This story discusses suicide. In case you or somebody you recognize is having ideas of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Disaster Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Life wasn’t all the time fantastic for Karolyn Grimes.
The actress was 6 years previous when she was supplied a job within the 1946 movie “It’s a Fantastic Life.” The Frank Capra-directed traditional stars James Stewart and Donna Reed.
The movie facilities on the character of George Bailey, performed by Stewart, who considers suicide. His guardian angel intervenes and reveals him all of the folks whose lives he has touched. One memorable character is Zuzu, performed by Grimes, who famously says, “Each time a bell rings, an angel will get his wings.”
Clockwise from high: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Carol Coombs, Jimmy Hawkins, Larry Simms and Karolyn Grimes. (Herbert Dorfman/Corbis through Getty Pictures)
Whereas the film has change into a beloved vacation staple over time, Grimes endured private tragedies exterior the highlight.
The now 84-year-old advised The Hollywood Reporter that issues started taking a horrible flip when she was 11.
“My mom began getting sick,” the previous little one star recalled. “Sadly, it was one thing that couldn’t be cured. It was what we might name early-onset Alzheimer’s in the present day. Again then, they didn’t name it that. They only referred to as it cerebral atrophy.”
American little one actress Karolyn Grimes, circa 1946. (Keystone Options/Getty Pictures)
Grimes famous that her appearing profession turned a monetary impossibility for her father, who didn’t approve of it within the first place.
“He would have needed to pay any person to take me for an audition as a result of you need to have a guardian, and he’d should pay for any person, if I received a component, to be on set with me,” stated Grimes. “It was a bit a lot for him.”
At age 14, Grimes misplaced her mom, who was solely 44 years previous. Grimes turned an orphan a yr later at age 15, when her heartbroken father was killed in a automotive accident. In accordance with the outlet, Grimes’ future was left to the court docket.
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Karolyn Grimes appeared in “The Bishop’s Spouse” (1947) with Cary Grant and “Rio Grande” (1950) with John Wayne. (Keystone Options/Getty Pictures)
“I had mother and father of pals who had been keen to take me,” she stated. “I requested the decide, ‘Do I’ve any say in any respect in who I am going to or the place I stay?’ And he stated, ‘Your wishes are like a drop within the bucket.’ I’ll always remember that.”
Grimes was positioned into the custody of her uncle and his spouse. She left Hollywood, her birthplace, and moved with them to Osceola, a small town in Missouri. Grimes claimed that for the following three years, she endured “extraordinarily merciless” remedy from her aunt, who was affected by psychological sickness.
Keen to flee her dwelling life, Grimes married an area boy at age 18.
“I had mother and father of pals who had been keen to take me. I requested the decide, ‘Do I’ve any say in any respect in who I am going to or the place I stay?’ And he stated, ‘Your wishes are like a drop within the bucket.’ I’ll always remember that.”
James Stewart (1908-1997) as George Bailey, and Karolyn Grimes as his daughter Zuzu, in a scene from “It is a Fantastic Life,” directed by Frank Capra. (Silver Display Assortment/Getty Pictures)
“I needed to get away, and that was the one manner I might see of getting out of there,” she admitted.
Grimes and her husband had two daughters earlier than they divorced. He was later killed in a looking accident.
She stated “I do” as soon as extra to a person who already had three kids from a earlier marriage. Collectively, they welcomed two extra children.
Whereas elevating a household, Grimes enrolled on the College of Central Missouri. For 25 years, she quietly labored as a medical technologist. Grimes stated her kids knew little about her Hollywood previous.
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“They knew I used to be within the films, however that wasn’t essential to them as a result of it wasn’t essential to me,” she stated. “I believe in fourth grade they may’ve taken an image to highschool and stated, ‘That is my mother, and she or he did this,’ however that was about it.”
The outlet reported that “It’s a Wonderful Life” entered the general public area within the ‘70s. Consequently, it was broadcast each Christmas, garnering a brand new legion of followers. It wouldn’t be till 1980 when Grimes, who had by no means seen the movie, discovered of its resurgence. She was dwelling in Kansas on the time.
