Editor’s note: Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life” is considered one of the greatest films of all time since its release in 1946.It holds special resonance in the Northern California mountain community of Lake Shastina, where Karolyn Grimes lives. She was only 6 when she starred as Zuzu Bailey in the holiday film. A version of this story originally published on Dec. 20, 2021.
Christmas is the busiest time of the year for Karolyn Grimes as she travels around the country warming audiences’ hearts with her behind-the-scenes memories of the timeless holiday classic “It’s a Wonderful Life” and its life-affirming message.
Grimes was 6 years old when she portrayed the role of the adorable Zuzu Bailey, the daughter of Jimmy Stewart’s character, George Bailey. Movie fans know her for delivering one of the more memorable lines: “Look, daddy. Teacher says, ‘Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.'”
When the Record Searchlight spoke to her, she was in Seneca Falls in western New York. It’s a place that over the past two decades has become like a second home to her.