The Untold Truth Of Miracle On 34th Street

The cynical daughter of a single career woman discovers the real magic of Christmas thanks to a mysterious stranger who may be the real Santa Claus in director George Seaton's "Miracle on 34th Street." Set against the backdrop of a battle between New York retail giants Macy's and Gimbels as they vie for the lion's share of the holiday shopping dollar, the film tackles Christmas commercialism head-on in a way that's never cloying or mawkish. Starring 8-year-old Natalie Wood in a career-making performance as the precocious Susie Walker, the witty and beautiful Maureen O'Hara as harried Macy's event director Doris Walker, John Payne as true-believing lawyer Fred Gailey, and veteran British actor Edmund Gwenn in an Oscar-winning turn as Kris Kringle, "Miracle on 34th Street” is perfectly cast, deftly written, and superbly directed. Appealing to both children and adults, it's the rare holiday picture that never wears out its welcome.

With the enduring message, "Christmas is a frame of mind," the film has become a staple of the holiday season with a reputation that has only grown with decades of repeated television airings, radio, TV, and stage adaptations, and a 1994 big screen remake. An instant hit, "Miracle on 34th Street" delighted critics and audiences alike upon its initial release in the spring of 1947. Yet, it began as a film in which few besides writer Valentine Davies and director George Seaton had faith. "Miracle on 34th Street's" journey to becoming a holiday classic is nothing short of miraculous.

By 1947, Dublin-born actress Maureen O'Hara had established herself as one of Hollywood's most talented and beautiful leading ladies. A favorite actress of legendary director John Ford, she was known as the Queen of Technicolor because of her stunning natural red hair and green eyes, but by the decade's end, she was ready for a break from Hollywood. With the cessation of hostilities in Europe two years earlier, she decided the time was right to return to Ireland in 1947.

However, as detailed in O'Hara's autobiography "'Tis Herself," her long-awaited homecoming was cut short. Just days after landing in Ireland, she received an urgent phone call from 20th Century Fox ordering her to report back to the U.S. immediately. Under contract, the actress had no choice but to follow through with the studio's demands. "I was madder than a wet hen the whole flight back," O'Hara writes. "'How dare they,' I fumed. 'How dare they force me back just to make a silly little movie about Santa Claus!'"

After arriving in New York, O'Hara read the script, then titled "The Big Heart," that had required her to leave Ireland so abruptly. By her own admission, her anger and sadness at returning to the U.S. melted away as she read. "I knew it was going to be a big hit," the actress writes. "It was warm, charming, and sentimental, but more than anything, it captured the spirit of Christmas."

British actor Edmund Gwenn was perfectly cast as Kris Kringle. Delivering a performance devoid of irony and cynicism, Gwenn's sincere approach to the role can make even the most hardened grinch believe in Santa. As detailed in a 2009 Guardian feature by Phillip French, 20th Century Fox originally wanted character actor Cecil Kellaway for Kris Kringle. When Kellaway turned the role down, Gwenn, Kellaway's cousin, was chosen.

Gwenn, 72 years-old when he was cast in the film, threw himself into the role gaining 30 pounds to realistically fill out the famous red suit, but physical resemblances aside, it was the actor's affable personality that really made him the ideal St. Nick. "He was always happy, always smiling," former child actor Robert Hyatt recalled to AMC's "Backstory. "He would come by the schoolroom and he would do this little dance ... and just crack me up. Of course, I couldn't study history with Santa Claus dancing in front of the door!"

Gwenn was so convincing that Natalie Wood was certain he was the real deal. "[Natalie Wood] thought he was Santa during the making of the film," says biographer Suzanne Finstad. "When they had a wrap party and he came without his beard, she was absolutely shocked." According to Maureen O'Hara, even the adult cast was subject to Gwenn's charm. "I believed he was Santa Claus! John Payne believed he was Santa Claus! We all did," Maureen O'Hara stated. "We all loved him!"

