fbpx
Wikipedia

Miracle on 34th Street

March 24, 2023

This article is about the 1947 film. For other uses, see Miracle on 34th Street (disambiguation).

Miracle on 34th Street (initially released as The Big Heart in the United Kingdom)[2][3] is a 1947 American Christmas comedy-drama film released by 20th Century Fox, written and directed by George Seaton and based on a story by Valentine Davies. It stars Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Natalie Wood, and Edmund Gwenn. The story takes place between Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day in New York City, and focuses on the effect of a department store Santa Claus who claims to be the real Santa. The film has become a perennial Christmas favorite.

Miracle on 34th Street
Theatrical release poster
Directed byGeorge Seaton
Screenplay byGeorge Seaton
Story byValentine Davies
Produced byWilliam Perlberg
Starring
Cinematography
Edited byRobert Simpson
Music byCyril Mockridge
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release date
  • June 11, 1947 (1947-06-11)
Running time
96 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$630,000
Box office$2.7 million (US rentals)[1]

Miracle on 34th Street won three Academy Awards: Gwenn for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Valentine Davies for Best Writing, Original Story, and George Seaton for Best Writing, Screenplay. The film was nominated for Best Picture, losing to Gentleman's Agreement. In 2005, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant". The Academy Film Archive preserved Miracle on 34th Street in 2009.[4]

Davies also wrote a short novelization of the tale, which was published by Harcourt Brace simultaneously with the film's release.

Plot

Kris Kringle is indignant to find that the man assigned to play Santa in the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is intoxicated. When he complains to event director Doris Walker, she persuades Kris to take his place. He does so well that he is hired to play Santa at Macy's New York City store on 34th Street.

Ignoring instructions from the toy department head, Mr. Shellhammer, to recommend overstocked items to undecided shoppers, Kris directs one woman to another store to fulfill her son's Christmas request. Impressed by Kris's honesty and helpfulness, she informs Shellhammer that she will now become a loyal Macy's customer.

Attorney Fred Gailey, Doris's neighbor, takes the young divorcée's daughter Susan to see Santa. Doris has raised her to not believe in fairy tales, but Susan is shaken after seeing Kris speak Dutch with a girl who does not know English. Doris asks Kringle to tell Susan that he is not Santa, but he insists that he is.

Worried, Doris decides to fire him, but Kris has generated so much positive publicity and goodwill that the store's owner promises bonuses. To alleviate Doris's misgivings, Shellhammer suggests Granville Sawyer administer a "psychological evaluation", but Sawyer recommends Kris's dismissal. Meanwhile, Susan shows Kris a magazine photo of her dream house and tells him she wants it for Christmas; reluctantly he promises to do his best.

In the company cafeteria, young, somewhat chubby employee Alfred tells Kris that Sawyer convinced him that he is unstable simply because he enjoys dressing as Santa Claus. Kris immediately confronts Sawyer, eventually striking him on the head with an umbrella. Sawyer exaggerates his pain to have Kris confined to Bellevue Hospital. Tricked into cooperating and believing Doris to be in on the deception, Kris deliberately fails his examination and is recommended for permanent commitment. However, Fred persuades Kris not to give up.

At a hearing before Judge Henry X. Harper, District Attorney Thomas Mara gets Kris to assert that he is Santa Claus and rests his case, asking Harper to rule that Santa does not exist. In private, Harper's political adviser, Charlie Halloran, warns him that doing so would be disastrous for his upcoming reelection bid. Harper buys time by hearing further evidence.

Fred calls Macy as a witness and gets him to admit that he believes in Santa. On leaving the stand, Macy fires Sawyer. Next, Fred calls Mara's own young son, who testifies that his father told him that Santa is real. Mara has to concede the point, but goes on to demand that Fred prove that Kris is "the one and only" Santa Claus on the basis of some competent authority by the following day.

Meanwhile, Susan writes Kris a letter to cheer him up, which Doris also signs. When a New York Post Office mail sorter sees Susan's letter, addressed to Kris at the New York courthouse, he suggests delivering all of the dead letters addressed to Santa Claus to Kris. As court resumes, Fred is told of the delivery of mailbags to the courthouse; he argues that the Post Office—a branch of the U.S. federal government—has acknowledged that Kris is the one and only Santa Claus by delivering the letters. When the judge insists on seeing them, Fred has them dump bag after bag on Harper's desk. Harper dismisses the case.

On Christmas morning at a party for Macy's employees, Susan loses faith in Kris when he admits he was not able to get her the house she wanted. However, after Kris offers Fred and Doris a route home that avoids traffic, Susan sees her dream house with a "For Sale" sign in front. Demanding that Fred stop the car, she runs into the house, exclaiming, "Mr. Kringle is Santa Claus!" Fred learns that Doris had encouraged Susan to have faith and suggests they get married and purchase the house. He then boasts that he must be a great lawyer since he proved an eccentric old man was Santa. However, when he and Doris spot a cane in the house that looks just like Kris's, he is not so sure.

