Robert J Anderson

Bobby Anderson came from a family closely related to the cinema. His father, Gene, worked as an assistant director, and later worked in production. Additionally, Bobby was a nephew of directors William Beaudine and James Flood . At the age of seven he played a small role in Young People , starring the most popular girl of the time: Shirley Temple . The experience was so satisfying that he continued to work as an extra and occasional actor in various films, such as Elia Kazan ‘s Human Bonds .

But his most remembered work is the one he did for the aforementioned How beautiful it is to live! . As is well known, the angel Clarence is sent to Earth to save George Bailey, a good man who is about to commit suicide. But before completing his mission, Clarence goes into background. In a flash-back, Bailey’s life is narrated from his childhood, when he is played by Anderson. The boy works for a pharmacist ( HB Warner ) who makes a mistake mixing some medicines because he is high. He decides to tell her, and thanks to that he avoids a misfortune (afterwards, the angel Clarence shows him what would have happened if he had not been there). In a very prominent sequence, the girl who will later become his wife tells him that she will always love him, in the ear through which she does not hear.

Despite the success of the film, Anderson was not showered with roles. She had very brief interventions in The Bishop ‘s Woman , Río de Plata , Samson and Delilah and A Place in the Sun. Following a role on the series The Further Adventures of Spin and Marty , Anderson was serving as a soldier in the Korean War. Upon his return, he did not leave the film industry, as he worked all his life in the production department. He is survived by his wife, six children and eleven grandchildren.