Miracle on 34th Street facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Miracle on 34th Street |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | George Seaton |
| Produced by | William Perlberg |
| Screenplay by | George Seaton |
| Story by | Valentine Davies |
| Starring |
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| Music by | Cyril Mockridge |
| Cinematography |
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| Editing by | Robert Simpson |
| Distributed by | 20th Century-Fox |
| Release date(s) | June 11, 1947 |
| Running time | 96 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $248,000 |
| Money made | $2.7 million (US rentals) |
Miracle on 34th Street is a beloved American Christmas movie from 1947. It was made by 20th Century-Fox and directed by George Seaton. The story was created by Valentine Davies. The film stars Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Natalie Wood, and Edmund Gwenn.
The movie tells a heartwarming story set in New York City between Thanksgiving and Christmas. It's about a kind old man who plays Santa Claus at a big department store. He says he is the real Santa, and this changes many lives. People love this film, and it's a favorite to watch every Christmas.
Miracle on 34th Street won three important Academy Awards. Edmund Gwenn won for Best Supporting Actor. Valentine Davies won for the Best Original Story. George Seaton won for the Best Screenplay. In 2005, the film was chosen to be kept safe in the United States National Film Registry. This means it's a very important film for American culture and history. The Academy Film Archive also helped preserve it in 2009. A short book version of the story was also released when the movie came out.
Contents
The Story of Kris Kringle and Macy's
The movie begins on the day of the famous Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The person hired to play Santa Claus is not able to do his job. A kind old man named Kris Kringle steps in to help. He does such a wonderful job that he is hired to be the Santa at Macy's New York City store on 34th Street.
Kris Kringle is a very special Santa. Instead of trying to sell toys from Macy's, he tells parents where to find the perfect gifts, even if it's at another store! This makes customers very happy and loyal to Macy's.
Doris Walker, who organizes events for Macy's, has a daughter named Susan. Susan doesn't believe in fairy tales or Santa. But when she meets Kris, she is amazed. He even speaks Dutch to a little orphan girl! Kris truly believes he is the real Santa Claus.
Doris worries about Kris's claims. But the owner of Macy's, R. H. Macy, sees how much good Kris is doing for the store. He decides to give bonuses because of all the positive attention Kris brings. A store psychologist, Granville Sawyer, thinks Kris might be unwell because he believes he is Santa. Sawyer suggests Kris needs special care. Susan, however, shows Kris a picture of her dream house and he promises to try his best to get it for her.
One day, Kris gets upset with Sawyer and accidentally hits him with an umbrella. Sawyer then has Kris taken to a hospital for evaluation. Kris feels tricked and decides to fail the tests. This leads to a court case to decide if Kris is truly Santa Claus or if he needs to stay in the hospital.
The Court Case for Santa
Doris's neighbor, Fred Gailey, is a lawyer. He decides to defend Kris in court. The District Attorney, Thomas Mara, tries to prove that Santa Claus isn't real. But the judge, Henry Harper, is told that ruling against Santa would be very unpopular.
Fred calls Mr. Macy to testify, and even Mr. Macy admits he believes in Santa. Then, Fred calls the District Attorney's own son to the stand. The boy says his dad told him Santa is real! The District Attorney agrees that Santa exists, but challenges Fred to prove that Kris is the one and only Santa.
The next day, a clever idea saves the case. The Post Office starts delivering all the letters addressed to Santa Claus to Kris at the courthouse. Fred argues that if the government's Post Office delivers mail to Kris as Santa, then they must believe he is the real one! The judge agrees and dismisses the case.
A Christmas Wish Comes True
On Christmas Day, Kris invites Fred, Doris, and Susan to a celebration. Susan is sad because Kris couldn't get her the dream house she wanted. But on their way home, Kris suggests a different route. Suddenly, Susan sees her dream house with a "For Sale" sign! She is overjoyed and runs inside.
Fred realizes that Doris had started to believe in Kris too. He suggests they get married and buy the house. Inside the house, they find a cane that looks just like Kris's. This makes Fred wonder if Kris really is Santa Claus after all.
Meet the Stars: Main Cast
Here are the main actors who brought the characters to life in Miracle on 34th Street:
- Maureen O'Hara played Doris Walker
- John Payne played Fred Gailey
- Edmund Gwenn played Kris Kringle
- Gene Lockhart played Judge Henry X. Harper
- Natalie Wood played Susan Walker
- Porter Hall played Granville Sawyer
- William Frawley played Charlie Halloran
- Jerome Cowan played District Attorney Thomas Mara
- Philip Tonge played Julian Shellhammer
Making the Movie: Behind the Scenes
Making Miracle on 34th Street was full of interesting moments! The movie was filmed right in New York City. The scenes during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade were shot live during the actual parade in 1946. Imagine filming a movie during a real parade!
Actress Maureen O'Hara remembered how cold it was that day. She and Edmund Gwenn were outside, while Natalie Wood and John Payne watched from a warm window. The film's assistant director, Arthur Jacobson, used nine cameras to capture the parade. He even had actors like Edmund Gwenn and Natalie Wood blend in with real shoppers at Macy's.
Interestingly, the studio boss, Darryl F. Zanuck, wanted the Christmas movie to be released in May. He thought more people would go to the movies in warmer weather. So, the studio promoted the film without revealing it was a Christmas story! The first movie posters showed Maureen O'Hara and John Payne more than Edmund Gwenn as Santa. But today, when you see the movie on DVD or Blu-ray, Santa is usually front and center!
Watching the Film: Home Versions
Miracle on 34th Street was first available for home viewing on VHS and LaserDisc in 1987.
In 1985, this movie was one of the first black and white films to be changed into color. This process is called colorization. The original black and white version was first released on DVD in 1999. Later, in 2006, a special two-disc DVD set came out. It included a newer colorized version and the original black and white film.
In 2009, the black and white version was released on Blu-ray. In 2017, the film was made even clearer with a special restoration in 4K resolution.
Other Versions of the Story
The story of Miracle on 34th Street has been so popular that it has been made into many other forms!
The 1994 Remake Film
A new movie version of Miracle on 34th Street was made in 1994. It starred Richard Attenborough as Kris Kringle and Mara Wilson as Susan. In this version, the famous department store Macy's was called "Cole's" because Macy's did not give permission to use its name. This remake had a slightly more serious feel than the original.
Radio Shows
The story was adapted for radio several times. The Lux Radio Theatre aired a one-hour version three times, with some of the original movie cast. Edmund Gwenn played Kris Kringle in all these radio shows.
Stage Musicals and Plays
In 1963, a Broadway musical called Here's Love was created based on the film. There is also a stage play version that is often performed in theaters during the Christmas season.
Television Adaptations
Many television versions of the movie have been made over the years.
- In 1955, a one-hour TV show starred Thomas Mitchell as Kris.
- In 1959, Ed Wynn played Kris in a live color broadcast on NBC.
- A 1973 TV movie featured Sebastian Cabot as Kris. In this version, Mrs. Walker's first name was changed to Karen.
Puppet Show
In 2012, the main Macy's Department Store in New York City even had a 30-minute puppet show of the story in its Santaland display!
See also
- List of Christmas films
- Santa Claus in film
