The Miracle on 34th Street (1955)

This is How Movies Should Be Made

It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

BEWARE OF FALSE REVIEWS & REVIEWERS. SOME REVIEWERS HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW TO THEIR NAME. NOW WHEN ITS A POSITIVE REVIEW THAT TELLS ME THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE MOVIE. IF ITS A NEGATIVE REVIEW THEN THEY MIGHT HAVE A GRUDGE AGAINST THE FILM . NOW I HAVE REVIEWED OVER 200 HOLIDAY FILMS. I HAVE NO AGENDA. I AM HONESTThis television adaption of the story is well made. The film is quick and to the point. I just saw this for the first time and I really did enjoy it. The story seemed fresh and new but then it has been 20+ years since I have seen any version of this story.In case you don't know the story A department store Santa Claus must prove that he is, in fact, the real Santa in a court of law.You can find this version on DVD in multi-packs of films selling for bargain prices. I bought my set of 20 Christmas Movies for $12

Miracle on 34th Street (1955) *** (out of 4) Made-for-TV remake of the 1947 classic has Thomas Mitchell playing Kris Kringle who gets a job at Macy's where he tries to convince a non-believing mother (Teresa Wright) and her daughter (Sandy Descher) that he is real and there's nothing wrong in believing. This film doesn't come close to the 1947 movie and I'd say it also falls well short of the 1994 version but there's still enough here to make it worth viewing. Clocking in less than an hour, there's no doubt that the film flies by and I think the story itself is just so charming that it would be nearly impossible to mess it up. As with the earlier version, the story itself is just so good that even the most jaded adult will find themselves wanting to believe in Santa and that's why the story itself is so priceless. Another strong thing this version has going for it are the performances. Mitchell, best remembered for IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, does a very good job in the role of Santa. He's certainly looks the part quite well, which shocked me but he's also got that certain charm that was just made for the role of Santa. It also doesn't hurt that he too has the charm to make you want to believe the character really is Santa. Wright is also very good in her role as the mother who doesn't want to believe and Descher is good as the daughter, although her crying scenes aren't that impressive. Macdonald Carey plays the love interest/lawyer and Dick Foran makes an appearance as well. Again, there's certainly nothing ground-breaking about this version and if you must watch only one then it's best to go with the original but if you're curious about all the different versions out there or if this one here is just within reach of you, it's certainly worth viewing.

This abridged TV episode was done by 20th Century Fox as part of a way to keep up with the emerging popularity of the new medium. The shortness of the piece explains the format of under one hour for the program.As far as the remake is concerned, its director, Robert Stevenson, does a good job in recreating the atmosphere. The young actress, Sandy Descher, as Susan, is pretty intense for a girl her age. If one adds the likable actress Teresa Wright, as the mother, who happens to work for Macy's and McDonald Carey, as the neighbor, Fred Gaily, the casting is excellent.Both had appeared in Hitchcock's "Shadow of a Doubt", and they have an easy time with one another.Thomas Mitchell makes a delightful Kris Kringle. Also in the cast, we see Ray Collins, a veteran film actor and Hans Conried, who is Ms. Wright's supervisor.A timeless story told with conviction.

To begin with this movie is only 50 minutes long about half as long as the original 1947 version. It moves at a swift clip and feels rushed. I would guess that this made for TV movie was an hour long program with 10 minutes of commercials and 50 minutes of show.Much of the script is word for word taken from the '47' version. I swear that the scene in which the balloon or a baseball player seen through a window is taken directly from the '47' version. This is not unexpected as this movies production costs were no doubt limited compared to the '47' version.What I disliked the most was the character interaction. There were good actors/actresses in the film. Teresa Wright, the mother, and Thomas Mitchell, as Santa, have won Oscar's. Ray Collins, the judge, is well known and respected as Lt. Tragg from the PERRY MASON show. Hans Conreid was a recognized supporting actor and an animated voice actor back in his day. Despite these qualifications the actors just don't mingle well. The worst is Thomas Mitchell as Santa. He seems less jolly and more angry. The one story line that leaves the original film is when Santa hits the story psychiatrist with his cane. In the "47" film it is done in private and is more of a smack to the head. In this film Santa clubs the man in from of an audience full of kids and parents. It is almost vicious! I felt no sympathy for this cranky Santa.However, if you are a fan of the story adding this film to your collection is not a bad idea. It is nice to compare all the different productions of this film. You can obtain it from various auction sites.