For much of the 20th century, no corporate rivalry ran as hot as the competition between retail giants Macy's and Gimbels. With flagship stores located on Manhattan's Herald Square, the businesses waged a decades-long battle for the hearts, minds, and pocketbooks of New York shoppers. As detailed by the Los Angeles Times, by mid-century, the competition passed into popular culture with the phrase "Does Macy tell Gimbels?" becoming a shorthand warning for not giving away secrets to the competition.

The Christmas season was an especially tense time for the competing department stores as they constantly attempted to outdo each other in advertising and promotions. To director George Seaton the battling stores represented the commercialization of Christmas at its worst. The feud between the retail giants would become the backdrop for "Miracle on 34th Street." 

Ultimately, the production would hang on the approval of both stores. As detailed by AMC's "Backstory," upon completion of the film, special screenings were held for the heads of Macy's and Gimbels in April of 1947. A negative reaction from either would result in re-edits, expensive reshoots, and a complete restructuring of the film's plot. According to film historian Rudy Behlmer, the film struck a chord with both department stores, and they enthusiastically approved of the movie.

Well-aware of the potential problems releasing a Christmas movie in June posed, 20th Century Fox was banking on their unique marketing campaign to bring the crowds to the box office. Still, the move seemed risky. As detailed by AMC's "Backstory," Fox brass scheduled a preview for audiences in May of 1947. This would be a make-or-break moment for the film as average moviegoers got their first glimpse of the film.

As the credits rolled to thunderous applause, studio head Daryl F. Zanuck and director George Seaton breathed a sigh of relief. "Miracle on 34th Street" lived up to its name. "Fox had no expectation that it was going to be ... this part of cinematic history," author Suzanne Finstad explains, "and once it was previewed, it had this spectacular reaction. Upon the film's general release the following month, it was clear that 20th Century Fox had the sleeper hit of the year on its hands.

Not only did audiences love "Miracle on 34th Street," but critics recognized it as a rare work of cinematic genius. Legendary New York Times film critic Bosley Crowther proclaimed the film "the freshest little picture in a long time" and singled out Edmund Gwenn's performance as Kris Kringle as a highlight writing, "if ever the real Santa wants to step down, Mr. Gwenn is the man for the job."

"Miracle on 34th Street" was also a bona fide moneymaker with legs, staying in theaters from June into the 1947 holiday season. 

As detailed by historian James Tobin in a 2019 feature for Michigan Today, Valentine Davies turned his original story into a novella just in time for the 1947 holiday season. With the movie still in theaters at Christmas, Davies' stripped down, 120-page version of the story of Susie Walker and Santa Claus, originally published by Harcourt Brace and Company, was the perfect promotional tie-in. Still in print, the book has become the basis for numerous professional and amateur stage adaptations.

The success of "Miracle on 34th Street" marked an upturn in Valentine Davies' career. He would go on to write or co-write several hit films including "It Happens Every Spring" and "The Glenn Miller Story," both of which would garner Davies Academy Award nominations, and the Korean War drama "The Bridges of Toko-Ri."

As documented by Yahoo! Movies, Davies worked steadily in movies and TV throughout the 1950s specializing in the sort of sentimental comedies that marked much of his career. Davies died of a heart attack in 1961 at the age of 55. In honor of the late author of "Miracle on 34th Street," the Writers Guild of America West launched the Valentine Davies Award in 1962.

In 1994, filmmaker John Hughes, best known for such 1980s teen comedies as "16 Candles," and for writing the modern Christmas favorite "Home Alone" brought the magic of "Miracle on 34th Street" to a new generation. Written and produced by Hughes and directed by Les Mayfield, the latest, to date, remake of "Miracle on 34th Street" stars the late Sir Richard Attenborough as Kris Kringle and Mara Wilson as the incredulous Susan Walker. 

One notable difference, as reported by the Los Angeles Times, was Macy's refusal to participate in the remake, necessitating the inclusion of fictional department store Coles in its place. Still, the film is largely faithful, at least in spirit, to the 1947 classic. 

Praised by such critics as Roger Ebert for its sincerity, the film has developed a loyal following of its own with some fans including the Huffington Post's Christopher Rudolph declaring it (gasp!) better than the original.