As a kickoff to the 80th anniversary of It’s a Wonderful Life, Jimmy Hawkins shares his personal insights and reflections on the beloved classic movie.
Known for his portrayal as Tommy Bailey, the youngest member of the Bailey family, in the beloved movie It’s a Wonderful Life, popular actor Jimmy Hawkins will release his next book, The Heart of It’s a Wonderful Life: How the Most Inspirational Movie of All Time Still Inspires the Spirit, with Harper Horizon on September 23, 2025.
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Courtesy of Harper Horizon, an imprint of HarperCollins Focus.
Voted the Most Inspirational Movie of All Time by the American Film Institute, It’s a Wonderful Life has been entertaining generations during the holidays for almost 80 years since its release in 1946.
Following his appearance in the film, Jimmy Hawkins has gone onto have a successful career in the industry. Throughout his career, It’s a Wonderful Life has always held a special place in his heart, and it helped foster his long-standing friendships with the film’s director, Frank Capra, and stars, Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed (with whom he continued to work for eight seasons, playing Shelley Fabares’ boyfriend on The Donna Reed Show). Through these personal relationships, Hawkins provides a clearer understanding of what these artists brought to the scripted pages and why.
For the past 15 years, Jimmy has met and talked with family and friends of the cast and crew of It’s a Wonderful Life, collecting their anecdotes and stories from on-set and off. He dug deep into production reports and call sheets to share never-before-seen details about the film, as well as photographs and excerpts from the script to help readers discover scene-by-scene why we are still so moved by this life-changing movie.
As a kickoff to the film’s upcoming 80th anniversary in 2026, Jimmy is sharing his personal insight into what makes this beloved holiday classic so special. A perfect gift and family souvenir for generations to come, The Heart of It’s a Wonderful Life reminds us anew that one person truly can and does make a difference.
The Heart of It’s a Wonderful Life will be available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook. You can pre-order today at https://www.harpercollinsfocus.com/9781400255108/the-heart-of-its-a-wonderful-life/.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jimmy Hawkins played Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed’s son, Tommy Bailey, in the classic Frank Capra film It’s a Wonderful Life, as well as appearing in over forty movies (two costarring with Elvis Presley) and more than three hundred TV shows, including playing Annie Oakley’s little brother Tagg in the TV series Annie Oakley. He was accepted as a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1962. Jimmy turned to producing in 1968. Along with his many other credits as producer, he produced the all-star television special for PBS based on the Lux Radio Theater’s version of It’s a Wonderful Life in celebration of its fiftieth anniversary. Jimmy is the author of five popular It’s a Wonderful Life books and served on the advisory boards of the Jimmy Stewart Museum, the Donna Reed Foundation, and the It’s A Wonderful Life Museum in Seneca Falls. Jimmy is working on his next It’s a Wonderful Life book.
ABOUT HARPER HORIZON:
Harper Horizon is a Nashville-based imprint of HarperCollins Focus focused on the stories, values and diverse voices of Americana and beyond, publishing authors such as Shea McGee, Penn & Kim Holderness, Willie Nelson, Luke Russert, and more. For more information, please visit www.harpercollinsfocus.com/Harper-Horizon.
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Contacts
Kevin Smith
kevin.smith@harpercollins.com
Lauren Kingsley
lauren.kingsley@harpercollins.com