T'S A WONDERFUL LIFE -- Pictured: James Stewart, Donna Reed -- NBC Photo
“Something that you did 65 years ago is still living…that’s quite something.”
Jimmy Hawkins, who starred as Tommy Bailey in the holiday classic It’s a Wonderful Life is absolutely correct, of course, but the pic wasn’t a hit right out of the gate. In fact, the movie lost money when it debuted in 1946.
“It lost $500,000 at the box office,” Hawkins acknowledges. “In the ‘70s somebody at the studio dropped the copyright and the movie fell into public domain. TV stations picked up on that because they could show it for free. So, it started growing, getting a bigger and bigger audience and people were having It’s a Wonderful Life parties.”
The film finally got the attention it deserved and has even been recognized by the American Film Institute as the most inspirational film of all time.
Hawkins was just 5 years old when he starred in the flick, but his memories are as vivid as they were when his scenes were shot. He recalls one memorable sequence in particular that stays with him all these decades later.
“This one scene I was putting tinsel on Jimmy Stewart’s head,” he begins. “He pulled me toward him and I was wearing this Santa Claus mask and every time he pulled me toward him and it would hike up. The inside of the mask was like sandpaper and every time it would hike up it would brush my cheek.”
Hawkins endured the pain, but he admits that repeated rehearsals and takes took a toll on him.
“I went home and I thought, ‘Gosh, why does this man keep doing this?’ ”
It’s a small price to pay for the finished product, which has become a holiday staple and with good reason. It’s a Wonderful Life embodies the true meaning of the season as George Bailey comes to realize how blessed his often difficult life has been. And the flick has managed to leave its mark on each new generation.
“[Director/Writer] Frank Capra was impeccable,” Hawkins exclaims. “He just made the perfect movie.”
It’s a Wonderful Life airs Saturday, December 3rd, 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.