WHAT: Miracle on 34th Street (1947, DCP)
WHEN: December 19, 2018 1 PM & 7:30 PM
WHERE: Pickwick Theatre, Park Ridge, IL
WHAT ELSE: Santa Claus in person in our lobby at 6:30 PM!
Organist Jay Warren performs prelude music at 7:00 PM!
Macy’s prize drawing & cartoon before the feature!
(Enter your name and email at the table for a chance to win!)
HOW MUCH: $12/$10 advance or $8 for the 1 PM matinee. Advance tickets for the evening screening can be purchased Here!
Miracle on 34th Street is one of those legitimate holiday classics that remains a Christmas tradition. In fact, few holiday films have captured the spirit of Christmas as well as this one. Surprisingly, at the time of the film’s release in 1947, it was not expected to be anything more than a routine program picture made on a modest budget (of $630,000). However, time has proven otherwise. Miracle on 34th Street went on to become a huge success and won three Academy Awards, including an Oscar for Santa himself, Edmund Gwenn. The film also features Natalie Wood who, at the age of eight, was on the brink of stardom.
The story takes place during the time between Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and Christmas Day. When a hired Santa turns up drunk, parade organizer Doris Walker (Maureen O’Hara) turns to a stranger by the name of Kris (Edmund Gwenn), who looks just like Santa. Kris fills in as Santa at Macy’s Department Store, but his seemingly imprudent advice to shoppers about where to buy toys actually works in Macy’s favor and brings in more business. All the while, Kris insists he is “the” Santa Claus. However, little Susan Walker (Natalie Wood) is one of the skeptics and doesn’t believe in fairy tales. While Kris works on Susan’s cynicism, Doris’ cold, realistic approach to life is challenged by Fred Gailey, the attorney-neighbor who is quite fond of her and Susan. Kris brings Doris and Fred together as well as the two rival department stores, but his identity is questioned. He is submitted to a psychological evaluation. At a hearing to determine Kris’s sanity, Fred tries to prove legally that Kris is who he claims to be. The judge and the district attorney, however, have an uphill battle in the court of public opinion.
The genesis for the story came on Christmas Eve, 1944, when writer Valentine Davies was caught in the hectic lines of last-minute shoppers. He experienced firsthand the blatant commercialization of Christmas and was inspired then to write a story that would lampoon it. Davies worked in collaboration with writer-director George Seaton, who believed in the story and wrote the screen treatment. Davies worked out a well-crafted story that was immediately optioned by 20th Century-Fox.
Maureen O’Hara, who had recently arrived in Ireland to visit her parents, was recalled by the studio and ordered to return to New York to start filming the new picture. She was far from pleased at this sudden turn of events, but when she read the script, she realized her good fortune. John Payne, a star of Alice Faye musicals (and later, noted film noirs like Kansas City Confidential), was cast as the good-intentioned lawyer who defends Santa. Edmund Gwenn was a wonderful British character actor who had appeared in such classics as Pride and Prejudice and Lassie Come Home. He brought charm and decency to the role of Kris Kringle; he was every bit Old Saint Nick. Child star Natalie Wood won the role of Susan Walker. Known for her photographic memory, Natalie had what George Seaton described as “an instinctive sense of timing and emotion.” Throughout the film, she displays a sophistication that was rare for a girl of her age. The film also features notable performances by several of Hollywood’s great character actors including Gene Lockhart, William Frawley, Jerome Cowan, and Thelma Ritter as a shopper who takes her boy to see Santa.
John Payne and Maureen O’Hara
Miracle on 34th Street depicts the real-life rivalry between two great department stores: Macy’s and Gimbel’s. The film was actually shot in Manhattan at the 1946 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Director Seaton used fourteen cameras along the parade route. The film was also shot inside Macy’s during that year’s holiday season– but after hours. In a rather risky move by the studio, it was agreed that the heads of both department stores had to approve the film before it could be released. If either store disliked how it was presented, there would have to be expensive re-shoots at the studio. Fortunately, when the film was screened to both companies (separately), they were delighted. According to Maureen O’Hara, the film was a delight to make with no problems arising during the shooting schedule. Natalie Wood grew so attached to the film’s star that she came to believe Gwenn was Santa Claus.
In March 1947, the production wrapped. Studio head Darryl Zanuck, however, felt the movie would fare better in the summer when more people go to the show. In the advertising for the film, the studio therefore tried to hide the fact that it was a Christmas movie being released in June. In the promotional campaign, the emphasis was instead placed on John Payne and Maureen O’Hara. This is clearly evident on the original posters in which Edmund Gwenn is relegated to the background. Even the trailer cleverly avoided showing anything from the film!
May 1947 saw the first audience preview followed by the general release on June 4. The film was so successful with moviegoers and critics alike that it ran half a year in theatres– all the way to Christmas. Miracle on 34th Street was nominated for four Academy Awards and won three of them: Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Edmund Gwenn); Best Writing, Original Story (Valentine Davies); and Best Writing, Screenplay (George Seaton). It lost in the Best Picture category to Gentleman’s Agreement. The film went on to be remade several times including a 1994 remake, but all of these variations failed. The 1947 original– un-colorized, of course– remains one of the most beautiful Christmas films of all-time, a film of hope that continues to touch our heart.
