Here’s the Bailey children’s drummer boy toy I discovered, which you can find in the film perched on Zuzu’s nightstand. It’s not the actual prop (virtually none have surfaced over the years) but it’s the same type/model. I showed him off today on WGN-TV’s weekend morning news with Sean Lewis and Gaynor Hall. Here’s a link to that interview, posted on YouTube.
Last week I shared the drummer boy with Zuzu (Karolyn Grimes), Tommy (Jimmy Hawkins) and Janie Bailey (Carol Coombs) at the It’s a Wonderful Life Festival in Seneca Falls, er, Bedford Falls, NY, at “Zuzu’s Breakfast,” and all the actors and guests were thrilled.
He’s a wind up toy. The drum is a separate piece that clips onto his waist. Just a few turns of the winder and he will play his heart out for a full minute while his head sways back and forth.
Jimmy Hawkins likes to think this toy and other toys visible in the film as Bailey children hand-me-downs, and that the oldest child, Pete, had him first before he ended up in Zuzu’s room. I like that thought. And I have always thought of this little guy as keeping watch over Zuzu, making sure she’s safe and snug as a bug in her bed.
And here’s the best shot of the drummer boy in the film, and it happens to be a wonderful shot of Zuzu and George!
