Child actress to be guest at craft show

Jimmy Stewart's beloved film, It's a Wonderful Life, celebrates its 65th anniversary this year.

To honor that milestone, the Christmas Moments craft fair, which runs Nov. 18-20 in Kennewick, will pay homage to the holiday classic with an appearance from the little girl from the film known for her famous line, "Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings."

That little girl was Zuzu, Stewart's daughter in the film, but her real name is Karolyn Grimes and she lives in the Seattle area.

She will be a guest at the holiday craft show selling a bounty of memorabilia from the movie.

What Grimes remembers most about her onscreen dad Stewart is how tall he was -- 6-foot-4.

"He was very tall to a little girl," she said in an email this week. "But he was also gentle and kind and he had a lot of patience. We were friends throughout the years."

Grimes also makes appearances and attends screenings of the film several times a year at theaters all over the world.

"The movie was released right after World War II and it was marketed as a romantic comedy," she said. But those who went to the movie for a few laughs were disappointed.

"The movie was dark and about a man who is going to commit suicide," she said. "The film sat on a shelf for 20 years."

When the copyright wasn't renewed, the film ended up becoming public domain and that meant it was free to be shown anywhere. The film got its exposure when television stations picked it up and began showing it at Christmas each year.

"That is how the film got pushed into a realm that is almost sacred today," Grimes said. "I think we all identify with the character George and we can learn to appreciate what he found was the most important parts of our lives: faith, family and friends. There is no monetary value to those things. They are priceless."

Grimes gave up acting after high school and moved to Missouri, where she worked as a medical technician for 20 years. She endured her own life test when one of the her three children committed suicide several years ago.

"My faith is what gives me the power to go over the hills and mountains that life seems to throw me," she said.

The craft show hours are from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Nov. 18, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 19 and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 20 at the Benton County Fairgrounds on 10th Avenue in Kennewick. Admission is $5 and is good for all three days.

This story was originally published November 18, 2011 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Child actress to be guest at craft show ."