25 Greatest Christmas Films: #10 — ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ (1947)
by John NolteAnd so we finally reach the top ten. Admittedly, from here on in there will be few surprises. These are the greats, the perennials, the timeless classics that we all grew up on, pass on to our children, and give us one more reason to love and anticipate the holiday season.
Nominated for Best Best Picture of 1947, everything about Miracle On 34th Street works, but what makes it uniquely special is the on-location shooting, most especially for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade which opens the film. It was rare for a production from this era to lug cast, crew, and equipment across the country when it was so much cheaper and convenient to reproduce wherever and whatever was needed on a Southern California backlot where everything from litter to weather could be controlled. Thankfully, some studio exec was thinking outside the box and so there it is, forever encapsulated on celluloid – a big, beautiful New York City all decked out for Christmas in glorious black and white. And if that doesn’t spark your holiday spirit, well, you’re hopeless.
None of that location shooting would’ve meant much, though, without a warmhearted, simple, but meticulously crafted Oscar-winning script that rolls its grounded but still magical story out effortlessly over a briskly paced 96-minutes full of plot-twists, romance, political intrigue, business rivalries, and smashing good courtroom scenes where the stakes are about as high as they can get: Santa Claus might be declared a menace to society and sent to prison.
Edmund Gwenn, who also won an Oscar, is the Kris Kringle by which all movie Santas are measured (and fall short), Natalie Wood is beyond adorable (and believable) as an eight year-old cynic-in-training, and John Payne manages to hold his own in a role that probably should’ve gone to Glenn Ford. But it’s Maureen O’ Hara’s performance as the brittle, literal divorced single mother of young Natalie who anchors the film while managing to be both hardened and loving at the same time. This breathtaking redhead (and the only reason to wish “Miracle” was shot in Technicolor) is the force much of the plot continually bumps up against and what a formidable force she is.
The great joy of these older films is always the supporting cast of players, and here we have no less than William Frawley, Gene Lockhart, Jack Albertson, and Thelma Ritter, who makes the most of a small but memorable role that might be the best argument ever against the commercialization of Christmas.
And just count the iconic scenes: The drunken Santa, the bubblegum in the beard, Kris Kringle’s mental aptitude test, all those letters!, and of course, that stirring moment when Santa meets the sad little Dutch girl and cures her homesickness with a song. Which begs the question: What kind of hardhearted crumb doesn’t believe in Santa Claus?
As much as I admire and miss John Hughes, and as gifted as he was at telling marvelous stories packed with relatable characters, his ill-conceived remake proved that maybe they don’t make ‘em like they used to … because maybe they can’t.
Faith is believing when common sense tells you not to. Don’t you see? It’s not just Kris that’s on trial, it’s everything he stands for. It’s kindness and joy and love and all the other intangibles.
You get ‘em in a cage and I guarantee hokum beats irony to death every time.
You can see the full list here.
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58 Comments
This is one of the most perfect scripts to ever have been produced in Tinseltown.
I agree with you about Thelma Ritter–wasn't it her first role? Porter Hall was equally memorable.
The best line of the film was delivered by the actor playing Mr. Macy–"put people above profits… and then make more profits than before…" (or something to that effect. A very funny ironic point.
This is one of my all time favorites of course, and I must say, I prefer it in B&W because I guess it adds to the period-ness of it all. I only mention it because the colorized version is horrible AND everywhere. Excellent list of movies you've got going and thanks for the commentary and background.
Everyone in this wonderful movie hits it out of the park. And I completely agree, there are some films that can't be remade (or at least done well). This is definitely one of those films. Maureen O'Hara is absolutely stunning, impossible not to be under her spell whenever she appears on screen in this movie.
And yes, I believe in Santa Claus…..
YAY! Finally. Lots of great movies listed so far but this one (specifically this version) is number one for me.
A must-see every Christmas season. This film would be higher on my list but since this is your list, I won't complain. I have a wonderful wife, who does wonderful things for me all year long, which is the only reason I acquiesce when she insists on watching this movie in, *shudder*, color. This is the only movie she likes colorized, I don't know why. I consider it one of my Christmas presents to her to allow a colorized movie to be played in my presence!
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What!? Not the David Hartman version?!
I have to (mostly) agree. This is one of my favorite movies. It will be part of my Christmas Film Festival this weekend. (I usually watch it at Thanksgiving, but we were out of town.) Terrific cast! Maureen O’Hara is one of the most talented and beautiful women ever to grace a movie screen. The only disagreement I would have with Mr. Nolte is this – I love John Payne in this film. I don’t think I would have felt the same if it were Glen Ford in this role. (Nothing against the great Mr. Ford, he was a wonderful actor.)
One point about colorization: I have to agree with Roger Ebert. Years ago when Ted Turner was colorizing everything, Mr. Ebert made the point that to colorize a movie, you need the best print you can get your hands on. So if you don’t like the colorization process, just turn the color of on your set and you can watch a beautiful black & white print of your movie.
This one is my personal favorite — a real heart-warming story. Edmund Gwenn is the greatest screen Santa ever and Natalie Wood is as cute as a little girl as she would later become beautiful as an adult. Infinitely superior in nearly every way to the two re-makes of it.
A lovely, charming movie. The only surprise is that it comes in at #10 on the list.
Payne was a little bland for my taste. Ford brought an undercurrent of prickliness to every role and it would have served this earnest character well to have a little something simmering beneath all that earnestness. I never saw what a strong woman like O'Hara's character really saw in him — there wasn't much chemistry between her and Payne.
Ford was perfect because he would not have overwhelmed the movie like a Mitchum would've but that "thing" Ford had — even if it wasn't written into the script — would've created a better chemistry between the two of them.
"You get ‘em in a cage and I guarantee hokum beats irony to death every time."
Mr. Nolte, I think that's the best line I've read all year.
You have definitely given me something to think about. I will contemplate this as I watch the movie this weekend.
I agree. The David Hartman version(pardon my French) sucked!!! I love the original, it's the best. John Hughes' version is very good though. I admired Hughes for not only talking about believing in Christmas, but God as well.
As I replide in another post:
The David Hartman version(pardon my French) sucked!!! I love the original, it's the best. John Hughes' version is very good though. I admired Hughes for not only talking about believing in Christmas, but God as well.
As much as I like "Mary Kate …. Danaher!" and seeing NYC in 1947, I still like the remake more.
This is also one of my favorite Christmas movies, but what I want to comment on is the John Payne bashing in this thread. Payne is underrated and underappreciated. He had the job of standing around in all those Alice Faye/ Betty Grable/ Carmen Miranda musicals, which I guess was not a bad job to have. He did Noir, War films, and Westerns later on. I also suspect that he also took a lot of roles Tyrone Power turned down, both being at Fox. He was great in this role. Gruff Glenn would have overpowered the part.
Call me demented, but I laugh every time I see the scene where Kris Kringle hits the guy over the head with his walking stick.
Must disagree with the tenth spot; definitely top five, but such lists are subjective and top ten is pretty darn good. Edmund Gwenn is perfectly cast as Kris Kringle just as Robert Newton was Long John Silver himself in "Treasure Island." Gwenn must be one of the most underrated actors of all time. Loved him in "Thunder in the Valley" (from the book "Bob, Son of Battle"), a movie that cannot be made today; it goes against the conventional pieties today of both the political left and right.
Not just a great Christmas film but a great fim….period! The script (by George Seaton and Valentine Davies) is almost perfect being witty, intelligent and sentimental at exactly the right moments. Not only that but the story also gives scope to a marvelous collection of supporting actors who furiously steal scenes left and right (and quite an achievement given Gwenn's superb performance.) Who can forget Porter Hall's neurotically nasty Mr. Sawyer or Phillip Tonge's opportunistic Mr. Shellhammer? And of course there is the hilarious by-play between political boss Bill Frawley and Gene Lockhart''s nervous judge. The scenes where Frawley is sitting in the courtoom silently coaching Lockhart with scowl and cigar are absolutely priceless.
Not just a great Christmas film but a great fim….period! The script (by George Seaton and Valentine Davies) is almost perfect being witty, intelligent and sentimental at exactly the right moments. Not only that but the story also gives scope to a marvelous collection of supporting actors who furiously steal scenes left and right (and quite an achievement given Gwenn's superb performance.) Who can forget Porter Hall's neurotically nasty Mr. Sawyer or Phillip Tonge's opportunistic Mr. Shellhammer? And of course there is the hilarious by-play between political boss Bill Frawley and Gene Lockhart''s nervous judge. The scenes where Frawley is sitting in the courtoom silently coaching Lockhart with scowl and cigar are absolutely priceless.
Great movie the entire family can enjoy sitting around and watching. Tells a good story and has humor. Actors were cast perfectly for their roles. Great choice for the Top 10.
I was thinking the same thing George. I agree with your pick for number one. One of my favorite movie trivia questions, the movie in question won one oscar, can you say what it one the oscar for?
Oh, God A troll with an agenda.
http://www.nickalexander.com/home/
I am 'Pro-Payne' (like Hank Hill). And in most of his films, he is not cast to take the spotlight off his female co-star. He's a leading man in most of his films, rather than 'the star'. He and MOH were together the previous year in "Sentimental Journey" and even though she dies half-way through the film, the emphasis is still on her ghost and the child they had adopted. Sometimes you can't win. Payne left FOX after "34th Street". I don't recall why.
Glenn Ford always seem to bring an edge to his films. He might have been OK in "34th Street"
Then again, I always thought that James Stewart would have been great in PSYCHO in the Tony Perkins role.
and fwiw – Maureen O'Hara is still alive and well and I think I read that she is working on a new project. She has an active web site that is fan run. Very kind lady she seems to be. She mentioned that the parade scenes had been shot the year before in NYC.
Nothing of the sort! I've been following and commenting on BigHollywood for most of this year. You don't like my stuff, don't double-link it.
Peace,
Nick
Ditto.
If it's the same movie I'm thinking of, it didn't actually win any oscars. Though it would clean house now-a-days….
I'm with you, while Ford is a marvelous actor Payne owned this role. He was perfect in it. Dare I say that he's the only lawyer in history that is likeable??
Well I almost posted a quick reply but decided to research my answer. I had heard a story years ago and had been repeating it as fact and I was. . .wrong. You are right the film won no oscars, although was nominated for a slew, to include best picture.
I did run accross an interesting story on how the copyright expired thus leading to the annual tradition of watching it on television.
Top five, easy!
I just watched this for the first time last night, and loved it. One lovely point was that it doesn't have a "magic moment" to definitively explain whether Santa is who he says he is.
Winning over the Walkers (and Mr. Macy et. al) is done without supernatural intervention, which I found refreshing.
I totally love the scene where the postmen are just piling the tons of letters on top of the judge!! And then he has to "swim out" from underneath the pile to dismiss the case.
The equivalent court scene in the John Hughes version, where the little girl just strolls up to the judge, hands him a dollar bill, points to "In God we trust" and winks at him is just nowhere as good. (So believing in God is the same as believing in Santa? Well, just according to Hollywood.)
Christmas, New York City and Maureen O'Hara all in one wonderful package…does it get any better? I had the pleasure of seeing Miss O'Hara a few years ago, when she was Grand Marshal of the St. Patrick's Day Parade. She was radiantly beautiful, strutting down Fifth Avenue with a magical smile I will never forget.
And she still has GREAT legs.
Sorry, Bill – but I had to give you a thumbs-down simply for liking the remake more.
All-time favorite scene is the one where the orphaned Dutch girl gets her time on Santa's knee.
