Miracle on 34th Street

1947
Approved
1h 36m

IMDb RATING

7.9/10

56K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

Play trailer2:02

Holiday Comedy Holiday Family Comedy Drama Family Holiday

After a divorced New York mother hires a nice old man to play Santa Claus at Macy's, she is startled by his claim to be the genuine article. When his sanity is questioned, a lawyer defends h... Read allAfter a divorced New York mother hires a nice old man to play Santa Claus at Macy's, she is startled by his claim to be the genuine article. When his sanity is questioned, a lawyer defends him in court by arguing that he's not mistaken.After a divorced New York mother hires a nice old man to play Santa Claus at Macy's, she is startled by his claim to be the genuine article. When his sanity is questioned, a lawyer defends him in court by arguing that he's not mistaken.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.9/10

56K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

4,520

1,297

See production info at IMDbPro

Won 3 Oscars
- 8 wins & 1 nomination total

Secretary
(uncredited)

Dick Cogan

Department Store Head
(uncredited)

Jeff Corey

Reporter
(uncredited)

Director
- George Seaton
Writers
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
When Edmund Gwenn accepted his Best Supporting Actor Oscar, he said, "Now I know there's a Santa Claus."

Goofs
Kris claims that John Quincy Adams' Vice President was Daniel D. Tompkins. In fact, that was John C. Calhoun, while Tompkins had been Vice President under Adams' predecessor, James Monroe. The confusion arose because Adams was the 6th President whereas Tompkins was the 6th Vice President, some Presidents having had a different Vice President in each term, and one of the latter having served under 2 of the former.

Quotes
Mr. Shellhammer: But... but maybe he's only a little crazy like painters or composers or... or some of those men in Washington.

Crazy credits
The film's credits do not contain the standard "All characters and events are fictional..." disclaimer, leaving many people to believe that this was a true story.

Alternate versions
Also available in two computer colorized versions. The film was first colorized in 1985 by Color Systems Technology, Inc. and again in 2006 by Legend Films using much-improved technology. Prints came with a disclaimer: "It has been altered without the participation of the principal director, screenwriter and other creators of the original film."

Connections
Featured in The Screen Writer (1950)

Soundtracks
Jingle Bells
(1857) (uncredited)
Written by James Pierpont
Played at the announcement of the parade
Played occasionally in the score
Sung a cappella a bit by Percy Helton and later by Jack Albertson

User reviews226

Review

Featured review

The Genuine Article, Still A Miracle

There's a "legend" connected with this film, one which has recently gained new life via AMC: Supposedly, upon completion of principle filmmaking, 1947's "Miracle On 34th Street" then had to be submitted to the heads of Macy's and Gimble's department stores who -- had either man withheld approval -- could have cost 20th Century Fox a small fortune in rewrites and reshootings.

Frankly, in view of the fact that much of "Miracle" had already been shot on location in Macy's New York City store (to say nothing of the fact that studio heads of that era -- or any era, for that matter -- were notoriously prone not to take such financial risks), this "legend" is likely just so much "hype," otherwise known as "nonsense."

Thankfully, this is the only trace of phoniness attached to this jewel of a movie. "Miracle On 34th Street" is just that, in every sense of the word: a miracle.

Take a perfectly-crafted, thoughtful screenplay. Add an impeccable cast (from top-to-bottom, by the way; catch, just as one example, Thelma Ritter's uncredited turn as "Peter's Mother"). Throw into this mix an on-location "shoot" (along with Macy's, there's the store's actual 1946 Thanksgiving Parade, footage in a post office facility and a courthouse) which gives this film a nice sense of verisimilitude . . . just in case you're not already prepared (courtesy of Edmund Gwenn, in a totally-deserved Oscar-winning performance) to recapture your belief in Santa Claus.

"Miracle On 34th Street" is many things: a celebration of the Christmas spirit, a heartfelt plea against the "over-commercialism" (even in 1947)of Christmas, an examination of faith itself . . . just to name a few.

It works on every level. Every bit as well today, 54 years after its initial release, as then. Don't waste your time with the remakes -- both on TV as well as theatrical productions (and the less said about an abortive 1963 Broadway musical adaptation, "Here's Love," the better.)

Go for the original film. Go for the genuine article. Again and again and again.