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second husband that she came to appreciate the depth of the film, particularly the deep desperation portrayed by
Stewart. The struggles George Bailey faced seemed echoed in the hardships of her own life. She took the movie's message to heart, and came to be a strong advocate for the film. Grimes has been closely tied to the movie, as the character she portrayed uttered one of cinema's most famous lines: "Look, Daddy. Teacher says, 'Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.'" It was a reminder that Clarence had succeeded. He had showed George his value to all those he loved, and in doing so rekindled a thankful heart and a love for life.
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253:, an aggressive form of the malady. Six years later she died, at the age of 44. Grimes was just 14 years old at the time. Without her mother she was unable to continue in acting. The following year her father was killed in an automobile accident, and Karolyn was an orphan at the age of 15. By ruling of the District Court, she was sent from Hollywood to live with her uncle and his wife in
257:. It was a very difficult adjustment for her. Life in rural Missouri was a far cry from life in southern California, and her aunt was strict, mean and unstable. Karolyn adjusted to the changes, and found support from among the townspeople, who were aware of what she was going through. In a few years time, she was going off to college in
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brought with it encouragement. In the mid-1980s she began receiving cards and letters from fans who loved the movie. Repeated showings on local and cable television each holiday season created a broad base of admirers, and the movie became a perennial holiday favorite. It was after the death of her
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in the film. She also wrote a holiday cookbook with recipes interspersed with pictures and stories of her time on the set of the movie. In 2023 she recited her famous line "Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings" for the
Christmas single "A Day in the Life of a Christmas Tree", by danish
322:
chose "It's a
Wonderful Life" as its marketing theme for Christmas, and contracted with a number of the actors to be store ambassadors. "They reunited the Bailey kids and we went on tour all over the United States," Grimes said. "It was fabulous. I had the best time ever. I didn't realize how much
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was something that faded into the past with her childhood. She married, had two children, divorced, married again to a man with three children, and then had two more children with her second husband. However, renewed interest in the film in the early 1980s led
249:. From an early age her mother took her for all sorts of lessons, training in violin, piano, singing and dance, and took her to auditions. However, when Grimes was 8, her mother's health began to decline. She was suffering from early onset
293:
to wonder what ever had happened to the little girl who had played 'ZuZu'. Grimes was 39 years old by the time
Stewart's secretary tracked her down. Married and raising seven children, she had never even seen the picture.
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Grimes has been called upon to introduce the film at screenings nationwide, meeting with people and signing autographs for those who had come to love the picture and its portrayal of hope. In the 1990s, the
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Hardships came with the passing of years, the hardest of which was the loss of her youngest when he took his own life. A few years later, her second husband died of cancer. However, her connection to
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at dinner theaters worldwide, where she is asked to share stories of her memories of Jimmy
Stewart, Donna Reed and the making of the picture. In addition, she appears annually at the
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In total, Grimes starred in 16 motion pictures as a child actor; however, it is as Zuzu that she is best remembered. She was honored as a famous
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Through her speaking engagements, she met a psychologist who worked at the
Benedict House, a homeless shelter in the
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people loved this film. They seemed to just embrace us so much and put us in their hearts."
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in 1946. The following year she appeared in six pictures, most notably as the daughter of
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Grimes' film debut came when she was 6 months old. She first attracted attention playing
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961:"The Real-Life Tragedy and Triumph of 'Zuzu Bailey' From 'It's a Wonderful Life'"
1237:"For Zuzu of 'It's a Wonderful Life,' it wasn't such a wonderful life afterward"
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Medal of
Initiative in 2007 at the annual Marshfield Cherry Blossom Festival.
156:(born July 4, 1940) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as
1092:"How It's a Wonderful Life went from box office failure to Christmas classic"
1153:"As Zuzu Can Attest, Americans Love Hopeful Ring of 'It's a Wonderful Life'"
778:"Karolyn Grimes Played the Adorable Zuzu Bailey in 'It's a Wonderful Life'"
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989:"Wonderful life? I was orphaned, my son died and I lost a fortune"
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1021:"It Wasn't Always a Wonderful Life for Little Zuzu Bailey"
334:. She continues to be invited to big-screen showings of
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Zuzu’s “Wonderful Life”: The Story of
Karolyn Grimes
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Grimes, Karolyn; Dohanyos, Franklin (October 2000).
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221:. She also received the city's highest honor, the
170:. She also played Debby Brougham in the 1947 film
814:. Valparaiso, Indiana. August 28, 1945. p. 4
330:. Grimes married for the third time and moved to
1124:"Zuzu has grown up with 'It's a Wonderful Life'"
309:Donna Reed, James Stewart and Karolyn Grimes in
895:Maguire Armstrong, Patti (December 15, 2020).
8:
1183:Zuzu Bailey's It's a Wonderful Life Cookbook
217:with a star on the Missouri Walk of Fame in
1220:Official site "Karolyn Grimes - Zuzu today"
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245:. Her father worked as a store manager for
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1090:Pollard, Alexandra (December 22, 2020).
954:
952:
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838:"Karolyn Grimes Bids For Moppet Stardom"
1058:Farnham, Margaret (December 25, 1993).
928:Pronechen, Joseph (December 15, 2016).
735:
672:
375:
194:. Her most famous role came as Zuzu in
136: 1968; died 1993)
930:"It's Still a Wonderful Life for Zuzu"
1292:Actresses from Hollywood, Los Angeles
1235:Lane, Raymond M. (December 2, 2011).
771:
769:
767:
765:
7:
1122:Devore, Sheryl (December 2, 2015).
959:Carter, Maria (December 13, 2016).
1019:Miller, Danny (December 5, 2011).
987:Palmer, Alun (December 16, 2008).
