NEW YORK ā It was just another job for child actor Karolyn Grimes. She was 6 and had already done four movies by the summer of 1946 when filming began on āItās a Wonderful Life." The only thing she recalls about the biggest movie of her career was being delighted to play in snow on the set.
That single job would become very memorable to a lot of other people. āIt's a Wonderful Life,ā which marks its 75th anniversary this year, is now a beloved holiday tradition across the globe.
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āItās a once-a-year pick-me-up for the humanity of America and the world,ā Grimes told The Associated Press. āItās a good impetus to really keep us going in a positive direction.ā
āItās a Wonderful Lifeā was released in late 1946, produced and directed by Frank Capra and starring Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed. It takes place on Christmas Eve in a small town.
The film centers on the character of George Bailey, played by Stewart, who considers suicide until his guardian angel intervenes and shows him all the people whose lives he has touched and the difference he has made in the community.
One memorable character is Zuzu, played by Grimes. She gets to say, ā³Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.ā³ And the petals from Zuzuās rose ā stuffed into a pants pocket by Stewartās Bailey as he comforts his sickly daughter ā become a symbol of life.
If Grimes is sort of fuzzy on the filming details, Jimmy Hawkins, another former child actor who played Tommy in the film, is the opposite. He recalls as a 4-year-old getting up while it was dark and taking buses and streetcars to Culver City to film his scenes.
āI have vivid memories of doing that film,ā he says. "On the set, Capra would squat down, eye-to-eye, tell me what he wanted me to do and did I understand it. I said, 'Oh, yes, sir.āā
Grimes and Hawkins are among the last surviving members of the cast and have chosen to represent the film's legacy and spread its lesson of doing good.
āWe feel weāre lucky to have played those parts and carry Frank Capraās message. Heās not around to do it, and he gave us a great part and a lot of wonderful memories, so we just naturally do it, says Hawkins.
āWe want to carry on that message, whether itās to inmates at Attica or ringing the bell at the Stock Exchange. We talk to everybody to keep it going."
Paramount Home Entertainment has released a limited-edition two-disc Blu-ray set with a colorized version of the film in high definition as well as the original, digitally remastered black-and-white movie in high definition. The set includes over 45 minutes of bonus content.
The movie was nominated for five Oscars and has been recognized by the American Film Institute as one of the 100 best American films ever made. The movie also earned first place for most inspirational American Film of All Time by the AFI.
āIt gives us such an optimistic view of what our lives can be. And we have the power to make that. We can make a difference and we can make things happen,ā said Grimes.
Hawkins recalls Capra with a strong vision for the film ā faith, hope and life renewed. The movie he made might be sentimental, but on the set, the director was not at all.
āIt was his movie,ā he says. āPeople fell by the wayside because it was his vision. If you didnāt have his vision, you werenāt making his move. He was very precise, very nice to everybody on the set. But now itās a job.ā
The film ā now closely associated with Christmas ā wasn't initially intended to be released over the holidays. But RKO's scheduled Christmas movie in 1946 ā "Sinbad the Sailor" ā wasn't ready so the studio asked Capra to rush production of āItās a Wonderful Life." It was released Dec. 20 at the Globe Theatre in New York, a little late for a traditional Christmas rollout.
āThey did a beautiful job of getting it out there and then it bombed more or less. It was not a hit,ā says Grimes. āBut then in the early '70s, it became public domain and it was on every channel every year.ā
Grimes still gets letters from all over the globe and from generations of viewers. āI get a lot of fan mail from Great Britain and even the Mideast and all kinds of places,ā she says. āItās reaching a lot of people, and I think people will want to make a difference.ā
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Mark Kennedy is at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits