Karolyn Grimes, Zuzu in ‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’ Looks Back on a Life That Wasn’t Always Wonderful

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As I delve into the poignant tale of Carol Grace Coon, fondly known as “Grandma Zuzu”, I am deeply moved by her extraordinary journey that spans over eight decades. Her life story is a testament to resilience, adaptability, and the indomitable spirit of hope.

Most of the year, Karolyn Grimes, now 84, enjoys a tranquil family-focused lifestyle typical of many grandmothers in retirement. However, as December approaches, her life takes on a different pace. Recently, when The Hollywood Reporter contacted her by phone, she was gearing up for the 22nd time to be honored at a festival in Seneca Falls, New York. Soon after, she would be jetting off to Detroit for another similar event where she would be a guest of honor. Just like Santa Claus, she has numerous destinations and people to visit before Christmas Day.

Back when I was just six years old, over seven decades ago, I had the extraordinary opportunity to spend two weeks on the set of Frank Capra’s classic film “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Unaware at the time, that role as Zuzu Bailey, the adored daughter of George (played by Jimmy Stewart) and Mary (Donna Reed), would somehow grant me an immortality of sorts.

Regardless of her limited screen time in the beloved Christmas movie, Grimes is unforgettable for many viewers. She played the sweet, ill child who presents her father with a flower from school, only to have him accidentally damage it. Later, those damaged petals become a poignant reminder for the man, who was considering suicide due to a string of misfortunes in his life. When, as a spoiler, he eventually reunites with his family, it’s Zuzu who recovers and delivers the heart-wrenching line that brings even the most emotionless viewers to tears: “Daddy! The teacher said that every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings.

Over 75 years since the debut of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” the movie is universally known. However, few would have predicted that the young actress portrayed in it would face hardships and heartaches that dwarf those faced by George Bailey himself.

* * *

Karolyn Grimes, born on Independence Day in 1940, in Hollywood, was the only child of a Safeway store manager and a homemaker. With her father potentially being drafted for World War II, which could have left them financially struggling, her mother started preparing her for a career as a child actress at a very young age. She enrolled Karolyn in various lessons such as piano, violin, dancing, singing, elocution, and dialect when she was still a toddler. At the tender age of four, she was taken to audition for the town’s main agent for child performers, Lola Moore.

As a devoted fan looking back, I found myself becoming one of Grimes’ clients and was swiftly immersed in casting calls. Among my earliest roles were the daughter of Fred MacMurray’s character in the 1945 film “Pardon My Past” and Bing Crosby’s daughter in the 1946 release, “Blue Skies.

In the antechamber prior to the audition, another young girl’s mother, who was also being considered, accidentally spilled coffee on Grimes’ dress. Despite this mishap, Grimes remained calm when summoned to meet Capra. This composure, combined with her ability to perform on cue, might have left an impression. “At that moment,” Grimes recounts, “I hadn’t learned to read yet, so I relied on emotions, facial expressions, and similar cues.” A few days later, Moore phoned Grimes’ mother to share the news that Grimes had secured the role.

1946 saw Grimes and the other child actors assigned to portray the Bailey kids summoned to RKO Studios in Culver City, during the final fortnight of filming. In those days, her parents were paid $75 for each week, a considerable amount. However, what truly captivated her was the sight that awaited her upon arrival. Being accustomed to Hollywood, she had never encountered snow before, and here was an expanse of it. Although it wasn’t real, it seemed as real to her as anything could, filling her with awe. She also marveled at the colossal Christmas tree belonging to the Bailey family, which dwarfed the tiny one her family kept on their dining table. Lastly, she was enchanted by her fellow child actors, whom she chased around the sets.

In the care of a nurturing teacher who oversaw our well-being, I found myself working alongside legends from Hollywood’s Golden Era. My encounters with Capra remain vivid: he would kneel down to meet me at eye level and guide me, saying “This is what I want you to accomplish.” As for the main actors, Jimmy Stewart was an ever-present figure in my experience – I was close to him, interacted extensively with him, and barely noticed Donna Reed. My bond was with him alone. I felt a strong connection with Jimmy Stewart during my entire stay.

Following the completion of her filming duties, Grimes left the set and resumed her everyday routine (“She confesses there might have been a missing ornament from the Christmas tree,” she says). Later, she joined the wrap party, which was a picnic in Malibu. There, she recalls spending time with one of the actors she hadn’t met during filming, the renowned Lionel Barrymore, whose wheelchair left an impression on her. Subsequently, along with her mother, she attended the movie’s premiere in Hollywood on Christmas Eve of 1946. During the event, she dozed off.

When “It’s a Wonderful Life” hit theaters in January 1947, it didn’t earn back its production costs and was deemed a flop. This setback was devastating for Capra, and ultimately led to Liberty Films producing only one more film before they were sold to Paramount Pictures. However, this didn’t faze Grimes at all. To her, the movie was just another addition to the 15 films she had been a part of, including “The Bishop’s Wife” with Cary Grant (released in 1947), “Rio Grande” with John Wayne (in 1950), and “Hans Christian Andersen” featuring Danny Kaye (in 1952).

As Grimes turned 11, her family life underwent a heartbreaking change. “My mother began to fall ill,” she remembers. “Regrettably, it wasn’t an illness that could be treated. In today’s terms, we would refer to it as early-onset Alzheimer’s, but at the time they simply called it cerebral atrophy.” From then on, her acting aspirations took a back seat. Her father had never been supportive of this career path, and with the financial demands that came with it – such as hiring someone to take her to auditions and having someone present on set if she got a role – it became an unattainable dream for him.