Cast

Uncredited (alphabetically):

Production

The original trailer for Miracle on 34th Street omitted any mention of its Christmas themes.

Miracle on 34th Street was shot on location in New York City, with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade sequences filmed live while the 1946 parade was happening.[5] "It was a mad scramble to get all the shots we needed, and we got to do each scene only once," Maureen O'Hara recalled in her memoir. "It was bitterly cold that day, and Edmund and I envied Natalie (Wood) and John Payne, who were watching the parade from a window."[5]

Although the film is set during the Christmas season, studio head Darryl F. Zanuck insisted that it be released in May, arguing that more people go to the movies in warmer weather.[6] The studio rushed to promote it while keeping its Christmas setting a secret. Fox's promotional trailer depicted a fictional producer roaming the studio backlot and encountering such stars as Rex Harrison, Anne Baxter, Peggy Ann Garner, and Dick Haymes extolling the virtues of the film. In addition, the movie posters prominently featured O'Hara and Payne, with Gwenn's character kept in the background. The film opened in New York City at the Roxy Theatre on June 4, 1947.[7] By contrast, modern home video packaging has Gwenn and Wood dominating the imagery, with the DVD release having Kringle in his Santa Claus costume.

O'Hara was initially reluctant to take the role, having recently moved back to post-war Ireland. She immediately changed her mind after reading the script[8] and came back to the United States for the film.

Arthur Jacobson, assistant director, filmed the Macy's Parade on Thanksgiving morning with nine cameras simultaneously. He said he "plunked actors Edmund Gwenn and Natalie Wood in the department store cafeteria line during a weekday lunch-rush". When Maureen O'Hara requested a special police escort for a Christmas shopping spree through Macy's he said "I know New Yorkers. They aren't going to pay any attention to you. And don't wear a bandanna around your head or dark glasses. Just be normal."[9]

Throughout the process of getting this script accepted by the PCA, the movie underwent multiple different title changes, starting as My Heart Tells Me and then progressing into The Big Heart, It's Only Human, Meet Me at Dawn, and finally ended with the name Miracle on 34th Street. These title changes all happened within a four-month time period. These title changes occurred while the filmmakers were fixing any other discrepancies that the PCA required them to fix before the production of the film could begin.[10]

Reception

Critical reception

Miracle on 34th Street mostly received positive reviews from critics. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times said: "For all those blasé skeptics who do not believe in Santa Claus—and likewise for all those natives who have grown cynical about New York—but most especially for all those patrons who have grown weary of the monotonies of the screen, let us heartily recommend the Roxy's new picture, Miracle on 34th Street. As a matter of fact, let's go further: let's catch its spirit and heartily proclaim that it is the freshest little picture in a long time, and maybe even the best comedy of this year."[11] A critic for the BBC called it "a clever and deeply original story, that remains true and confident in direction, while delivering considerable charm all the while."[12]

The film is considered by many to be one of the best films of 1947,[13][14] and it has been dubbed a "christmas classic" by several publications.[15][16][17] On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 96% based on reviews from 52 critics, with an average rating of 8.5/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Irrefutable proof that gentle sentimentalism can be the chief ingredient in a wonderful film, Miracle on 34th Street delivers a warm holiday message without resorting to treacle."[18]

The Catholic Legion of Decency gave the movie a "B", "morally objectionable in part" rating. This was mainly due to the fact that O'Hara portrayed a divorcée in the film.[19]

Accolades

The film won Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Edmund Gwenn), Best Writing, Original Story (Valentine Davies) and Best Writing, Screenplay. It was also nominated for Best Picture, losing to Gentleman's Agreement.

It was ranked ninth by the American Film Institute on 100 Years... 100 Cheers, a list of America's most inspiring films.[20] Miracle on 34th Street was listed as the fifth best film in the fantasy genre in the American Film Institute's "Ten top Ten" lists in 2008.[21][22]

In 2005, Miracle on 34th Street was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[23][24]

American Film Institute Lists

Home media and colorization

 
The film was one of the first full-length black and white films to be colorized.

Miracle on 34th Street was first released on VHS and LaserDisc in 1987.

In 1985, it became one of the first full-length black and white films to be colorized.[28] The 4½-month process was carried out by Color Systems Technology, Inc.[29] In 1993, this version was released on VHS and LaserDisc, and was followed four years later by a "50th Anniversary Edition" on both formats, remastered by THX.

The first DVD release was in October 1999, featuring the B&W version alongside the original theatrical trailer and a TV spot. In November 2006, it was re-released as a two-disc "Special Edition" DVD, with disc one containing an "all new colorized version" carried out by Legend Films. The second disc had the original black-and-white version and numerous extras, including The 20th Century Fox Hour's 1955 TV remake. Both discs also included a full-length audio commentary by Maureen O'Hara. The B&W disc has since been re-released several times, including in a pairing with the 1994 remake.

