Miracle on 34th Street (1947) 20th Century Fox/Comedy-Drama RT: 96 minutes No MPAA Rating (nothing offensive) Director: George Seaton Screenplay: George Seaton Music: Cyril Mockridge Cinematography: Lloyd Ahern and Charles G. Clarke Release date: May 2, 1947 (US) Cast: Maureen O’Hara, John Payne, Edmund Gwenn, Gene Lockhart, Natalie Wood, Porter Hall, William Frawley, Jerome Cowan, Philip Tonge, Jack Albertson, Harry Antrim, Lela Bliss, Jeff Corey, Mary Field, William Forrest, Alvin Greenman, Theresa Harris, Percy Helton, Herbert Heyes, Robert Karnes, Snub Pollard, Thelma Ritter, James Seay.
Rating: ****
NOTE: I originally wrote this review in 2011. I did a bit of revising here and there, but the gist of it I didn’t see the original version of Miracle on 34th Street until well into adulthood.
I’m actually ashamed of myself for not seeing this delightful comedy-drama sooner. What kind of Movie Guy am I? I saw the 1994 remake when it came out and liked it, but I always felt I was missing out on something special by not seeing the OG. When I finally saw it, I LOVED IT! It’s magical and by that, I don’t mean it tries to dazzle viewers with fancy special effects. What I do mean is it fills the viewer with child-like wonder with its story of man who claims to be the real Santa Claus. That’s what I felt as I watched it again this past weekend.
It opens at the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade where a mysterious old man calling himself Kris Kringle (Gwenn, The Trouble with Harry) shows up and observes that the person playing Santa Claus is drunk. Angered by this, he approaches event director Doris Walker (O’Hara, The Quiet Man) and complains. She persuades him to take the man’s place on the float of honor. He does such a great job that she hires him to play Santa Claus at the flagship store on 34th Street.
Almost immediately, the kindly old man makes an impression on the children and their parents, especially when he directs a mother to a rival department store to obtain a particular toy for her young son. It gets back to toy department manager Julian Shellhammer (Tonge, Witness for the Prosecution) by the mother who informs him that she will be a loyal Macy’s customer from now on. When it gets back to store owner R.H. Macy (Antrim, The Heiress), he immediately institutes it as store policy. They’re going to be the department store with a heart.
Doris is the divorced mother of Susan (Wood, West Side Story), an intelligent 6YO with no imagination. Her mother has raised her not to believe in fairy tales and mythical figures like Santa Claus. She wants to keep the kid grounded in reality so she won’t have to face disappointments when she reaches adulthood. This is what she tells her neighbor and hopeful suitor Fred Gailey (Payne, Kansas City Confidential) when he takes her to see Santa at Macy’s.
Kris almost has Susan believing he’s the real deal. Doris pleads with him to tell her the truth, but the man insists that he is the one and only Santa Claus. Believing he’s delusional, she intends to fire him until Macy praises her for hiring him and increasing business. She keeps him on, but only after a sit-down with store psychologist Sawyer (Hall, Double Indemnity). Kris passes every one of the man’s tests and starts asking personal questions which just infuriates the so-called expert.
It’s smooth sailing until Kris has a confrontation with Sawyer about his convincing young janitor Alfred (Greenman, Mr. Belvedere Goes to College) he’s mentally unstable because he likes to dress as Santa and give gifts to children at the local YMCA. It ends with Kris bonking him on the head with an umbrella handle. In turn, mean Mr. Sawyer has Kris committed to Bellevue for evaluation. Kris calls on Fred, a successful attorney at a large firm, to defend him at the upcoming competency hearing before Judge Harper (Lockhart, His Girl Friday) who’s worried about how his decision in the matter will affect his political future.
I think everybody know what happens next. Miracle on 34th Street becomes a courtroom drama in which Fred must prove Santa Claus does indeed exist. It’s as compelling as any murder trial. It also makes for one of the nicest Christmas movies I’ve ever seen. It affirms the idea of believing in something that you can’t see. I don’t see anything wrong with that; after all, most people believe in God and nobody has EVER seen Him. It was William Shakespeare that said, “There are more things in heaven and earth…..than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” (Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 5). That statement could easily be applied to this situation. It’s possible the old man claiming to be Santa Claus might be telling the truth. And even if he’s delusional, he’s not doing any harm to anybody so why not allow him to indulge in his fantasy? On a more personal level, Kris attempts to convince young Susan it’s okay to believe in something she has to accept purely on faith while Fred tries to win over Doris and make her see that it’s okay to trust people again, even if her first marriage failed.
The performances in Miracle on 34th Street are uniformly excellent, especially by Mr. Gwenn as Kris Kringle. He really does look like Santa with his white beard and cheery demeanor. He’s a gentle character who’s 100% good. He loves the children and somehow seems to know their names. In one case, he speaks the child’s native tongue and before you call it a coincidence, how many Santas do you know who speak Dutch? There’s something so benevolent about this little old man that you really want to believe him. Gwenn absolutely deserved the Oscar he won for his wonderful performance.
O’Hara is terrific as the cynical Doris. She’s already been hurt by one man and doesn’t want to be hurt a second time. She doesn’t want Susan to be hurt either, so she takes the magic out of the child’s life in order to protect and prepare her. In an early performance, Wood shows that she already had some serious acting skills. It’s no wonder she became a big star as an adult, a brilliant career cut short by her untimely death in November 1981. Knowing that she died so young adds an element of pathos to her performance.
Payne delivers a great performance as Doris’ romantic interest and one of Kris’ biggest supporters. The chemistry between Fred and Doris is undeniable. It’s a no-brainer they’ll end up together before the closing credits roll. Hall makes Sawyer come off as a complete weasel. He’s exactly the type of fuddy-duddy bad guy that audiences love to hate. Greenman doesn’t have that many scenes, but he makes the most of what he does have. William Frawley (I Love Lucy) adds comic relief as Judge Harper’s cigar-chomping political advisor.
Everything about Miracle on 34th Street is perfect right down to the gorgeous black-and-white cinematography. I don’t think the story would have worked as well in color because the shiny and colorful decorations normally associated with Christmas would have distracted the viewer from the simple beauty of the story. Writer-director George Seaton (Airport) has crafted a wonderful movie with an outstanding story. What child wouldn’t enjoy watching this one around the holidays? True, some of the story elements might be over their little heads, but they should have no problem understanding the basic concept. They’ll adore Miracle on 34th Street as much as their parents and grandparents.
As for me, I’m putting Miracle on 34th Street on my annual watch list. It’s a sweet movie that warms the heart and fills it with Christmas cheer. It’s a hell of a lot better than crass, cynical fare like the live-action How the Grinch Stole Christmas. UGH!
