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:

Capture the spirit of Christmas with this timeless classic!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Family

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

"Screen Director's Playhouse" broadcast a 30 minute radio adaptation of the movie on December 23, 1949 with Edmund Gwenn reprising his film role. The same studio broadcast a 60-minute version, also with Gwenn, on December 21, 1950.

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Goofs

Kris says that Daniel D. Tompkins was the Vice President under John Quincy Adams. Daniel D. Tompkins was not VP under Adams. That position went to John C. Calhoun for all four years of JQA's presidency (1825-1829). Tompkins was James Monroe's VP from 1817-1825 (both of Monroe's terms). Tompkins was the last VP to serve two terms until Wilson's VP. The confusion probably stems from the fact that John Quincy Adams was the 6th President, and Daniel D. Tompkins was the 6th Vice President. But Tompkins served under the 5th President (James Monroe) and Calhoun (the 7th Vice President) served under the 6th President (John Quincy Adams).

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Quotes

Kris Kringle: Now wait a minute, Susie. Just because every child can't get his wish that doesn't mean there isn't a Santa Claus.

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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 Mike & Mike: Episode dated 16 December 2014 (2014)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Holiday Combination That Works Well

Still among the most worthwhile of the familiar holiday movies, this classic version of "Miracle on 34th Street" has a combination of cast, story, and production that works well. Maureen O'Hara, young Natalie Wood, and Edmund Gwenn would probably have carried it pretty well by themselves, and they are joined by a very good supporting cast. The screenplay is nicely done, bringing out the fantasy elements of the story without letting it become trite.

Gwenn, who played many solid character roles, gets the chance here to play a role for which he was ideally suited, and it works very well. O'Hara and Wood make a good pair to balance him out. The supporting cast gets some very good moments of their own, especially Gene Lockhart and William Frawley, whose scenes are entertaining while also offering some occasionally pointed commentary.

The style of the production is well-suited to the material, offering an innocently upbeat story without overdoing it on sentimentality. For all that this style of the production and acting are out of fashion, they are able to capture a theme like this in a worthwhile way that is simply not possible with the kind of false "sophistication" that permeates so many present-day movies.

That's not to say that this is some kind of masterpiece, which it is not and did not try to be. Instead, it's a light, enjoyable, positive movie that does make a worthwhile point or two. That kind of feature will always find an appreciative audience somewhere.

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