But am I the only one who chokes up when Kris's friend, the doctor, walks into the room and sees a brand-new X-ray machine?
Favorite scene — when the cynicism of Natalie Wood's character is first shaken when Kris talks to the little war orphan girl in fluent Dutch. Also, the character of the district attorney is obviously based on Thomas Dewey, then governor of New York, twice GOP Presidential nominee who started his political career as the district attorney of Manhattan. This is shown both by the fact that he is played by an actor who strongly resembles him, little toothbrush mustache and all, and by the fact that the judge mentions he is a Republican.
Best performance by a child actor ever.
This one is #2 on my all-time greatest Christmas movie list – for all the reasons all of the commenters here have mentioned. I watch it every year on Thanksgiving night and it's truly a treasure we all are lucky to have.
Its one of the Best Movies Hollywood ever did, Actors could act and the writers wrote things that Actors and directors could put on film and people would go and see and 60 + years later still will take the time to watch. I know I do. I'm just starting my sun set years as they would say what I before me is a shorter period of time than what time that has passed for me. Movies like this one stand the only test that matters the Test of Time, Few movies out of the thousands make that grade. The most recent Christmas Movie to make the grade, A Christmas Story. My guess you are going to put that one some place in the next nine. I think I know what Number One is going to be, That little movie with Jimmy Stewart from 1946. Only the end of the next 12 or so days will I know if I am right or not. Either way, I wish one and All a Very Merry Christmas, and a very Happy Joyous New Year!!!
I just watched this yesterday on On Demand. I love this version.
And John Payne was so HANDSOME! What a hottie.
Natalie Wood ~ a natural and charming actress. I actually cried when she died, and I'm not particularly emotional.
Maureen O'Hara ~ Most. Beautiful. Woman. Ever.
They don't run the wonderful Christmas movies anymore; just the awful ones about greed, hate, distaste.
Then, you have to see her and John Payne in 'Sentimental Journey'…it's in b/w also but what t great movie!
This movie should have been #1!! Both the original and the re-make were great.. the original had, by far, the BEST actors and I actually loved the black and white version…the 'color' doesn't seem to matter when the story line is so great!!
http://www.moharamagazine.com/
Maureen O'Hara official web site
But this is one of the most poorly colorized films of all time – this one and THE ABSENT MINDED PROFESSOR both look like they were colorized by a blind man.
34th Street – people's eyes are the same color as whatever they are standing in front off.
Absolutely terrible…..unless maybe they fixed it?
i love this movie! Maureen O Hara is a fantastic actress and gives this movie so much. One of the best movies each year to watch
Totally agree about it belonging in B&W. The colorized version looks faker than a department store santa's beard. Ho, ho, ho. Ha.
Wow, James Stewart as Norman Bates. Never would have pictured him in that role, but he would have rocked it. However, I'm glad he didn't do it because he would have become less enjoyable to watch in other things; he would have scared me too much. 8>0
No, you're not.
Wonderful. I believe Edmund Gwenn really is Santa Claus and is still living somewhere in Long Island. I am struck by how modern it's themes were – how a number of the characters bemoaned the commercialism of Christmas.
I watched it with my 13 year old last weekend who'd never seen a black and white film the whole way through – he told me the following day it was one his favourite movies. Surprised the movie is not higher in the list.
"Faith is believing even when common sense tells you not to." One of my favorite quotes. You can't out do the original…..I miss seeing Maureen O'Hara in films. She was incredible.
I have to agree with you about Edmund Gween being great and underrated. A great story (well set-up anyway and directing) but he helped make "Them" a truly great movie. I always laugh when he shouts "Shoot the antenne" in the correct plural of course.
I agree – I loved Frawley's stuff in this movie. My wife and I also loved Mrs. Shellhammer's "Hello, hellooo, we would love to have Santa Claus come stay with us. It would be simply charming." Whenever something is not exactly what we want or wish to do, but have to do it anyway – we say it will be "simply charming."
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