In October 2009, 20th Century Fox released the B&W version on Blu-ray with all previous extras, bar the TV remake.[30]

In 2017, the film was restored in 4K resolution; so far this version is only available via DCP.[31]

Remake

Main article: Miracle on 34th Street (1994 film)

A 1994 feature film starred Richard Attenborough, Elizabeth Perkins, Dylan McDermott, J. T. Walsh, Timothy Shea, James Remar, Jane Leeves, Simon Jones, William Windom and Mara Wilson. It was adapted by John Hughes from the Seaton script, and directed by Les Mayfield. Due to Macy's refusal to give permission to use its name, it was replaced by the fictitious "Cole's". "We feel the original stands on its own and could not be improved upon," said Laura Melillo, a spokeswoman for Macy's. Gimbels no longer existed by 1994 so its name was replaced by the name of the fictional "Shopper's Express". Alvin Greenman (Alfred in the original version) played a doorman. The 1994 remake of the film had a more serious tone than the original 1947 film had and a large portion of the plot was rewritten, although the majority of both the plot and the characters remained intact. The 1994 film also added a subtext which described concerns about religious faith.

In other media

There are numerous remakes of the movie, as well as a Broadway musical.

Radio

Lux Radio Theatre aired a one-hour adaptation of the movie on three occasions: on December 22, 1947, which starred the original cast including Natalie Wood;[32] on December 20, 1948, without Natalie Wood's participation;[33] and on December 21, 1954.[34] There were also two broadcasts on Screen Directors Playhouse: as a half-hour play on December 23, 1949;[35] and then as a one-hour play on December 21, 1950.[36] All of these adaptations had Edmund Gwenn reprising his screen role.

Theatre

A 1963 Broadway musical version, entitled Here's Love, was written by Meredith Willson.

The novella was adapted into a stage play by Will Severin, Patricia Di Benedetto Snyder and John Vreeke in 2000. It is a favorite in many community and regional theaters during the Christmas season.[37] The characters' names are those used in the novella, and the stage setting is distinctly late 1940s. Production rights are held by Samuel French, Inc.[38]

Television

A 1955 one-hour television adaptation of the movie starred Thomas Mitchell as Kris, Macdonald Carey as Fred, Teresa Wright as Doris, and Sandy Descher as Susan. This version did not show the drunken Santa at all. Titled The Miracle on 34th Street, it originally aired as an episode of The 20th Century Fox Hour. It was later re-run as "Meet Mr. Kringle".

Ed Wynn played Kris in a 1959 television adaptation of the movie. Also featured was Orson Bean. It was broadcast live and in color on NBC the day after Thanksgiving. NBC made a kinescope of the program, probably for broadcasting opening night on the West Coast. The copy was in a large collection of kinescopes donated by NBC to the Library of Congress and later unearthed by Richard Finegan, who reported his experiences in the December 2005 issue of Classic Images.

A 1973 television version featured Jane Alexander, David Hartman, Roddy McDowall, Sebastian Cabot as Kris (without his natural beard; he was forced to shave and wear a false beard for the role), Suzanne Davidson, Jim Backus, David Doyle and Tom Bosley. It was adapted by Jeb Rosebrook from the George Seaton screenplay, and directed by Fielder Cook. Mrs. Walker's first name is changed to Karen in this version. This would prove to be the final version in which the department store was actually Macy's. David Doyle, who played R. H. Macy in this version, had played Mr. Sawyer in the original Broadway cast of Here's Love 10 years earlier.

Puppets

In 2012, the flagship Macy's Department Store at Herald Square in New York City featured a 30-minute puppet version of the story within its Santaland display, featuring the voice talents of Broadway stars Brian Stokes Mitchell and Victoria Clark.[39]

