Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

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.

Director:

George Seaton

Writers:

George Seaton (written for the screen by), Valentine Davies (story)

Stars:

Edmund Gwenn, Maureen O'Hara, John Payne

Won 3 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited 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

Storyline

At the Macy's Department Store Thanksgiving Day parade, the actor playing Santa is discovered to be drunk by a whiskered old man. Doris Walker, the no nonsense special events director, persuades the old man to take his place. The old man proves to be a sensation and is quickly recruited to be the store Santa at the main Macy's outlet. While he is successful, Ms. Walker learns that he calls himself Kris Kringle and he claims to be the actual Santa Claus. Despite reassurances by Kringle's doctor that he is harmless, Doris still has misgivings, especially when she has cynically trained herself, and especially her daughter, Susan, to reject all notions of belief and fantasy. And yet, people, especially Susan, begin to notice there is something special about Kris and his determination to advance the true spirit of Christmas amidst the rampant commercialism around him and succeeding in improbable ways. When a raucous conflict with the store's cruelly incompetent psychologist erupts, Kris ...

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Plot Keywords:

christmas movie | santa claus | christmas | delusion | girl | 

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Taglines:

The Man behind the Miracle is bringing you laughter, tenderness, joy such as you heart has never known before!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Family

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Dutch

Release Date:

2 October 1947 (Argentina)

Also Known As:

It's Only Human

Filming Locations:

Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$2,650,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min 101 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The rivalry between department stores Macy's and Gimbels depicted in the film was very real. The two stores were just blocks from each other in New York and major competitors for the same business. The rhetorical question "Does Macy's tell Gimbels?" was a popular phrase used throughout the 1930s-1960s which meant that business competitors are not supposed to share trade secrets with one another.

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Goofs

When Gailey is explaining to the judge that people who are who they believe themselves to be are not unbalanced, he states that Kris is Santa Claus, to which the judge quickly responds "But he isn't." Gailey should have immediately asked for a new hearing, because the judge has obviously made a decision and revealed it in open court before the hearing has concluded.

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Quotes

Susan: I believe... I believe... It's silly, but I believe.

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Alternate Versions

Also available in two computer colorized versions. The film was first colorized in 1985 by Color Systems Technology, Inc. and again in 2006 by Legend Films using much-improved technology. Prints came with a disclaimer: "It has been altered without the participation of the principal director, screenwriter and other creators of the original film."

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Connections

Referenced in WWE Raw: Raw Christmas Eve (2012)

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Soundtracks

Sinterklaas, Kapoentje
(uncredited)
Traditional Dutch Song
Sung a capella by Edmund Gwenn and Marlene Lyden

User Reviews

Miracle on 34th Street

A compelling and heartwarming tale that will make you believe over and over again. Edmund Gwynn's Kris Kringle is one of those rare gems you wish you could lock away in a safe and hold on to. It's like precious gold. Gwynn won Oscar gold, but the performance is well beyond Oscars. Like George Bailey, Kris Kringle is a symbol, not only of Christmas, but of America. George Seaton beautifully directs the humor, the happiness and the heart. Maureen O'Hara and young Natalie Wood add sentiment to the piece and are simply lovely in their doing so.