Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

Director:

George Seaton

Writers:

George Seaton (writer)
Valentine Davies (story)

Release Date:

2 May 1947 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Family | Fantasy | Romance

Tagline:

Capture the spirit of Christmas with this timeless classic!

Plot:

When a nice old man who claims to be Santa Claus is institutionalized as insane, a young lawyer decides to defend him by arguing in court that he is the real thing.

Plot Keywords:

Santa Claus | Lawyer | Commercialism | Christmas | Thanksgiving

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Maureen O'Hara	...	Doris Walker
John Payne	...	Fred Gailey
Edmund Gwenn	...	Kris Kringle
Gene Lockhart	...	Judge Henry X. Harper
Natalie Wood	...	Susan Walker
Porter Hall	...	Granville Sawyer
William Frawley	...	Charlie Halloran
Jerome Cowan	...	Dist. Atty. Thomas Mara
Philip Tonge	...	Julian Shellhammer

Also Known As:

Miracle on 34th Street (UK)

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Dutch

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Canada:F (Ontario) | Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) | UK:U | Germany:o.Al. (DVD) | South Korea:All | Finland:S | USA:Approved (PCA #12122)

Filming Locations:

Macy's Department Store - 151 West 34th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

When Dr. Pierce explains Kris' belief that he is Santa Claus, he offers for comparative purposes a Hollywood restaurant owner who believes himself to be a Russian prince despite evidence to the contrary, but rather conveniently fails to recall the man's name. This was a reference to Michael Romanoff, owner of Romanoff's in Hollywood, a popular hangout for movie stars at the time.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: Outside the courtroom, the shadow of a camera can be seen on the pillar as Kris walks down the hall.

Quotes:

Doris: Faith is believing when common sense tells you not to. Don't you see? It's not just Kris that's on trial, it's everything he stands for. It's kindness and joy and love and all the other intangibles.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Miskel Spillman/Elvis Costello (#3.8)" (1977)

Soundtrack:

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

Edmund Gwenn as Santa: a deserving Oscar winner

A perfectly-cast Christmas confection that surpasses all expectations and really does make viewers laugh and tear up. Corny? Yes. Overacted? In some scenes, yes. Dated? Perhaps. But the message of belief, ultimately, is timeless and the silvery black and white cinematography is wonderful. And yes, there's Edmund Gwenn as the department store Santa who really is. A most deserving recipient of the Supporting Actor Oscar, Gwenn seems like an incredibly nice man--maybe because he never has to force kindliness; more than that, he has an innate happiness and twinkle that comes from within. He truly glows in this part. Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Thelma Ritter (in a wonderful bit) and precocious Natalie Wood are also excellent in this classic fairy tale. It is a film without artifice. It glows, too. **** from ****