Appearances

A short clip of the film was seen on the kitchen television screen in Home Alone (a 1990 Christmas film released by Fox) and also the ending was seen in the den television screen in the 1996 film The Preacher's Wife.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Top Grossers of 1947". Variety. January 7, 1948. p. 63.
  2. ^ "Miracle on 34th Street (1947)". British Film Institute. from the original on September 15, 2015. Retrieved December 22, 2012.
  3. ^ "The Big Heart Poster". Movie Poster Studio. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  4. ^ "Preserved Projects". Academy Film Archive.
  5. ^ a b O'Hara, M.; Nicoletti, J. (2005). Tis Herself: An Autobiography. Non fiction May 2012. Simon & Schuster. p. 116. ISBN 978-0-7432-6916-2. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  6. ^ "A Weird Thing You Didn't Know About Your Favorite Classic Christmas Films". HuffPost. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  7. ^ Brown, Gene (1995). Movie Time: A Chronology of Hollywood and the Movie Industry from Its Beginnings to the Present. New York: Macmillan. p. 186. ISBN 0-02-860429-6.
  8. ^ O'Hara, Maureen; John Nicoletti (2005). 'Tis herself: a memoir. London: Pocket. p. 139. ISBN 978-0-7434-9535-6.
  9. ^ "Arthur Jacobson – New York to Hollywood". DGA Quarterly Magazine. 2011. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  10. ^ "CONTENTdm". digitalcollections.oscars.org. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  11. ^ Crowther, Bosley (June 5, 1947). . The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 23, 2017. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  12. ^ "BBC - Films - review - Miracle on 34th Street". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  13. ^ "Greatest Films of 1947". Filmsite. Retrieved May 31, 2010.
  14. ^ "The Best Movies of 1947 by Rank". Films 101. Retrieved May 31, 2010.
  15. ^ Henderson Globe, Odie. "'Miracle on 34th Street': A Christmas classic turns 75 - The Boston Globe". Boston Globe. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  16. ^ "The retail world at the heart of 'Miracle on 34th Street' no longer exists". The Washington Post. George Seaton's 1947 film "Miracle on 34th Street" is a Christmas classic frequently described as "timeless."
  17. ^ "What Makes MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET a Christmas Classic?". Nerdist. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  18. ^ "Miracle on 34th Street". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 7, 2021.  
  19. ^ Catcher, Jessica (December 12, 2014). . ViralNova. Archived from the original on May 27, 2015. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  20. ^ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers". American Film Institute. 2006. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  21. ^ . ComingSoon.net. June 17, 2008. Archived from the original on August 18, 2008. Retrieved June 18, 2008.
  22. ^ "Top 10 Fantasy". American Film Institute. Retrieved June 18, 2008.
  23. ^ . On Location Tours. Archived from the original on January 15, 2010. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  24. ^ "Miracle on 34th Street (1947): Awards". IMDb. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  25. ^ (PDF). AFI. 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 26, 2013. Retrieved November 26, 2011.
  26. ^ (PDF). AFI. September 23, 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 6, 2013. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  27. ^ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) Ballot" (PDF). AFI. 2007.
  28. ^ "Miracle on 34th Street (1947)". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  29. ^ Nitrate Won't Wait: A History of Film Preservation in the United States (2000) by Anthony Slide, p. 125.
  30. ^ "Miracle on 34th Street Blu-ray". Blu-ray.com. Retrieved May 31, 2010.
  31. ^ "Restored Christmas Classics". Park Circus.
  32. ^ "Arion Chorus Sings at 10; Yule Music Dominates Air". Youngstown Vindicator (Ohio). December 22, 1947. p. 15. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  33. ^ "MIRACLE ON 34TH ST. on Lux Theatre Tonite (KSL advertisement)". The Deseret News. December 20, 1948. p. F-2. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  34. ^ "Radio Tonight". Youngstown Vindicator (Ohio). December 21, 1954. p. 39. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  35. ^ "Friday Selections". Toledo Blade (Ohio). December 23, 1949. p. 4 (Peach Section). Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  36. ^ "Thursday Selections". Toledo Blade (Ohio). December 21, 1950. p. 4 (Peach Section). Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  37. ^ "Rancho Cucamonga Community Theatre Presents Miracle on 34th Street". Lewis Family Playhouse. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  38. ^ Snyder, Patricia Di Benedetto; Severin, Will; Vreeke, John (2000). Miracle on 34th Street: A Play from the Novel by Valentine Davies. Samuel French, Inc. ISBN 978-0573628924.
  39. ^ "Miracle on 34th Street at Macy's Puppet Theatre". TimeOut. TimeOut. Retrieved December 25, 2020.

External links

 
Wikiquote has quotations related to Miracle on 34th Street.
 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Miracle on 34th Street (film).
Listen to this article (21 minutes)
 
This audio file was created from a revision of this article dated 26 March 2017 (2017-03-26), and does not reflect subsequent edits.
(Audio help · More spoken articles)