870:Marshfield Cherry Blossom Festival
14:
808:"Behind the Scenes in Hollywood"
707:Episode: "The Good of His Soul"
284:For Grimes, the part of ZuZu in
115:
1272:20th-century American actresses
1150:Barry, Dan (December 5, 1996).
744:"Happy 30th To 'The Situation'"
133:
111:
776:Fox, Courtney (January 2021).
723:First acting role in 62 years
490:The Private Affairs of Bel Ami
263:University of Central Missouri
1:
1287:People from Osceola, Missouri
846:. August 25, 1946. p. 25
690:Episode: "His Name Is Jason"
16:American actress (born 1940)
1297:21st-century American women
854:– via Newspapers.com.
700:The Ford Television Theatre
1318:
934:National Catholic Register
902:National Catholic Register
1060:"It Was a Wonderful Part"
511:
456:
410:
380:
346:, the town that inspired
30:
1277:American child actresses
843:The Brooklyn Daily Eagle
351:singer, Anders Knudsen.
1282:American film actresses
650:First film in 68 years
624:Hans Christian Andersen
340:"It's a Wonderful Life"
1225:On a Wing and a Prayer
866:"Cherry Blossom Medal"
629:Copenhagen Match Girl
344:Seneca Falls, New York
314:
281:
238:
188:'s daughter in 1945's
812:The Vidette-Messenger
445:It's a Wonderful Life
436:Mary Elizabeth Adams
336:It's a Wonderful Life
311:It's a Wonderful Life
308:
299:It's a Wonderful Life
286:It's a Wonderful Life
278:It's a Wonderful Life
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259:Warrensburg, Missouri
243:Hollywood, California
236:
196:It's a Wonderful Life
167:It's a Wonderful Life
91:It's a Wonderful Life
79:1945–1954, 2016, 2020
60:Hollywood, California
475:Philo Vance's Gamble
404:Stephanie Pemberton
267:medical technologist
219:Marshfield, Missouri
160:in the classic 1946
1242:The Washington Post
1034:on December 8, 2011
495:Laurine de Marelle
385:That Night with You
251:Alzheimer's disease
241:Grimes was born in
1159:The New York Times
716:Cassandra's Castle
579:For Those Who Dare
504:Mother Wore Tights
320:Target store chain
315:
282:
239:
1193:978-0-8065-2165-7
782:Wide Open Country
727:
726:
720:Sister Bernadice
654:
653:
574:Martha Bannister
531:The Bishop's Wife
255:Osceola, Missouri
208:The Bishop's Wife
173:The Bishop's Wife
151:
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97:The Bishop's Wife
76:Years active
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1030:. Archived from
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788:on March 4, 2021
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1205:External links
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186:Fred MacMurray
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291:Jimmy Stewart
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229:Personal life
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55:(age 84)
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19:
1246:. Retrieved
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1182:
1175:
1163:. Retrieved
1157:
1145:
1133:. Retrieved
1127:
1102:. Retrieved
1095:
1085:
1075:– via
1069:. Retrieved
1065:Toledo Blade
1063:
1036:. Retrieved
1032:the original
1024:
1001:December 29,
999:. Retrieved
994:Daily Mirror
992:
982:
970:. Retrieved
964:
939:December 24,
937:. Retrieved
933:
906:. Retrieved
900:
875:December 24,
873:. Retrieved
869:
860:
848:. Retrieved
841:
832:
822:– via
816:. Retrieved
811:
802:
790:. Retrieved
786:the original
781:
754:December 11,
752:. Retrieved
747:
738:
715:
698:
681:
640:
622:
605:
588:
578:
567:
557:
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524:Little Girl
517:
509:Iris, age 6
502:
488:
480:Pat Roberts
473:
460:
450:Zuzu Bailey
443:
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416:Sister Kenny
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85:Notable work
53:July 4, 1940
18:
1302:1940 births
1248:December 4,
1077:Google News
1038:December 6,
748:rttnews.com
642:Canaan Land
632:Uncredited
558:Silver City
548:Albuquerque
519:Unconquered
512:Uncredited
483:Uncredited
468:Short film
392:Uncredited
355:Filmography
200:David Niven
162:Frank Capra
158:Zuzu Bailey
94:(1946) and
1261:Categories
1165:January 1,
750:. RTT News
730:References
657:Television
607:Honeychile
590:Rio Grande
431:Blue Skies
276:Grimes in
215:Missourian
108:Hal Barnes
68:Occupation
49:1940-07-04
850:March 13,
818:March 13,
105:Spouse(s)
1135:July 28,
1104:July 21,
1100:. London
1071:July 26,
997:. London
972:July 28,
908:July 22,
792:July 28,
421:Carolyn
144:Children
465:Tammie
389:Orphan
332:Seattle
261:at the
247:Safeway
138:
130:
126:
71:Actress
1190:
673:Notes
667:Title
612:Effie
376:Notes
370:Title
313:(1946)
280:, 1946
180:Career
114:19??;
100:(1947)
62:, U.S.
712:2016
695:1954
678:1953
670:Role
664:Year
637:2020
619:1952
602:1951
585:1950
564:1949
543:1948
457:1947
411:1946
381:1945
373:Role
367:Year
164:film
132:(
128:
118:19??)
1250:2011
1215:IMDb
1188:ISBN
1167:2019
1137:2021
1106:2021
1073:2021
1040:2011
1003:2018
974:2021
941:2021
910:2021
877:2021
852:2016
820:2016
794:2021
756:2022
360:Film
202:and
116:div.
43:Born
1213:at
1026:MSN
206:in
1263::
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1126:.
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764:^
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134:m.
112:m.
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147:4
110:(
47:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
