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| Recent fan letters below... (not sure what text to put here -I think we need something, though..) in cases where people have sent photos, do we want to include those as well? --I'm a little nervous about including pictures of babies, etc. where we don't have written consent (see story on 03/03..) thoughts?
Dear Karolyn, thank you so much for the signed pictures! I will treasure them. Like so many people I grew up with the film,it has always been there to comfort and console me. My father first told me of it when i was a small boy(i`m now 40!!)he first saw it when he was a small boy, so we always watched it together, me crying at the same scenes time and again!!Mr Gower`s drugstore,getting slapped, Marty coming back from college....etc. My father,who passed away 7 years ago, particularly enjoyed old man Potters` speeche`s! Anyway thanks again,and take care Yours
Dear Karolyn, I want to thank you for the lovely photo I received by mail today. My husband ordered me a bell, your book, and a photo of you and Jimmy Stewart a couple of years ago for Christmas presents, so this color photo goes so well with my collection. You touched my heart and my life as ZuZu and It's a Wonderful Life is one of my all-time favorite movies. I am a fan forever and I want to thank you for the happiness you've brought me over the years. I wish you the best of everything always! Love,
Karolyn, Hello. I just watched The Bishop's Wife today and though I had seen it before, I didn't realize that you played Debby. That is a wonderful film and you did a great job. One of my favorite films of all times is It s A Wonderful Life. I don't suppose you hear that very often. :) As I looked up your filmography I was surprised to see that you were in so many films in the forties at such a young age. I've seen several of those. When I happened across your e-mail address I just had to say hello. Acting seemed to be natural for you even at such a young age. I was curious if you got burned out by your teens? I
hope you truly have a Wonderful Life ! I can't tell you how absolutely thrilled we were to find that you had sent our Zuzu one of your dolls. In fact when she opened it on her birthday she said, "That's what I wanted!." I was so excited, it was hard for me to wait for her to open it after her mommy told me what had come in the mail. (It is staying at Grandma's house for safekeeping from 2 year old brother.) That was such a generous gesture on your part and I want you how grateful I (we) are. You are really a special lady and I am so glad we have had the opportunity to visit with you. You were so gracious to Taeya and that means a lot of all of us. This has been an exciting birthday because we had a birthday tea party for her at my house which was great fun and very pretty. Mommy Christy had each little girl decorate a straw hat and she made pink rose arrangements in teacups along with wonderful food. This is definitely MY kind of party. Obviously I LOVE being a grandma. This is my first experience with taking digital photos and e-mailing them and it is the greatest. Again
thank you for our wonderful surprise. Dear Karolyn, I just wanted to tell you how excited I was to find your website and even moreso to find your books. I was actually browsing ebay for some It's A Wonderful Life memorobilia as it is my favorite film of all time. There's never been (and probably never will be) another like it. Well, when I stumbled across your cookbook (and being a very avid cook myself) I just HAD to have it. I am happy to say I was able to purchase it over ebay and am anxiously awaiting it's arrival. I must say I was also very happy to know that you are still with us and am now exploring your website completely. When I came across your email address, I simply had to write and tell you what a HUGE admirer I am of the film and of your role. A friend and I get together each year during the holidays and watch the film (at least a few times) and play the trivia boardgame....AND even quote phrases from the film to see who can guess which character is speaking. And one of my favorites is the scene in which you are in bed and speaking to your father about your beautiful flower. Anyway, I just wanted to say hello and let you know how much you and that film mean to me. I will always cherish it. I also can't wait to get the cookbook and eventually the other items you have out there. Sincerely, Dear Karolyn, I wanted to write to you to let you know how much Zuzu Bailey and It's a Wonderful Life means to us. My husband is from England and he grew up with classic American movies of which It's A Wonderful Life is at the top of his favorites list. Every year since we've been together we've watched the film about twice each holiday season and love it more every time we see it. Now, it has become one of our first holiday family traditions and it feels like visiting old friends. My daughter was born eight months ago on June 30, 2002. My husband and I named her Zuzu, after your character in It's A Wonderful Life. Until she was born, we didn't know if she was a boy or a girl and of course we were thrilled to meet little miss Zuzu. The name is so special to us. Her full name is Zuzu Bee Ingram-Beale. The honey bee is a Toltec symbol of Awareness and Zuzu is our personal archetype for love so to endow our daughter with love and awareness was our first gift to her. When Zuzu was born, we didn't know of your website but while we were still in the hospital, my husband, after being home to take care of the kitties and such, came back with all the information. He had gone online to see if there was anything regarding Zuzu and found so many things as well as your website. It seems as if Zuzu has touched many lives! Best
Regards and Warmest Wishes, PS.