Streaming audio

March 24, 2023
miracle, 34th, street, this, article, about, 1947, film, other, uses, disambiguation, initially, released, heart, united, kingdom, 1947, american, christmas, comedy, drama, film, released, 20th, century, written, directed, george, seaton, based, story, valenti. This article is about the 1947 film For other uses see Miracle on 34th Street disambiguation Miracle on 34th Street initially released as The Big Heart in the United Kingdom 2 3 is a 1947 American Christmas comedy drama film released by 20th Century Fox written and directed by George Seaton and based on a story by Valentine Davies It stars Maureen O Hara John Payne Natalie Wood and Edmund Gwenn The story takes place between Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day in New York City and focuses on the effect of a department store Santa Claus who claims to be the real Santa The film has become a perennial Christmas favorite Miracle on 34th StreetTheatrical release posterDirected byGeorge SeatonScreenplay byGeorge SeatonStory byValentine DaviesProduced byWilliam PerlbergStarringMaureen O Hara John Payne Edmund Gwenn Gene Lockhart Natalie Wood Porter Hall William Frawley Jerome Cowan Philip TongeCinematographyCharles Clarke Lloyd AhernEdited byRobert SimpsonMusic byCyril MockridgeDistributed by20th Century FoxRelease dateJune 11 1947 1947 06 11 Running time96 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishBudget 630 000Box office 2 7 million US rentals 1 Miracle on 34th Street won three Academy Awards Gwenn for Best Actor in a Supporting Role Valentine Davies for Best Writing Original Story and George Seaton for Best Writing Screenplay The film was nominated for Best Picture losing to Gentleman s Agreement In 2005 the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being culturally historically or aesthetically significant The Academy Film Archive preserved Miracle on 34th Street in 2009 4 Davies also wrote a short novelization of the tale which was published by Harcourt Brace simultaneously with the film s release Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 4 Reception 4 1 Critical reception 4 2 Accolades 5 Home media and colorization 6 Remake 7 In other media 7 1 Radio 7 2 Theatre 7 3 Television 7 4 Puppets 7 5 Appearances 8 See also 9 References 10 External linksPlot EditKris Kringle is indignant to find that the man assigned to play Santa in the annual Macy s Thanksgiving Day Parade is intoxicated When he complains to event director Doris Walker she persuades Kris to take his place He does so well that he is hired to play Santa at Macy s New York City store on 34th Street Ignoring instructions from the toy department head Mr Shellhammer to recommend overstocked items to undecided shoppers Kris directs one woman to another store to fulfill her son s Christmas request Impressed by Kris s honesty and helpfulness she informs Shellhammer that she will now become a loyal Macy s customer Attorney Fred Gailey Doris s neighbor takes the young divorcee s daughter Susan to see Santa Doris has raised her to not believe in fairy tales but Susan is shaken after seeing Kris speak Dutch with a girl who does not know English Doris asks Kringle to tell Susan that he is not Santa but he insists that he is Worried Doris decides to fire him but Kris has generated so much positive publicity and goodwill that the store s owner promises bonuses To alleviate Doris s misgivings Shellhammer suggests Granville Sawyer administer a psychological evaluation but Sawyer recommends Kris s dismissal Meanwhile Susan shows Kris a magazine photo of her dream house and tells him she wants it for Christmas reluctantly he promises to do his best In the company cafeteria young somewhat chubby employee Alfred tells Kris that Sawyer convinced him that he is unstable simply because he enjoys dressing as Santa Claus Kris immediately confronts Sawyer eventually striking him on the head with an umbrella Sawyer exaggerates his pain to have Kris confined to Bellevue Hospital Tricked into cooperating and believing Doris to be in on the deception Kris deliberately fails his examination and is recommended for permanent commitment However Fred persuades Kris not to give up At a hearing before Judge Henry X Harper District Attorney Thomas Mara gets Kris to assert that he is Santa Claus and rests his case asking Harper to rule that Santa does not exist In private Harper s political adviser Charlie Halloran warns him that doing so would be disastrous for his upcoming reelection bid Harper buys time by hearing further evidence Fred calls Macy as a witness and gets him to admit that he believes in Santa On leaving the stand Macy fires Sawyer Next Fred calls Mara s own young son who testifies that his father told him that Santa is real Mara has to concede the point but goes on to demand that Fred prove that Kris is the one and only Santa Claus on the basis of some competent authority by the following day Meanwhile Susan writes Kris a letter to cheer him up which Doris also signs When a New York Post Office mail sorter sees Susan s letter addressed to Kris at the New York courthouse he suggests delivering all of the dead letters addressed to Santa Claus to Kris As court resumes Fred is told of the delivery of mailbags to the courthouse he argues that the Post Office a branch of the U S federal government has acknowledged that Kris is the one and only Santa Claus by delivering the letters When the judge insists on seeing them Fred has them dump bag after bag on Harper s desk Harper dismisses the case On Christmas morning at a party