Miracle on 34th Street (1947) : Classic Movie Hub (CMH)

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Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
Director(s)	George Seaton
Producer(s)	William Perlberg
Top Genres	Comedy, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Romance
Top Topics	Book-Based, Children, Christmas, Holiday, Integrity, New York, Romance (Drama)

Featured Cast:

See Full Cast

Maureen O'Hara
(as Doris Walker)

John Payne
(as Fred Gailey)

Edmund Gwenn
(as Kris Kringle)

Miracle on 34th Street Overview:

Miracle on 34th Street (1947) was a Comedy - Drama Film directed by George Seaton and produced by William Perlberg.

The film was based on the novel of the same name written by Valentine Davies published in 1947.

SYNOPSIS

After It's a Wonderful Life (1946), this is the ultimate Hollywood Christmas movie, featuring Gwenn as the real Kris Kringle playing a department-store Santa who teacher the true meaning of Christmas to a doubting 9-year-old Wood, O'Hara's daughter. A sentimental slice of Americana that still brings a smile. Ritter's screen debut. Remade in 1973 and 1994. The 50th-anniversary edition includes remastered footage and a promotional short.

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

Miracle on 34th Street was inducted into the National Film Registry in 2005.

Academy Awards 1947 --- Ceremony Number 20 (source: AMPAS)

Award	Recipient	Result
Best Supporting Actor	Edmund Gwenn	Won
Best Writing	Valentine Davies	Won
Best Writing	George Seaton	Won
Best Picture	20th Century-Fox	Nominated

Miracle on 34th Street BlogHub Articles:

75 years and five versions of Miracle on 34th Street

on Dec 21, 2022 From Comet Over Hollywood

Released on June 4, 1947, the 20th Century Fox film, MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET celebrates 75 years in 2022. Since its release, the film and story have continued to be a holiday favorite. While the 1947 film continues to be celebrated, the story was retold and adapted for five times over the span of 47 ... Read full article

Maureen O'Hara and John Payne experience the "Miracle on 34th Street"

By Stephen Reginald on Dec 13, 2022 From Classic Movie Man

Maureen O'Hara and John Payne experience the "Miracle on 34th Street" Miracle on 34th Street (1947) is a comedy-drama directed by George Seaton and starring Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, and Edmund Gwenn. Others in the cast include Natalie Wood, Gene Lockhart, Porter Hall, Jerome Cowan, William F... Read full article

Review: Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

By 4 Star Film Fan on Dec 24, 2018 From 4 Star Films

From its opening motif of a man nitpicking the arrangement of reindeer in a shop window, Miracle on 34th Street skates away on a delightful journey that evokes both fanciful whimsy and a liberal amount of holiday sentimentality. However, it also one of the finest examples and greatest purveyors of h... Read full article

25 Days of Christmas: Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

on Dec 22, 2017 From Journeys in Classic Film

This review originally ran on December 20th, 2011.? My thoughts on the film itself haven’t changed, and have only grown. Natalie Wood continues to astound me, and the film has such love embedded in it. How can I say I’m a film fan, and actually write reviews for a living, if I’ve o... Read full article

Miracle on 34th Street (1994)

on Dec 1, 2017 From Journeys in Classic Film

I gave my thoughts on 1947’s Miracle on 34th Street in a previous review which you can peruse here before reading my thoughts on the remake. I was rather harsh regarding this remake in my original review, if only because I’ve grown to accept this film’s faults and praise what it do... Read full article

See all Miracle on 34th Street articles

Quotes from Miracle on 34th Street

Susan: I believe... I believe... It's silly, but I believe.

Charles Halloran: All right, you go back and tell them that the New York State Supreme Court rules there's no Santa Claus. It's all over the papers. The kids read it and they don't hang up their stockings. Now what happens to all the toys that are supposed to be in those stockings? Nobody buys them. The toy manufacturers are going to like that; so they have to lay off a lot of their employees, union employees. Now you got the CIO and the AF of L against you and they're going to adore you for it and they're going to say it with votes. Oh, and the department stores are going to love you too and the Christmas card makers and the candy companies. Ho ho. Henry, you're going to be an awful popular fella. And what about the Salvation Army? Why, they got a Santa Claus on every corner, and they're taking a fortune. But you go ahead Henry, you do it your way. You go on back in there and tell them that you rule there is no Santy Claus. Go on. But if you do, remember this: you can count on getting just two votes, your own and that district attorney's out there.
Judge Henry X. Harper: The District Attorney's a Republican.

Mr. R. H. Macy: [to Sawyer] "Psychologist". Where'd you graduate from, a correspondence school?
[starts to walk away, then turns back to Sawyer]
Mr. R. H. Macy: You're fired.

Facts about Miracle on 34th Street

Both the actual Macy's and Gimbels department stores were approached by the producers for permission to have them depicted in the film. Both stores wanted to see the finished film first before they gave approval. If either store had refused, the film would have had to been extensively edited and reshot to eliminate the references. Fortunately at the test viewing, both businesses were pleased with the film and gave their permission.

"Screen Director's Playhouse" broadcast a 30 minute radio adaptation of the movie on December 23, 1949 with Edmund Gwenn reprising his film role.

In the untranslated dialogue with the Dutch girl, Santa Claus asks the child what she wants for Christmas the girl says she wants nothing, telling Santa she got her gift by being adopted by her new mother.

Featured Cast: See Full Cast

Maureen O'Hara(as Doris Walker)

John Payne(as Fred Gailey)