At age 14, Grimes tragically lost her mother at 44. Shortly afterward, when she was still grappling with this loss, her father met a similar fate in a car accident. This left Grimes an orphan at the tender age of 15. Since her father hadn’t written a will, the court decided her future. Recalling this period, she says, “Friends’ parents offered to take me in. I asked the judge if I had any say in who I lived with or where I went. He replied, ‘Your wishes are as insignificant as a single drop in a vast bucket.’ That response has stayed with me.

Ultimately, she found herself under the care of her uncle and his spouse. “They arrived, picked me up, and escorted me back to a small town in Missouri called Osceola,” she recounts. For the subsequent three years, she experienced severe abuse from her malevolent aunt, who was mentally unwell. At 18, Grimes wedded a local man. “I needed to flee, and that was the only means I could conceive of escaping from there.

After gaining her freedom, Grimes felt no longing for California. Instead, she expressed that it was the land of ruthless competition (“Hollywood was always survival of the fittest”). She found warmth in the Midwest where people were kind-hearted (“Back there, they’re genuinely nice folks”). Prior to their divorce, Grimes and her husband had two daughters together (unfortunately, he later met his end in a tragic hunting accident). Subsequently, she married another man who already had three children from a previous union. Together, they welcomed two more kids into the family.

Amidst her busy life of caring for a big family, Grimes attended the University of Central Missouri and eventually became a medical technologist. She dedicated nearly a quarter of a century to this profession. Her children grew up largely unaware of her past experiences. “They knew I acted in movies,” she explains, “but that didn’t matter much to them because it didn’t matter much to me. I think they might have shown a picture from school around fourth grade and said, ‘This is my mom, and she did this,’ but that was about the extent of it.

* * *

Back in the groovy ’70s, there was a slip-up that let the classic movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” fall into the public domain. This meant TV stations could air it without forking over licensing or royalty fees, making it a regular holiday tradition. And boy, did people take notice! It wasn’t long before this heartwarming flick had a whole generation hooked on its charm.

Grimes, who hadn’t watched the film before, first heard of its revival in 1980 when she was forty and residing in Kansas. A stranger approached her and asked, “Were you in the movie ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’?” She replied, “Well, yeah,” and they requested an interview. Thrilled by this unexpected turn of events, she rummaged through her basement for any memorabilia from the film, and they conducted an interview. The following week, the same thing occurred, and then it happened again. It was at that point that she thought, “Perhaps I should take some time to watch this movie.” Her response? She expressed her awe and enthusiasm with a laugh, saying, “I was truly impressed, and I was so thrilled about it.

In 1989, Grimes endured another devastating loss. Her youngest child, a quiet and thoughtful young man, tragically took his own life at the age of 18. She laments softly, “What’s truly heartbreaking is that I never got to share with my children the message in ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’, a film emphasizing that every life holds immense meaning and worth.

About a year after her deep grief, she was invited by the Film Society of Lincoln Center to attend their Chaplin Award Gala, where Jimmy Stewart would be celebrated. This was their first adult encounter, and they stayed connected for the subsequent seven years until his passing. During this time, they shared comfort over various topics, including the sorrow of losing a child. Stewart had lost his son in the Vietnam War. Tragically, just a few short years later, Grimes’ second husband, with whom she had been married for 25 years, passed away from cancer. She believes that his death may have triggered their son’s suicide, stating, “I think it brought it on, really.

At a particularly low emotional phase in Grimes’ life, it was around then that the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” turned things around for her. In 1993, all four of them who had portrayed the Bailey kids were approached by Target and invited to tour the country together as part of their Christmas advertising campaign. Grimes accepted this opportunity, and she reflects on those times spent with her fellow former child performers saying, “We grew incredibly close and became like real siblings afterwards.

During that tour, Grimes found herself deeply moved by the profound impact “It’s a Wonderful Life” had on countless individuals. As fans lined up for autographs, she heard heartwrenching stories about people contemplating suicide but finding hope in the movie. These encounters convinced her to dedicate the rest of her life to spreading this film and its message. She explains, “I felt like I was being guided towards a purpose – to share this film with others, to preserve its essence or keep its spirit alive in any way possible.” She continues, “I realized that this was my mission, and I’ve been following it ever since.

Occasionally, admirers of “It’s a Wonderful Life” mysteriously reach Grimes, similar to how letters addressed as “the President” miraculously end up at the White House. Equally, letters meant for “Zuzu” inexplicably wind up in her mailbox. (She chuckles and says, “The post office knows me and where I live.”) On other occasions, she makes her way to them. When I’m traveling, speaking with people, and collaborating with them, I feel like I’m making a positive impact. And it has a healing effect on me.

* * *

Every December, Grimes visits Seneca Falls, a charming village in upstate New York, as it is believed to be the model for Bedford Falls, the fictitious town where the Bailey family lives in It’s a Wonderful Life. Since 1995, Seneca Falls has been hosting an annual four-day It’s A Wonderful Life Festival. Over time, many actors from the film have accompanied her, but now she is one of just three remaining, and only two made it this year (Jimmy Hawkins, who portrayed Zuzu’s younger brother Tommy, and another, Carol Coomes, who played Zuzu’s older sister Janie). However, Ms. Coomes has Alzheimer’s disease.

On a brighter side, this year, Grimes was joined at the festival by one of her daughters and her granddaughter, named Bailey, for the first time. It was an opportunity for them to witness directly how impactful the woman affectionately known as “Grandma Zuzu” is to strangers, through the film she created when she was young. Grimes muses, “There must be something that resonates with people to keep this cherished tradition alive in their homes and hearts every Christmas season.” She expresses her desire to be a part of it and share this experience with as many people as possible.

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2024-12-25 01:25