Zuzu Bailey

Zuzu Bailey is a fictional character from Frank Capra's 1946 film It's a Wonderful Life. She is the youngest daughter of both George Bailey, played by James Stewart, and Mary Hatch, played by Donna Reed. She is played by Karolyn Grimes, at the time of being six years old. She is recognised by a lot of film fans as saying one of the most famous film quotes in movie history: "Every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings".

Life
Zuzu Bailey was first seen in the film on Christmas Eve in 1946, when her father George Bailey finds out she has a very bad cold after walking home without a coat when it the snowing. George phones her school teacher and shouts at her down the phone. His wife Mary couldn’t prevent George from doing this. George has had a really bad day after his uncle had misplaced $8,000, which his rival banker Henry F. Potter really had. This action may put George and his uncle into the criminal books and send him to prison. After shouting down the phone he runs up the stairs and finds Zuzu in her bed playing with a rose she picked outside before it started snowing. At this time George had calmed down. A few petals fell off the flower and she asks him to stick them back on. George turns away from Zuzu and puts the petals in his pocket. He then says to her that the flower is fixed and he put it in a glass of water. Later in the film after George tells his guardian angel Clarence he wishes he had never been born, George puts his hand in his pocket to find the petals were gone. After George had been brought back to his real life, he finds the petals in his pocket and runs home to see his family. All of the children are waiting home for George to come back as Mary had gone out to find him. Also waiting in the house were the bank examiners waiting to arrest George. But a miracle happens when all of the people in the town have put enough money together to keep George's Building and Loan Association going. All of his friends gather in their living room and sing Auld Lang Syne. A bell on the Christmas tree rings and this is when Zuzu, who is being held by George says: "Every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings". This is when George figures out his guardian angel Clarence has been given his wings. The film ends with George, Mary and Zuzu in shot. With Georges arm around Mary and George hold Zuzu.