I've attached some photos of Zuzu that I hope you enjoy. Hi Karolyn, My wife and I would like to tell you that "It's a Wonderful Life" is our favorite movie of all time. In our opinion, it is the greatest film every made!! So simple yet...not, if that makes sense. In fact, the whole Emperor family in Michigan loves this film so much. I have 6 siblings, with many nieces and nephews! I am sure we could not go a Christmas without seeing it. For some reason, I did not realize you were in "the Bishop's Wife", another great film. I was so excited to see you had a website. I was just diagnosed with Brugada syndrome, a very rare condition that effects the signals that tell my heart to beat. I am only 36 too. My wife and I have 2 adopted daughters so I hope for their sake that I am able to get through it. I know I will, you are truly an inspiration though, and finding your site really cheered me up. I am sure you are very busy with fan mail, so I will not keep you. We will be very excited to receive the autograph that we purchased. Thanks Karolyn!! James
E. Hey there, I just rewatched "It's A Wonderful Life" last night on DVD. Hadn't seen it in years. It's one of the very few films which actually makes me cry. Good to see you're still out there with your own website. Thanks for all the joy you've brought to the world. :-) Good luck. I hope you make it, Malcolm
Lawrence Hi Karolyn, We received our photos we ordered yesterday (from your web site). I wanted to take the time to say thanks. You are a inspiration to a lot of people. Its a Wonderful Life is the favorite movie of myself and one of my closest friends Bobby in Mississippi. Some years ago while home from college for Christmas in Mississippi I was visiting at Bobby's home when Its a wonderful Life came on. While watching it we checked the TV guide to find out it was on cable three to four times per day for several days. For some reason we took that as a challenge. Bobby and I spent our Christmas holiday watching the movie every time it came on that year. We lost count on the number of times we watched it. We still love it and although I now live in Covington, WA we have to call each other each year when it comes on. We talk about it as it plays and laugh about the time we had our Wonderful Life marathon. Thanks. I hope I get the opportunity to meet you in person at a signing or at the Studio if its open to the public. Alex
Smith Dear Karolyn, Thanks for starring in a truly great movie. I watched it again just before Christmas and, as always, the tears streamed down my cheeks. I have even used the 'dream' sequence - where George is with Clarence and his whole world has changed - with my primary (elementary) school children. They had to design a dream sequence & use a frame from it to make prints in an art lesson. The finished product has been highly praised by a school inspector, so, thank you for the inspiration. Regards,
Dear Karolyn, My wife and I are watching "It's A Wonderful Life," once again. We saw you this morning on "Good Morning America" and were thankful for the inspiration. You are doing so much to keep alive what is important in the minds and hearts of both the young and the old in America but it is a universal message which if applied can change the world into a better place. it is about courage, it is about love, it is about caring in the midst of a troubled world, and the world seems to present so many challenges, problems and troubles that it is easy to lose sight of the fact that if each of us works toward that which is good and positive we can shift and change that which isn't working into that which is. It takes courage and commitment to be kind and to believe it can work for the whole world. Well, it is Christmas Eve as I write this I just want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and say thank you once again for the being the strong and wonderful person you are. God
bless, Hello! Just to let you know, one of the ornaments you did for me (In memory of Max Barrett) worked preciously. I had the IAWL movie on TV and his widow was over for our annual Xmas time dinner. She's 72, and her husband Max just passed away this year. Anyway, at the point in the movie where you say the famous "line" at the end was right at the time when I gave her that gift. Tears came to her eyes, and she said it was the best present she'd gotten in years. She and Max use to watch the show every year, she actually met Jimmy Stewart when he campaigned for Ronald Reagan in Indiana. Anyhow, you're still touching people... And I'm glad, tho I'm 40, I can still carry the message for you! You're the best. I will get that CD care package together when I get back to the station following the holidays. For now, I'm enjoying my 12 hour xmas radio show on locally (and in 12 other cities this year!). >:>) www.tuneusin.com Happy
Happy! PS.