for Macy s employees Susan loses faith in Kris when he admits he was not able to get her the house she wanted However after Kris offers Fred and Doris a route home that avoids traffic Susan sees her dream house with a For Sale sign in front Demanding that Fred stop the car she runs into the house exclaiming Mr Kringle is Santa Claus Fred learns that Doris had encouraged Susan to have faith and suggests they get married and purchase the house He then boasts that he must be a great lawyer since he proved an eccentric old man was Santa However when he and Doris spot a cane in the house that looks just like Kris s he is not so sure Cast EditMaureen O Hara as Doris Walker John Payne as Fred Gailey Edmund Gwenn as Kris Kringle Gene Lockhart as the Hon Henry X Harper Natalie Wood as Susan Walker Porter Hall as Granville Sawyer William Frawley as Charlie Halloran Jerome Cowan as District Attorney Thomas Mara Philip Tonge as Julian ShellhammerUncredited alphabetically Jack Albertson as Al the Post Office Mail Sorter Harry Antrim as R H Macy Lela Bliss as Mrs Shellhammer Jeff Corey as Reporter Mary Field as Dutch Girl s Adoptive Mother William Forrest as Dr Rogers at Bellevue Alvin Greenman as Alfred Theresa Harris as Cleo the Walkers maid housekeeper Percy Helton as Drunken Santa Claus Herbert Heyes as Mr Gimbel Robert Karnes as 2nd Bellevue Intern Snub Pollard as Mail Bearing Court Officer Thelma Ritter as Peter s Mother James Seay as Dr Pierce physician at the Brooks Memorial Home for the AgedProduction Edit source source source source source source source source The original trailer for Miracle on 34th Street omitted any mention of its Christmas themes Miracle on 34th Street was shot on location in New York City with the Macy s Thanksgiving Day Parade sequences filmed live while the 1946 parade was happening 5 It was a mad scramble to get all the shots we needed and we got to do each scene only once Maureen O Hara recalled in her memoir It was bitterly cold that day and Edmund and I envied Natalie Wood and John Payne who were watching the parade from a window 5 Although the film is set during the Christmas season studio head Darryl F Zanuck insisted that it be released in May arguing that more people go to the movies in warmer weather 6 The studio rushed to promote it while keeping its Christmas setting a secret Fox s promotional trailer depicted a fictional producer roaming the studio backlot and encountering such stars as Rex Harrison Anne Baxter Peggy Ann Garner and Dick Haymes extolling the virtues of the film In addition the movie posters prominently featured O Hara and Payne with Gwenn s character kept in the background The film opened in New York City at the Roxy Theatre on June 4 1947 7 By contrast modern home video packaging has Gwenn and Wood dominating the imagery with the DVD release having Kringle in his Santa Claus costume O Hara was initially reluctant to take the role having recently moved back to post war Ireland She immediately changed her mind after reading the script 8 and came back to the United States for the film Arthur Jacobson assistant director filmed the Macy s Parade on Thanksgiving morning with nine cameras simultaneously He said he plunked actors Edmund Gwenn and Natalie Wood in the department store cafeteria line during a weekday lunch rush When Maureen O Hara requested a special police escort for a Christmas shopping spree through Macy s he said I know New Yorkers They aren t going to pay any attention to you And don t wear a bandanna around your head or dark glasses Just be normal 9 Throughout the process of getting this script accepted by the PCA the movie underwent multiple different title changes starting as My Heart Tells Me and then progressing into The Big Heart It s Only Human Meet Me at Dawn and finally ended with the name Miracle on 34th Street These title changes all happened within a four month time period These title changes occurred while the filmmakers were fixing any other discrepancies that the PCA required them to fix before the production of the film could begin 10 Reception EditCritical reception Edit Miracle on 34th Street mostly received positive reviews from critics Bosley Crowther of The New York Times said For all those blase skeptics who do not believe in Santa Claus and likewise for all those natives who have grown cynical about New York but most especially for all those patrons who have grown weary of the monotonies of the screen let us heartily recommend the Roxy s new picture Miracle on 34th Street As a matter of fact let s go further let s catch its spirit and heartily proclaim that it is the freshest little picture in a long time and maybe even the best comedy of this year 11 A critic for the BBC called it a clever and deeply original story that remains true and confident in direction while delivering considerable charm all the while 12 The film is considered by many to be one of the best films of 1947 13 14 and it has been dubbed a christmas classic by several publications 15 16 17 On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 96 based on reviews from 52 critics with an average rating of 8 5 10 The website s critics consensus reads Irrefutable proof that gentle sentimentalism can be the chief ingredient in a wonderful film Miracle on 34th Street delivers a warm holiday message without resorting to treacle 18 The Catholic Legion of Decency gave the movie a B morally objectionable in part rating This was mainly due to the fact that O Hara portrayed a divorcee in the film 19 Accolades Edit The film won Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role Edmund Gwenn Best Writing Original Story Valentine Davies and Best Writing Screenplay It was also nominated for Best Picture losing to Gentleman s Agreement It was ranked ninth by the American Film Institute on 100 Years 100 Cheers a list of America s most inspiring films 20 Miracle on 34th Street was listed as the fifth best film in the fantasy genre in the American Film Institute s Ten top Ten lists in 2008 21 22 In 2005 Miracle on 34th Street was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being culturally historically or aesthetically significant 23 24 American Film Institute Lists AFI s 100 Years 100 Movies Nominated 25 AFI s 100 Years of Film Scores Nominated 26 AFI s 100 Years 100 Cheers 9 AFI s 100 Years 100 Movies 10th Anniversary Edition Nominated 27 AFI s 10 Top 10 5 Fantasy FilmHome media and colorization Edit The film was one of the first full length black and white films to be colorized Miracle on 34th Street was first released on VHS and LaserDisc in 1987 In 1985 it became one of the first full length black and white films to be colorized 28 The 4 month process was carried out by Color Systems Technology Inc 29 In 1993 this version was released on VHS and LaserDisc and was followed four years later by a 50th Anniversary Edition on both formats remastered by THX The first DVD release was in October 1999 featuring the B amp W version alongside the original theatrical trailer and a TV spot In November 2006 it was re released as a two disc Special Edition DVD with disc one containing an all new colorized version carried out by Legend Films The second disc had the original black and white version and numerous extras including The 20th Century Fox Hour s 1955 TV remake Both discs also included a full length audio commentary by Maureen O Hara The B amp W disc has since been re released several times including in a pairing with the 1994 remake In October 2009 20th Century Fox released the B amp W version on Blu ray with all previous extras bar the TV remake 30 In 2017 the film was restored in 4K resolution so far this version is only available via DCP 31 Remake EditMain article Miracle on 34th Street 1994 film A 1994 feature film starred Richard Attenborough Elizabeth Perkins Dylan McDermott J T Walsh Timothy Shea James Remar Jane Leeves Simon Jones William Windom and Mara Wilson It was adapted by John Hughes from the Seaton script and directed by Les Mayfield Due to Macy s refusal to give permission to use its name it was replaced by the fictitious Cole s We feel the original stands on its own and could not be improved upon said Laura Melillo a spokeswoman for Macy s Gimbels no longer existed by 1994 so its name was replaced by the name of the fictional Shopper s Express Alvin Greenman Alfred in the original version played a doorman The 1994 remake of the film had a more serious tone than the original 1947 film had and a large portion of the plot was rewritten although the majority of both the plot and the characters remained intact The 1994 film also added a subtext which described concerns about religious faith In other media EditThere are numerous remakes of the movie as well as a Broadway musical Radio Edit Lux Radio Theatre aired a one hour adaptation of the movie on three occasions on December 22 1947 which starred the original cast including Natalie Wood 32 on December 20 1948 without Natalie Wood s participation 33 and on December 21 1954 34 There were also two broadcasts on Screen Directors Playhouse as a half hour play on December 23 1949 35 and then as a one hour play on December 21 1950 36 All of these adaptations had Edmund Gwenn reprising his screen role Theatre Edit A 1963 Broadway musical version entitled Here s Love was written by Meredith Willson The novella was adapted into a stage play by Will Severin Patricia Di Benedetto Snyder and John Vreeke in 2000 It is a favorite in many community and regional theaters during the Christmas season 37 The characters names are those used in the novella and the stage setting is distinctly late 1940s Production rights are held by Samuel French Inc 38 Television Edit A 1955 one hour television adaptation of the movie starred Thomas Mitchell as Kris Macdonald Carey as Fred Teresa Wright as Doris and Sandy Descher as Susan This version did not show the drunken Santa at all Titled The Miracle on 34th Street it originally aired as an episode of The 20th Century Fox Hour It was later re run as Meet Mr Kringle Ed Wynn played Kris in a 1959 television adaptation of the movie Also featured was Orson Bean It was broadcast live and in color on NBC the day after Thanksgiving NBC made a kinescope of the program probably for broadcasting opening night on the West Coast The copy was in a large collection of kinescopes donated by NBC to the Library of Congress and later unearthed by Richard Finegan who reported his experiences in the December 2005 issue of Classic Images A 1973 television version featured Jane Alexander David Hartman Roddy McDowall Sebastian Cabot as Kris without his natural beard he was forced to shave and wear a false beard for the role Suzanne Davidson Jim Backus David Doyle and Tom Bosley It was adapted by Jeb Rosebrook from the George Seaton screenplay and directed by Fielder Cook Mrs Walker s first name is changed to Karen in this version This would prove to be the final version in which the department store was actually Macy s David Doyle who played R H Macy in this version had played Mr Sawyer in the original Broadway cast of Here s Love 10 years earlier Puppets Edit In 2012 the