams to help others, but is driven to despair one Christmas Eve. His guardian angel saves him from suicide by showing him how he has touched the lives of so many others, and how different life would have been for his wife Mary (played by Donna Reed), and his community of Bedford Falls, should he never have been born.

It’s a Wonderful Life made a loss at the box office, and received lukewarm reviews. The FBI thought it was pro-Communist. However, after becoming a Christmas television staple in the 1970s, it became one of the world’s most beloved movies, and is regarded as one of the greatest, and most inspiring, films of all time. It was Frank Capra’s favourite of his own films, and James Stewart’s favourite film in which he starred.

The wholesome, slightly quirky town of Bedford Falls bears more than a passing resemblance to Stars Hollow, and the Christmas setting seems perfect for Lorelai’s love of snow. Also note that in the film, the kindly George Bailey gives bank loans to people based on their good character, not on their financial status – Lorelai seems to have received a shock when she discovered that bankers don’t actually care how nice you are when she was trying to get a loan.

Dr. Feelgood

PARIS: What about that guy over there? What’s his story?
LUKE: Reverend Nichols?
PARIS: Reverend Nichols, huh? What is that, like Dr. Feelgood?

A reference to the 1989 song Dr. Feelgood, by heavy metal band Mötley Crüe. It was the lead single from their album of the same name, and went to #6 in the US. It is their most successful single, and the only one which went gold.

The song is about a L.A. drug dealer named Jimmy who is known as “Dr. Feelgood”. The original lyrics were on a different subject, but bassist and songwriter Nikki Sixx based it on his experiences with different drug dealers, so that Dr. Feelgood is a composite of several real-life characters. Nikki Sixx, who almost died from a heroin overdose in 1987, declared himself clean and sober in 2004.

Angela Lansbury

LUKE: Who’s your friend?
RORY: Angela Lansbury.

Dame Angela Lansbury (born 1925), British-Irish-American actress with a long and prolific career on radio, stage, film, and television. Her first film role was in the 1944 movie Gaslight, previously discussed. She has received an Honorary Academy Award, a Lifetime Achievement BAFTA Award, A Lifetime Achievement Award from the Screenwriters Guild, five Tony Awards, a Laurence Olivier Award, and six Golden Globe Awards.

She is best known for starring as Jessica Fletcher in the television detective series Murder She Wrote (1984-96). Jessica Fletcher was a retired schoolteacher turned detective novelist who was often called upon to solve murders in her spare time. Although reviews were mixed, the show was very popular and rated extremely well, especially with older viewers.

Rabies

PARIS: I think I got rabies.
RORY: It’s just a bus, Paris.

Rabies is a viral disease causing inflammation of the brain. It usually begins with a fever, progresses to nausea, vomiting, confusion, and loss of consciousness, and almost always ending in death. It is spread from bites from an infected animal, such as a dog (globally, the most common cause of infection). In North America, where dogs are usually vaccinated against rabies, it is nearly always spread by bats. Most deaths are in Africa and Asia.