Saw you on TV this morn, lookin' good... Karolyn, Hello and Merry Christmas with Best Wishes for a wonderful New Year. I was happy to see you this morning on Good Morning America. I want to Thank You for the Copy's of the ZuZu Newsletter you sent. It has been quite a year, How down I was when I wrote to you this past summer, and now in this blessed season, I truly do feel blessed. Not only for myself but realizing how much I mean to others. How special it is to talk with my Mom and be there for her. My son's although now grown still come to me for advice and help. When My girlfriends granddaughter extends her arms to me, such precious moments that I almost let slip away. Life truly is special and we all play an important part in the lives of so many others. Life truly is wonderful. Thank You for your friendship and your inspiration and kind words throughout the years. may God always be with you. You remain in my prayers. Happy
Holidays !! Dear Ms. Grimes, What a thrill I got when I opened this reply from you and realized that it was from "ZuZu" herself! It must be such a joy to know that you are a part of millions of people's "special christmas memories". I know you probably have heard thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) of stories from people who have been touched by "It's A Wonderful Life"...Please let me add one more story. I was widowed in 1972. We had a little boy 23 months old and I had our second child on Dec.28th,(9 days after my husband was killed). I was 19 and my husband was just 26. Being that young,of course, you don't think of having life insurance and social security was "slim" to say the least as my husband wasn't old enough to have alot built up into it. Needless to say, money was scarce and there wasn't a whole lot of things I could do to make special "Christmas Memories" without money. So, every Thanksgiving, me,my sons and I would start watching the TV Guide for when "It's A Wonderful Life" (and some other Christmas movies) would come on and anxiously await the night they would air. On those nights we would pop popcorn and wait up until those shows came on. It was something we 3 looked forward to for many years. Of all the Christmas shows, there were 2 that meant the most to us. Number 1- "It's A Wonderful Life" and Number 2- "A Christmas Carol" (The "old" one with Reginald Owen). The one that my boys (who, by the way, are grown men now with children of their own) loved the most was "It's A Wonderful Life". As grown men, they drive their wives crazy every year now by starting to watch the movie almost everyday starting around Nov. 1st. (lol) My oldest boy,Carl, is probably the worse. Every year I bye them "something" from that movie. This year, I knew I had to get them something "special" because,as so many other people "have" in this country lately, I've lost my job that I had for 15 years. Money, for me, will be scarce for a while and it could be a "long" while. I needed to find something that I "knew" would bring a gleam of Christmas "joy" in my "little boys" eyes again and I know these pictures will do it...I'm positive of that. And with your autograph on them they will be ecstatic I'm sure. I passed my love for that movie on to them and now they have passed it on to their children and are making special Christmas memories with their "babies" now...and you are a part of all that. Thank you for being a part of our "Cherished Christmas memories". Well, Ms. Grimes, I'll close now and "hopefully" will be writing to you soon asking you to "personalize" another of your photos. Thanks for making "all" our Christmases special and also a really "BIG" thanks for making my Christmas this year so special by sending me an email! I will consider it my "early" Christmas present and one of my most "cherished" Christmas memories. God
bless and keep you always! Sincerely, |
receive hundreds of fan letters each year. The fans open a window into their lives
and share.The letters speak of how much It's a Wonderful Life and other
films that I played in, mean to people of today. They pay tribute to an era of
film making when films had meaning and substance. Because of the hope that comes
across, I am encouraged to continue to travel and make 
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