flagship Macy s Department Store at Herald Square in New York City featured a 30 minute puppet version of the story within its Santaland display featuring the voice talents of Broadway stars Brian Stokes Mitchell and Victoria Clark 39 Appearances Edit A short clip of the film was seen on the kitchen television screen in Home Alone a 1990 Christmas film released by Fox and also the ending was seen in the den television screen in the 1996 film The Preacher s Wife See also EditTrial film List of Christmas films Santa Claus in filmReferences Edit Top Grossers of 1947 Variety January 7 1948 p 63 Miracle on 34th Street 1947 British Film Institute Archived from the original on September 15 2015 Retrieved December 22 2012 The Big Heart Poster Movie Poster Studio Retrieved December 21 2017 Preserved Projects Academy Film Archive a b O Hara M Nicoletti J 2005 Tis Herself An Autobiography Non fiction May 2012 Simon amp Schuster p 116 ISBN 978 0 7432 6916 2 Retrieved December 9 2019 A Weird Thing You Didn t Know About Your Favorite Classic Christmas Films HuffPost Retrieved December 9 2019 Brown Gene 1995 Movie Time A Chronology of Hollywood and the Movie Industry from Its Beginnings to the Present New York Macmillan p 186 ISBN 0 02 860429 6 O Hara Maureen John Nicoletti 2005 Tis herself a memoir London Pocket p 139 ISBN 978 0 7434 9535 6 Arthur Jacobson New York to Hollywood DGA Quarterly Magazine 2011 Retrieved March 31 2020 CONTENTdm digitalcollections oscars org Retrieved October 21 2021 Crowther Bosley June 5 1947 Movie Review Miracle on 34th Street With Edmund Gwenn in the Role of Santa Claus at Roxy Web at Loew s Criterion The New York Times Archived from the original on August 23 2017 Retrieved August 22 2017 BBC Films review Miracle on 34th Street www bbc co uk Retrieved December 26 2022 Greatest Films of 1947 Filmsite Retrieved May 31 2010 The Best Movies of 1947 by Rank Films 101 Retrieved May 31 2010 Henderson Globe Odie Miracle on 34th Street A Christmas classic turns 75 The Boston Globe Boston Globe Retrieved December 26 2022 The retail world at the heart of Miracle on 34th Street no longer exists The Washington Post George Seaton s 1947 film Miracle on 34th Street is a Christmas classic frequently described as timeless What Makes MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET a Christmas Classic Nerdist Retrieved December 26 2022 Miracle on 34th Street Rotten Tomatoes Retrieved October 7 2021 Catcher Jessica December 12 2014 12 Awesome Facts You Didn t Know About The Original Miracle On 34th Street ViralNova Archived from the original on May 27 2015 Retrieved May 27 2015 AFI s 100 Years 100 Cheers American Film Institute 2006 Retrieved August 22 2017 AFI Crowns Top 10 Films in 10 Classic Genres ComingSoon net June 17 2008 Archived from the original on August 18 2008 Retrieved June 18 2008 Top 10 Fantasy American Film Institute Retrieved June 18 2008 Miracle on 34th Street On Location Tours Archived from the original on January 15 2010 Retrieved August 22 2017 Miracle on 34th Street 1947 Awards IMDb Retrieved August 22 2017 AFI s 100 Years 100 Movies Nominees PDF AFI 2002 Archived from the original PDF on October 26 2013 Retrieved November 26 2011 AFI s 100 Years of Film Scores Nominees Official Ballot PDF AFI September 23 2005 Archived from the original PDF on November 6 2013 Retrieved August 22 2017 AFI s 100 Years 100 Movies 10th Anniversary Edition Ballot PDF AFI 2007 Miracle on 34th Street 1947 Turner Classic Movies Retrieved January 26 2018 Nitrate Won t Wait A History of Film Preservation in the United States 2000 by Anthony Slide p 125 Miracle on 34th Street Blu ray Blu ray com Retrieved May 31 2010 Restored Christmas Classics Park Circus Arion Chorus Sings at 10 Yule Music Dominates Air Youngstown Vindicator Ohio December 22 1947 p 15 Retrieved June 1 2021 MIRACLE ON 34TH ST on Lux Theatre Tonite KSL advertisement The Deseret News December 20 1948 p F 2 Retrieved June 1 2021 Radio Tonight Youngstown Vindicator Ohio December 21 1954 p 39 Retrieved June 1 2021 Friday Selections Toledo Blade Ohio December 23 1949 p 4 Peach Section Retrieved June 1 2021 Thursday Selections Toledo Blade Ohio December 21 1950 p 4 Peach Section Retrieved June 1 2021 Rancho Cucamonga Community Theatre Presents Miracle on 34th Street Lewis Family Playhouse Retrieved August 22 2017 Snyder Patricia Di Benedetto Severin Will Vreeke John 2000 Miracle on 34th Street A Play from the Novel by Valentine Davies Samuel French Inc ISBN 978 0573628924 Miracle on 34th Street at Macy s Puppet Theatre TimeOut TimeOut Retrieved December 25 2020 External links Edit Wikiquote has quotations related to Miracle on 34th Street Wikimedia Commons has media related to Miracle on 34th Street film Listen to this article 21 minutes source source This audio file was created from a revision of this article dated 26 March 2017 2017 03 26 and does not reflect subsequent edits Audio help More spoken articles Miracle on 34th Street at IMDb Miracle on 34th Street at AllMovie Miracle on 34th Street at the American Film Institute Catalog Miracle on 34th Street at the TCM Movie Database Backstage and deleted scenesStreaming audio Miracle on 34th Street on Lux Radio Theater December 22 1947 Miracle on 34th Street on Screen Directors Playhouse December 23 1949 Miracle on 34th Street on Screen Directors Playhouse December 21 1950 Miracle on 34th Street on Lux Radio Theater December 21 1954 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Miracle on 34th Street amp oldid 1144923814, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.