“Somebody knocked on my door after I was 40 and stated, ‘Had been you within the film ‘It’s a Fantastic Life?’” stated Grimes. “I stated, ‘Properly, yeah.’ And so they stated, ‘Can I’ve an interview?’… So I dug up all my memorabilia from the basement, and we had an interview.”
Karolyn Grimes unveils a James Stewart wax determine at Madame Tussauds on Nov. 29, 2010, in Hollywood, California. (Victor Decolongon/Getty Pictures)
“The following week, the identical factor occurred, after which it occurred once more,” she recalled. “I believed, ‘Perhaps I’d higher sit down and watch this film.'”
Tragedy struck Grimes once more in 1989. Her youngest son, who was described by the outlet as “a shy and delicate boy,” took his life at age 18.
“The half that’s actually unhappy is the truth that I by no means had my kids see [‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’ with its message that every life has great meaning and value],” she stated.
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Donna Reed, seen right here with James Stewart, died in 1986. She was 64. (Silver Display Assortment/Getty Pictures)
Grimes was “deep in mourning” in 1990 when she determined to just accept an invite to attend the Chaplin Award Gala. Stewart was being honored. It was there that, for the primary time, as adults, the co-stars spoke.
One of many issues Stewart and Grimes bonded over was the heartbreak of dropping a toddler. Stewart misplaced a son throughout the Vietnam Battle.
“I don’t suppose you ever recover from that,” stated Grimes.
The pair stayed in contact till Stewart died in 1997. He was 89.
As an grownup, Karolyn Grimes stayed in contact with James Stewart. (Silver Display Assortment/Getty Pictures)
The outlet reported that only a few years later, Grimes’ second husband died of most cancers. They had been married for 25 years.
“I believe it introduced it on, actually,” stated Grimes about their son’s suicide.
“One thing about that did one thing to him,” she stated, referring to her late partner.
It was round that point, the “lowest emotional level of Grimes’ life,” that “It’s a Fantastic Life” saved her, the outlet revealed. In 1993, Goal contacted her in hopes she would take part in a Christmas promotional marketing campaign. As she traveled the nation, Grimes befriended a number of former little one performers.
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“It is a Fantastic Life” has change into a vacation staple yearly throughout the nation. (CBS through Getty Pictures)
“We turned actual brothers and sisters after that,” she stated.
Since then, the retired grandmother has saved busy yearly. In the course of the holidays, she attends quite a few occasions to have a good time the movie and her contributions to Hollywood.
Throughout her excursions, Grimes witnessed how a lot “It’s a Fantastic Life” impacted followers each younger and previous.
“Individuals got here via the road for autographs, and so they talked about contemplating taking their very own lives, and the way they watched the film, and it saved them,” she stated.
At present, Karolyn Grimes is a retired grandmother who lives a quiet life exterior of Hollywood. (Charles Eshelman/FilmMagic/Getty Pictures)
These encounters, she stated, impressed her to unfold the movie’s message of hope and “preserve it alive.”
“I simply thought, ‘That is my path, and that is what I’m presupposed to do,’” she stated. “And I’ve been doing it ever since.”
In 2021, Grimes advised Fox Information Digital that her mother and father gave her the knowledge to assist her overcome any obstacles.
‘IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE’ STAR KAROLYN GRIMES REVEALS WHY SHE LEFT HOLLYWOOD: ‘IT BECAME MY PAST LIFE’
Karolyn Grimes is pleased with “It is a Fantastic Life” and the message it has to supply. (Dr. Billy Ingram/WireImage/Getty Pictures)
“My mother and father instilled in me that ultimately, all the things goes to be OK,” she stated on the time. “It could not really feel that manner in the meanwhile, however it will likely be. Life is what you make of it. And I needed it to be good.”
“My mother and father additionally gave me a spiritual background that was very stable,” she famous. “I’ve a specific amount of respect for anybody who believes in a better being and tries to comply with a great path in life.
“I believe that’s one thing we must always all try to do. It’s tough lately, however geez, if we might simply strive. It’s a scary world on the market. And we want a movie like ‘It’s a Fantastic Life’ now greater than ever. I believe that’s how I coped.”
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