Miracle on 34th Street is a 1947 Christmas comedy-drama film directed by George Seaton. The film stars Maureen O’Hara, John Payne, Edmund Gwenn and Natalie Wood.
Director: George Seaton
Production Company: 20th Century Fox
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Cast: Maureen O’Hara, John Payne, Edmund Gwenn, Gene Lockhart, Natalie Wood, Porter Hall
US Box Office: $7,750,000 ($195,200,00 adjusted for inflation)
Film Format: Black & White
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Family, Fantasy
Release Date: June 4, 1947 (premiere); June 11, 1947
Plot Summary: Doris Walker (Maureen O’Hara), a divorced mother and an event director at Macy’s department store in New York City, hires a kind old man named Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) to play Santa Claus in the company’s annual Thanksgiving Parade and to serve as the store’s Santa for Christmas. Kris does a fantastic job, mainly because he is secretly the real Santa Claus! Kris and Fred Gailey (John Payne), a lawyer who is romantically interested in Doris, try to convince Doris’s daughter Susan (Natalie Wood) that Kris is the real Santa. Doris, who doesn’t want Susan to believe in “fairy tales” like Santa Claus, isn’t thrilled about this.
Production: Writer Valentine Davies came up with the idea for the film that would eventually become Miracle on 34th Street while he was shopping for a Christmas present for his wife in the 1940s. He wondered what the real Santa Claus would think of the crazy store crowds and commercialization of Christmas. Davies wrote a story about a department store Santa Claus who claims to be the real deal and presented it to the executives at 20th Century Fox. Fox producer Gene Markey and writer/director George Seaton were originally assigned to work on the project, however Markey was soon replaced by William Perlberg. Several titles were considered for the film including The Big Heart, My Heart Tells Me and It’s Only Human before Miracle on 34th Street was chosen. George Seaton primarily worked as a screenwriter during the 1930s and 1940s, and had only recently begun his directing career for Fox. Miracle on 34th Street was only the fourth film Seaton directed after Diamond Horseshoe (1945), Junior Miss (1945), and The Shocking Miss Pilgrim (1947). In addition to directing the film, Seaton also wrote the screenplay for Miracle on 34th Street.
20th Century Fox originally wanted to cast Cecil Kellaway as Kris Kringle, the real Santa Claus, but Kellaway turned the part down. The studio instead cast English actor Edmund Gwenn (who was Kellaway’s cousin) in the part. Gwenn frequently played supporting roles and appeared in a variety of films including Lassie Come Home (1943) and The Keyes of the Kingdom (1944). Maureen O’Hara was cast as Doris Walker, the film’s “leading lady.” O’Hara initially wasn’t happy about this, she had recently moved back to her home country Ireland and didn’t want to have to return to America to film, but changed her mind once she read the script. John Payne was cast as Fred Gailey, the film’s “leading man.” Payne wasn’t happy with the sort of roles he had received from Fox, but he loved Miracle on 34th Street‘s script and campaigned for the part. Child actress Natalie Wood was cast Susan Walker, Doris’s daughter who doesn’t believe in Santa Claus. Wood was eight years old at the time, and she had recently appeared in Tomorrow is Forever (1946) and The Bride Wore Boots (1946).
George Seaton began shooting Miracle on 34th Street in late November of 1946 and filming wrapped up in late February of 1947. Large portions of Miracle on 34th Street were shot on location in New York City. The scenes set during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade were shot before and during the actual November 28, 1946 parade. All the shots featuring large crowds were shot live during the parade. Fox had cameras stationed around the Manhattan streets and in several apartment buildings to get good footage of the event. As a result of the live filming, Edmund Gwenn played Santa Claus during the actual parade, and performed the typical duties of Santa Claus including addressing the crowd from Macy’s marquee after the end of the parade. According to Maureen O’Hara it was very cold outside during filming, and she and Gwenn envied John Payne and Natalie Wood, whose characters just watch the parade from inside Fred’s apartment.
The shots of Kris walking during the opening credits were shot on Madison Avenue in Manhattan, and the store that Kris stops at was located at 19th East 61st Street. Susan’s dream home in Miracle on 34th Street was portrayed by an actual house at 24 Derby Road in Port Washington, Long Island. The scenes set at Macy’s were shot at the real Macy’s department store in NYC. The film production’s power needs (for cameras, lighting, etc.) exceeded what the store was capable of generating, so additional power sources had to be set up in the store’s basement. The exterior of the Brooks Memorial Home was shot at the Black-Foxe Military Academy back in Los Angeles and some of the film’s interior scenes were shot on set at 20th Century Fox Studios.
The main cast members of Miracle on 34th Street all got along well. Maureen O’Hara, John Payne, and Edmund Gwenn would go on evening walks together on Fifth Avenue when they didn’t have to work late. During the shoot young Natalie Wood apparently thought that Edmund Gwenn was the actual Santa Claus. Gwenn always arrived on set early for hair and makeup and Wood never saw him out of costume and without his beard. It also helped that Gwenn was always polite and good-natured on set. It wasn’t until Wood saw Gwenn at the film’s wrap up party, without his Santa Claus beard, that she realized he wasn’t really Santa.
