The younger children in the Bailey family didn’t get a whole lot of screen time, but they did play a very significant role in the film. Tommy Bailey triggers his father’s outburst by pestering him for attention. The young child is a driving force of his suicidal ideations but also a source of his gratitude for life in the end. Tommy is played by Jimmy Hawkins, who was only 4 at the time and is 82 today. As an old man, the actor still had fond memories of his time on the set of “It’s A Wonderful Life.”
“I remember sitting on Mr. Stewart’s lap and putting tinsel on him,” Hawkins recalled at age 78, per The Republican. “I vividly remember Frank Capra crouching down and directing me. He said, ‘See where we are right now?… I want you to say ‘Excuse me, excuse me’ right here and keep pulling on (Stewart’s) coattails.’ He was very patient with me.”
Hawkins went on to be a rather prominent child star in mid-century Hollywood. Some of his bigger TV roles included Tagg Oakley in “The Annie Oakley Show,” for which he appeared in all 81 episodes, and “The Donna Reed Show,” which reunited Hawkins with his former on-screen mother (Reed plays Mrs. Bailey). Hawkins appeared in 20 episodes of the sitcom, playing several different roles scattered between 1958 and 1965. His biggest movie role wasn’t until his young adulthood when he played Doc in the 1965 Elvis-led film “Girl Happy.”
In later decades, Hawkins produced several TV movies, including the “Wonderful Life”-inspired holiday special, “Merry Christmas, George Bailey.” He has also authored and co-authored several books inspired by the 1946 film, including a trivia book, a coloring book, and a children’s book.