Jimmy the raven facts for kids
Jimmy appearing in It's a Wonderful Life
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| Other name(s) | Jimmy the crow |
|---|---|
| Species | Corvus corax |
| Breed | Common raven |
| Sex | Male |
| Hatched | Jimmy c. 1934 Mojave desert |
| Died | after 1954 |
| Occupation | Animal actor |
| Years active | 1938–1954 |
| Training | typing, opening letters, motorcycle riding |
| Owner | Curly Twiford |
Jimmy the raven was a very famous bird actor. He was often called Jimmy the crow. Jimmy starred in over 1,000 movies between the 1930s and 1950s.
His first movie was You Can't Take It with You in 1938. The director, Frank Capra, loved Jimmy so much that he put him in all his future films! You might know him as Uncle Billy's pet in It's a Wonderful Life. He was also the crow that landed on the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz.
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Training a Star Raven
Jimmy was owned by a Hollywood animal trainer named Curly Twiford. Curly found Jimmy in a nest in the Mojave Desert in 1934. Curly taught Jimmy many amazing tricks.
Amazing Tricks Jimmy Could Do
Jimmy could do things like typing on a typewriter. He could also open letters. One of his most surprising tricks was riding a tiny motorcycle! These skills made him perfect for movies.
Curly Twiford said Jimmy understood hundreds of words. About 50 of these words were "useful" for acting. It took Jimmy about a week to learn a new useful word. If a word had two syllables, it took him two weeks. Curly believed Jimmy could do any task an 8-year-old child could.
Jimmy's Fame in Hollywood
Jimmy's human co-stars were very impressed with him. Jimmy Stewart, who worked with Jimmy in It's a Wonderful Life, said, "When they call Jimmy, we both answer." He also called the raven "the smartest actor on the set." Stewart noted that Jimmy needed fewer re-takes than the human actors.
Insuring a Bird Actor
As Jimmy became more popular, the movie studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer insured him for $10,000. That's a lot of money! Lloyd's of London created a special insurance policy for Jimmy. This policy covered Jimmy's $500 weekly fee. It also covered Curly Twiford's $200 handler fee. This insurance would pay out if Jimmy forgot any of his important words during filming. Curly Twiford said these fees helped him financially during World War II.
Jimmy's Stand-ins
At one point, Jimmy had 21 stand-ins. These were other ravens who looked like him. Fifteen of his stand-ins were female. They would fill in for Jimmy when the scene didn't need him to do any special tricks or movements.
After His Movie Career
Jimmy received a special award from the American Red Cross. He got a gold medal for spending 200 hours entertaining veterans after World War II. His footprints were even put in cement at a pet store in Los Angeles. His prints were placed next to other famous animal stars like Lassie.
His last known movie was 3 Ring Circus in 1954. After that, not much is known about what happened to him. Curly Twiford once said Jimmy would "probably live to be 150" years old. However, ravens usually live no more than 30 years when they are kept by humans. Curly Twiford passed away in 1956 at age 60.