The two real companies featured in the film, Macy’s and Gimbels, both wanted to see the finished film before giving the producers permission to use their names and trademarks in Miracle on 34th Street. Fortunately both companies liked the film and gave the studio permission to use their likenesses. If either company had refused, Miracle on 34th Street would have needed to be heavily reedited and reshot to remove all the references.
Fun Facts and Trivia: Miracle on 34th Street was Alvin Greenman’s (Alfred) first film. Greenman was the only actor to appear in both the original film and its 1994 remake. He also worked as a script supervisor on a variety of films and television series from the 1970s to the 1990s including Ice Castles (1978) and The Karate Kid (1984). Miracle on 34th Street was also Thelma Ritter’s first film. Ritter played Peter’s mother. She was a popular character actress who had supporting roles in a variety of acclaimed films including All About Eve (1950), Pickup on South Street (1953), and Rear Window (1954). The drunken Santa Claus performer near the beginning of the film was played by Percy Helton. Helton later appeared in another classic Christmas film, White Christmas (1954), where he played the train conductor. The little Dutch girl was played by eight year old Marlene Lyden. Lyden didn’t know any Dutch so she had to learn her lines phonetically.
Reception: Although Miracle on 34th Street was set during the Christmas season, 20th Century Fox studio head Darryl F. Zanuck insisted that the film be released in May because he thought that more people went to see movies in the summer. In promoting the film, Fox downplayed its Christmas elements. One of the primary trailers featured very little footage from the film and instead focused on newly shot footage of movie stars explaining why they liked Miracle on 34th Street. The film’s main poster prominently featured Maureen O’Hara and John Payne and didn’t mention that Miracle on 34th Street was a Christmas movie.
Miracle on 34th Street had its New York City premiere on July 4, 1947 and its Chicago premiere on July 11. Despite being released in the summer, the film was a big success at the box office and made a profit for Fox. The film’s family-friendly nature, humor, and Christmas cheer all made it popular with audiences. Lux Radio Theatre broadcast radio adaptations of Miracle on 34th Street on December 22, 1947; December 20, 1948; and December 21, 1954. The Screen Directors Playhouse radio show also broadcast radio adaptations on December 23, 1949; and December 21, 1950. The first two Lux Radio Theatre shows featured Maureen O’Hara and John Payne reprising their roles, and all five shows featured Edmund Gwenn as Kris Kringle. Story writer Valentine Davies published a novelization of Miracle on 34th Street in 1947.
Miracle on 34th Street received positive reviews from critics when in was first released. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times had strong praise for the film. He praised the film for its sense of Christmas cheer and its originality. Crowther described Miracle on 34th Street as “the freshest little picture in a long time and maybe even the best comedy of this year.” Kate Cameron of the New York Daily News similarly praised the film for its charm and its humor. The staff at Variety also gave Miracle on 34th Street a positive review.
In modern times Miracle on 34th Street is regarded as a Christmas classic and it has continued to receive positive reviews from critics. Total Film described Miracle on 34th Street as being one of the best Christmas movies ever made alongside It’s a Wonderful Life (1946). Steve Crum of the Kansas City Kansan, John Urbancich of Your Movies, and David Cornelius of eFilmCritic.com all gave the film perfect 5/5 review scores. In 2006 the American Film Institute ranked Miracle on 34th Street ninth on their list of the top 100 most inspiring American movies of all time. In 2008, the AFI ranked it fifth on their list of the top ten best American fantasy films. Miracle on 34th Street was additionally one of 400 films nominated by the AFI for their 1998 and 2007 lists of the top 100 greatest American films of all time.
Maureen O’Hara was very proud of her work on Miracle on 34th Street and she always loved it when (even more than fifty years after the film’s release) she would be approached by children who recognized her from Miracle on 34th Street. Miracle on 34th Street has received several film adaptations. An episode of the anthology series 20th Century Fox Hour featured an adaptation of the story titled “The Miracle on 34th Street” that starred Macdonald Carey, Teresa Wright and Thomas Mitchell. The series NBC Friday Night Special Presentation also featured a 1959 episode that adapted Miracle on 34th Street and starred Ed Wynn as Kris Kringle. A 1973 television movie version starred Sebastian Cabot as Santa Claus, and in 1994 Fox released a theatrical remake of Miracle on 34th Street that was directed by Les Mayfield and starred Richard Attenborough.
Oscars: Miracle on 34th Street was nominated for four Oscars at the 20th Academy Awards ceremony: Best Picture (William Perlberg for 20th Century Fox), Best Supporting Actor (Edmund Gwenn), Best Screenplay (George Seaton based on a story by Valentine Davies), and Best Story (Valentine Davis). The film won three of its Oscar nominations. Edmund Gwenn won the Best Supporting Actor award for his role Kris Kringle. In his acceptance speech Gwenn stated, “Now I know there is a Santa Claus.” Seaton won the Oscar for his screenplay, and Davis won the Oscar for his original story. The drama film Gentleman’s Agreement won the Award for Best Picture that year.
Why You Should See It: Miracle on 34th Street is good Christmas film. The film is charming and it features plenty of Christmas cheer. All the actors give good performances, especially Edmund Gwenn who deservedly won an Oscar for his role as Kris Kringle. Gwenn does a excellent job portraying Santa Claus’s good nature, helpfulness, and generosity. Although Miracle on 34th Street features plenty of humor, director George Seaton makes the film’s more dramatic moments stand out by successfully adding genuine emotion.