It’s a Wonderful Life’s Child Stars Share Their Joyful Memories of Shooting the Classic Christmas Film

For the young actors of It’s a Wonderful Life, the fake snow that covered the four-acre Bedford Falls set on a California soundstage felt magical. “I have very vivid memories of the snow outside the house and seeing the beautiful Christmas tree in June and July,” Jimmy Hawkins, who played youngest Bailey son Tommy, tells Closer. “There was a really uplifting feeling doing the movie.”

Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life, starring Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed, earned mixed reviews and failed to connect with audiences when it was released 75 years ago, but repeated broadcasts of the film every December over the past decades have made it an enduring and beloved Christmas tradition. “They weren’t ready for the message back in 1946,” says Jimmy, who was just shy of his 5th birthday when the movie was shot. “But it grows bigger and bigger every year. George Bailey didn’t think he did anything, but he got to see how he helped people and touched the lives of his family. People love it because it tells you that you’re important.”

To create the winter wonderland of the movie, the special-effects team conjured snow by mixing sugar, water, soap flakes and Foamite, the material used in fire extinguishers. Some 6,000 gallons of this melt-resistant snow was used to blanket the 75 shops and buildings of Bedford Falls’ Main Street, created on a lot at RKO’s Encino Ranch. “I loved the snow,” Karolyn Grimes, who played daughter Zuzu, tells Closer. “It was a great set. The [Christmas] tree was beautiful, and I enjoyed being around it. Quite frankly, there may have been an ornament missing — maybe!”

For director Capra and his star, Jimmy Stewart, It’s a Wonderful Life represented a return to normalcy after their military service during World War II. The darkness that follows George as he contemplates taking his own life likely reflects the strain both men felt coming back to their civilian lives. The movie’s theme was a big departure from their prewar collaboration, 1939’s feel-good film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. “You’d like to think this was a happy set because the message is so positive,” says Jimmy Stewart biographer Robert Matzen. “But Capra didn’t know if he still had a place in Hollywood and neither did Stewart. There was a lot of pressure on them.”

Being around the children must have helped both men. Karolyn experienced much kindness from the movie’s star. “His hands were huge!” she remembers of Jimmy. “But he was just a gentle, kind soul and so easy to work with. He never lost his temper. One time I messed a line, and he said, ‘You’ll get it all right next time!’ And, sure enough, I did.”

Jimmy Hawkins, meanwhile, felt a special bond with Donna, who played his mother. “I have nice, warm memories of her pulling me close to her when our dad’s going berserk in the living room,” he says. “She has her hand cupped on my cheek, and she pulls me toward her. I remember that vividly.”

Eight years later, when the young actor guest starred on The Donna Reed Show, Donna confessed she had nicknamed him Rip van Winkle on the Wonderful Life set. “I asked why, and she said, ‘Well, you were so cute. You could sleep anyplace, at any time. While they were lighting stuff, you would just fall asleep, and when everything was ready, they’d wake you up and tell you they were going to shoot, and you’d be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed!’” he remembers.

After filming wrapped on July 27, 1946, everyone was invited to a picnic hosted by Jimmy Stewart and Frank Capra. “There were over 300 people. All the crew were allowed to bring their families. They had boating, swimming, ball games,” says the former child actor, who recalls the elder Jimmy playing baseball and the famed director participating in a three-legged race. “There was even a watermelon [eating] contest. I won the watermelon contest.”

It would take It’s a Wonderful Life many more years to capture the hearts of movie fans, but it would eventually make all of its creators very proud. Jimmy Stewart’s daughter Kelly Stewart Harcourt remembers watching the movie on television with her father, who was not surprised that it had finally found its audience. “He liked the film. He [especially] liked the scene in the bar,” Kelly tells Closer. “He thought everyone’s performance was good in It’s a Wonderful Life.”