Who: Slumlord Henry F. Potter (played by Lionel Barrymore)

What: Straight-up theft of $8,000, enough to bankrupt George and Billy Bailey's Building an Loan.

When: December 20, 1946

Where: "It's a Wonderful Life"

Why it's a great moment: Mr. Potter does a lot of nasty things to the Bailey family in "It's a Wonderful Life": He tries to ruin George's affordable housing business by offering him a job, and attempts to buy out his customers at the Building and Loan for 50 cents on the dollar. But the action with the biggest impact is one of the quietest.

When Potter discovers Billy's $8,000 wrapped up in the newspaper he took from their unfriendly encounter, he almost returns it, but decides instead to watch the Baileys squirm as they contemplate bankruptcy. And he just sits there at his window, watching their collapse.

If it hadn't been for that pesky angel, it would have all gone his way, too. And for that, we salute him.

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