The beloved blue locomotive was first imagined in the 1940s — he starred in stories Rev. Wilbert Awdry told his son. Allcroft adapted Awdry's The Railway Series into Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends.
Karolyn Grimes played Zuzu Bailey in 1946's "It's a Wonderful Life," a Christmas film that starred James Stewart and Donna Reed. Grimes left Hollywood after suffering personal tragedies.