Rich or Rehab, Holiday Edition: Whatever Happened to Zuzu?

Jen Chaney — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 15:02:00 GMT

Happy child-star-filled holidays, everyone! In honor of the season, I'll be bringing you a yuletide-themed Rich or Rehab every Tuesday until Christmas here at the 'Derby. First up, a look at the woman who played Zuzu in the ultimate Christmas classic, "It's a Wonderful Life."

For those who usually imbibe a bit of the nog every year when they watch this film, here's a quick refresher: Zuzu is the youngest daughter of George Bailey, the one who runs a slight fever, wants Daddy to "give her flower a drink" and, in the final moment of the movie, points out that every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings. That Zuzu. Truly, was there anything she didn't know?

The adorable, curly-haired moppet was played by young actress Karolyn Grimes, who was 6-years-old when the Frank Capra picture was released back in 1946. So whatever happened to her? The answer to that question is more complicated and emotional than you might expect.

Grimes appeared in 16 films during the late '40s and early '50s, including another well-known angel-oriented movie, "The Bishop's Wife." According to the bio on Grimes' Web site, www.zuzu.net, her acting career ended in her teens when, tragically, both of her parents died. Her mother succumbed to early-onset Alzheimer's Disease when Grimes was 14. A year later, her father was killed in a car accident. Suddenly, she was an orphan, forced by the courts to move to a small town in Missouri and live in what she describes as a "less than desirable home." (I know. This is not how we wanted life to turn out for the owner of Zuzu's petals.)

She eventually finished school, worked as a medical technician, married and became a mother to two daughters. Her first marriage ended in divorce and, two years later, her ex-husband was killed in a hunting accident. But Grimes rebounded, remarried and, in addition to her new husband's three children, added two more to the brood.

But she still couldn't escape tragedy. In subsequent years, her son committed suicide. And after 25 years of marriage, her second husband passed away from lung cancer.

Somehow, though, Grimes persevered. Over the past decade-plus, she has devoted herself to "It's a Wonderful Life," making promotional appearances at benefits and movie screenings as well as doing speaking engagements related to the film. She's also written some essays here and there, and co-authored an "It's a Wonderful Life" cook book.

Depending on where you live, you may even run into Grimes this season: this weekend, she'll be at a Christmas Festival in Puyallup, Wash., and on Dec. 12 and 13, she'll attend the annual "It's a Wonderful Life" Festival in Seneca Falls, N.Y.

Despite all the lousy cards she's been dealt, the former child actress still appears to have a true zest for living and a desire to share that energy with others. I suspect that if Jimmy Stewart is knocking around up there in heaven, he may be looking down on his former co-star and saying, "'Atta girl, Zuzu."

Images: childstarlets.com and zuzu.net

Strollerderby : Zuzu

Rich or Rehab, Holiday Edition: Whatever Happened to Zuzu?