Jimmy (often erroneously credited as Jimmy the Crow) was a
raven
A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned t ...
actor who appeared in more than 1,000 feature films
from the 1930s to the 1950s.
Profile
He first appeared in ''
You Can't Take It with You'' in 1938. Director
Frank Capra
Frank Russell Capra (born Francesco Rosario Capra; May 18, 1897 – September 3, 1991) was an Italian-born American film director, producer and writer who became the creative force behind some of the major award-winning films of the 1930s ...
would then cast the bird in every subsequent movie he made. Among his roles were Uncle Billy's pet, seen in the Building & Loan in ''
It's a Wonderful Life'' (1946),
and the crow that landed on
the Scarecrow in ''
The Wizard of Oz'' (1939).
Jimmy belonged to
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywood, ...
animal trainer
Animal training is the act of teaching animals specific responses to specific conditions or stimuli. Training may be for purposes such as companionship, detection, protection, and entertainment. The type of training an animal receives will vary ...
Curly Twiford, who stole the bird from a nest in the
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily in ...
in 1934. Twiford trained Jimmy to do an assortment of tricks, such as typing and opening letters. He could even ride a tiny motorcycle. These talents would make him appealing to use in films. Jimmy could understand several hundred words, though only around 50 were what Twiford called "useful". It took Jimmy a week to learn a new useful word, two weeks if it had two syllables.
Twiford said that Jimmy could perform any task possible for an 8-year-old child.
His human co-stars were complimentary of the bird. "When they call Jimmy, we both answer," remarked
Jimmy Stewart on the set of ''It's a Wonderful Life'', noting that the raven "is the smartest actor on the set" requiring fewer re-takes than his human counterparts.
After he had become more popular with the studio,
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...
had Jimmy insured for $10,000.
wrote a policy to cover Jimmy's $500 a week fee as well as Curly Twiford's $200 handler fee, in the event Jimmy forgot any of the words he would need on the set.
Twiford credited these fees with keeping him solvent during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
At one point, Jimmy had 21 "
stand-in
A stand-in for film and television is a person who substitutes for the actor before filming, for technical purposes such as lighting and camera setup.
Stand-ins are helpful in the initial processes of film and television production.
Stand-ins a ...
s", 15 of which were female, who would fill in for him when the scene did not require any tricks or movement.
Jimmy received a
Red Cross
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...
gold medal in acknowledgement of 200 hours spent entertaining veterans after the war,
and his footprints were enshrined in cement at a large Los Angeles pet store, alongside those of
Lassie
Lassie is a fictional female Rough Collie dog and is featured in a short story by Eric Knight that was later expanded to a full-length novel called ''Lassie Come-Home''. Knight's portrayal of Lassie bears some features in common with another fic ...
and other Hollywood animal stars.
Jimmy's last-credited film was ''
3 Ring Circus
''3 Ring Circus'' is a 1954 American comedy film directed by Joseph Pevney and starring Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. The picture was shot from February 17 to March 31, 1954, and released on December 25 by Paramount Pictures. The supporting cast ...
'' in 1954, after which little is known about him. Curly Twiford said that Jimmy would "probably live to be 150" years old,
which the papers re-printed.
In reality, ravens seldom live more than 30 years in captivity. Curly Twiford died on April 5, 1956, at the age of 60.
See also
*
Bird intelligence
*
List of individual birds
This is a list of well-known real birds. For famous fictional birds, see list of fictional birds.
* Águia Vitória, a bald eagle who serves as the mascot for Portuguese football club S.L. Benfica
* Albert Ross, an albatross believed to have been ...
References
External links
*
''A Shroud of Thoughts: Jimmy the Raven: Frank Capra's Avian Star''
– one of Jimmy's most prominent stand-in
A stand-in for film and television is a person who substitutes for the actor before filming, for technical purposes such as lighting and camera setup.
Stand-ins are helpful in the initial processes of film and television production.
Stand-ins a ...
s
{{animal actors
Animal actors
Individual birds
Ravens
1934 animal births
1950s animal deaths