Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

Wonderfully offbeat film!

Sadly Over-hyped

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

In my family, we've probably taken more household phrases from Miracle on 34th Street than from all versions of A Christmas Carol combined. It's a very special movie with a very special place in our family's Christmas traditions. The tree is up and decorated, all twelve varieties of Christmas cookies have been baked, and we gather around the television to hum along with Cyril J. Mockridge's delightful theme, and to enjoy and recite all our favorite lines from start to finish. "It's cold, a man's gotta do something to keep warm!" "Throw it on the floor!" "I'll just have a sandwich or something." "To be completely honest and truthful with the child. . ." "I'll go check on the meat." "First of all, I'm not persecuting him; I'm prosecuting him." "And they're gonna say it in votes-you're gonna be an awful popular fellow!"Even the movie's flaws are delightful, and my family loves to anticipate Maureen O'Hara's overacting-"This is going to hurt Kris very badly, and I don't want to be the one to do it!"-the wrong answer given to the question of who was Vice-President under James Quincy Adams, and the silly little loopholes in the plot that are meant to be overlooked. Miracle on 34th Street is a fantastic, sentimental, nostalgic, perfect Christmas movie. It embodies everything about the Christmas spirit, so even though there are little flaws in George Seaton's script, the magic and happiness of the season glosses over them. Even though Maureen's delivery is a little stylized, we're still rooting for her. Natalie Wood, in an adorable, charming performance full of an incredible talent for her age, captures the heart of all who watch her. I think it's impossible to be in a bad mood when you watch this movie, especially when Natalie's on the screen. She never acts like she's acting. She's truly a little girl in need of the Christmas spirit, and her mom really is Maureen O'Hara. She has great, believable chemistry with everyone in the cast.Edmund Gwenn, in an Oscar-winning performance, sets the bar so high, no one else has ever been able to play a truly believable Santa Claus-besides Jim Broadbent; I can't ignore him. Teddy has a constant twinkle in his eye, and his jolly, sweet disposition soothes even the greatest of doubts. John Payne costars as Maureen's love interest and Edmund's greatest advocate. He's a great match for Maureen, balancing out her edges and teaching her to dream. In addition to the main leads, everyone in the supporting cast has memorable and hilarious parts and lines. Jerome Cowan as the district attorney, Gene Lockhart as the judge, Porter Hall as Teddy's foe at work, Philip Tonge as Maureen's coworker, Alvin Greenman as Teddy's young friend, and a pre-famous Thelma Ritter all contribute to the nearly perfect Christmas movie. Without each of them, it would feel like something was missing. Thankfully, nothing is missing, and every Christmas my family and I can rejoice with all our old friends.Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, since the main plot deals with whether or not there is a Santa Claus, I wouldn't let my kids watch it until they were a little older. My mom didn't let me watch this one until I was eleven.

REVIEW DATE 2/19/2018 PLEASE BEWARE OF SOME REVIEWERS THAT ONLY HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW. I HAVE OVER 400 REVIEWS OF "CHRISTMAS RELATED FILMS & SPECIALS" WHEN ITS A POSITIVE THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE PRODUCTION. NOW I HAVE NO AGENDA! I REVIEW MOVIES & SPECIALS AS A WAY TO KEEP TRACK OF WHAT I HAVE SEEN! I HAVE DISCOVERED MANY GEMS IN MY QUEST TO SEE AS MANY " C H R I S T M A S " MOVIES AS I CAN.Now Someone keeps reporting my reviews. I guess they are jealous because I do tell the truth. I want to point out that I never make snide remarks about actors weight or real life sexual orientation. If there acting is terrible or limited "I talk about that". If a story is bad "I will mention that" So why am I being "picked on"? IMDB? When one of my reviews gets deleted IMDB will not even tell me what someone found offensive. Well on to this review.Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) is indignant to find that the man (Percy Helton) assigned to play Santa in the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is intoxicated. When he complains to event director Doris Walker (Maureen O'Hara), she persuades Kris to take his place. He does so well, he is hired to play Santa at Macy's flagship New York City store on 34th Street.Ignoring instructions to steer parents to buy from Macy's, Kris directs one shopper (Thelma Ritter) to a competitor. Impressed, she tells Julian Shellhammer (Philip Tonge), head of the toy department, that she will become a loyal customer.Attorney Fred Gailey (John Payne), Doris's neighbor, takes the young divorcée's daughter Susan (Natalie Wood) 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. However, Kris has generated so much positive publicity and goodwill for Macy's that Macy (Harry Antrim) promises Doris and Julian bonuses. To alleviate Doris's misgivings, Julian has Granville Sawyer (Porter Hall) administer a "psychological evaluation". Kris passes, and questions Sawyer's own mental health.This is a great film that everyone should see.

This has become one of the only two movies that has become a yearly must see tradition...the other one, It's a Wonderful Life, has a different theme, yet is every bit as traditional as this movie...Miracle tells the tale of Kris Kringle, a gentle, somewhat eccentric old man, who is hired by Maureen O'Sullivan as the official Santa at Macy's Department store. The warmth, and humor begin right away, as Kris begins a marketing campaign by sending shoppers to other stores, if Macy doesn't carry the product. It lands him in hot water, but Mr Macy himself sees the tremendous goodwill that such a move will bring to the store...From there, Kris finds a challenge in convincing Maureen's daughter that there really is a Santa Claus. He wins her over, then finds a bigger challenge in bringing Mom around...It isn't so much that a fantasy movie was produced so well, it is the way it is told that grabs everyone, young and old alike. Miracle on 34th Street is timeless entertainment, that never loses it's magic...

Valentine Davies' story is well realized on film in this classic Yuletide perennial. It's a charming fantasy about a kindly, persuasive old man (Edmund Gwenn, a most deserving Oscar winner) who truly believes himself to be "Kris Kringle". Hired to work as a Santa Claus for Macy's Department Store, he's ultimately put on trial where his lawyer / new friend Fred Gailey (John Payne) must prove to to the New York City courts that yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.Written for the screen and masterfully directed by George Seaton, "Miracle on 34th Street" is so completely involving that its 97 minute run time practically flies by. Its themes of the power of belief and faith still resonate almost 70 years later. There's plenty of entertaining dialogue, all brought to life by an excellent cast. The lovely Maureen O'Hara plays Macy's employee Doris Walker, a young woman who's raised her daughter Susan (adorable Natalie Wood) to be grounded in reality. Payne is very amiable as the well meaning Fred. Gwenn is an absolute delight. Gene Lockhart is the judge, Porter Hall the weaselly store psychiatrist (you'll really end up hating this guy), William Frawley the savvy political expert, Jerome Cowan the understandably flustered district attorney, and Philip Tonge the nervous Shellhammer. There are also some great bit parts for Thelma Ritter and Jack Albertson.This is one fable that really does warm ones' heart, holding up just fine upon repeat viewings. Gwenns' sincere portrayal is the glue that holds all of it together.Eight out of 10.