Millions of children around the world believe in Santa Claus. Sometimes, it takes time for even adults to believe, as illustrated in the 1947 Christmas classic, "Miracle on 34th Street".
Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) is in New York, ostensibly on vacation, though it is never established, when he happens across a department store Santa hired for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade who is totally sloshed to the point where his boss (Maureen O'Hara) dismisses him on the spot, and hires Kringle, unaware of the controversy to follow. Concerned about the growing commercialization of Christmas, Kringle begins a stint at Macy's and politely advises shoppers to look elsewhere for toys that Macy's might not have. Rival Gimbel's (now defunct) follows suit, as the long standing rivalry between the two stores escalates during the most wonderful time of the year.
Mrs. Walker, a divorcee, has taught her daughter, Susan (Natalie Wood), a 2nd grader, not to believe in legends, fairy tales, and myths, including Santa, but Susan is convinced that Kris is exactly what he says he is, the genuine article. Despite the objections of Mrs. Walker and other staff, R. H. Macy only sees a boost in sales, due to Kris' polite approach and gentle manner, even conversing in Dutch with an immigrant who doesn't speak English. Ultimately, Kris is tricked into being sent to Bellevue Hospital, falsely diagnosed as being delusional.
Of course, I don't really need to tell you how this ends now do I?
Fox later produced a made-for-TV version for The 20th Century Fox Hour, and a subsequent remake, also for television, produced in 1973, featured an all-star cast, headed by Sebastian Cabot, fresh from Ghost Story, as Kris, co-starring David Hartman (ex-The Bold Ones), Tom Bosley, David Doyle, and much more.
Sharp eyed viewers will spot William Frawley, 4 years before I Love Lucy, as a political strategist advising the judge. The real kicker is an early appearance by Jack Albertson as a postal worker whose timely discovery sets the stage for the climax.
Now, scope out the trailer.
It's been 20 years since the late John Hughes made the last remake, but by then, Gimbel's had gone out of business, and Macy's was no longer interested in having its name attached to the story. This, then, would be the most definitive version.
Rating: A-.
Did I hear Peggy Ann Garner say GROOVEY???
ReplyDeleteI didn't know she was so on the edge of slang! It would be nearly 20 years before it became popular with the dippy hippy crowd.
As for the trailer - I'm not surprised it was edited that way. I had heard long ago that the studio didn't have much faith in the film and chose to release it in JULY! By keeping out all the Christmas details out of the trailer, movie goers would not have known they were about to see a Christmas film in the heat of summer!
It was a hoot to see some of those old time stars on the studio lot! Rex Harrison was so young!
Back then they knew how to make trailers - ones that don't give away everything in the film. It would seem to me that today's trailers have become mini movies in and of themselves. I feel like I've seen the film already and I don't need to be bothered to go back to the theatre.
IIRC, it was mentioned by a writer that the original backstory behind Doris Walker's divorce was that her ex-husband was an alcoholic. It was dropped due to the subject matter being "too dark" for a family film.
William Frawley's appearance is great! It was a sort of comeback for him due to his alcohol related issues. Plus - his speech to Judge Harper about what would happen if he ruled there was no Santa Claus is one of the most real examples of politics in action one could ever learn.
Didn't realize that the postal worker was Jack Albertson! I'll have to look more closely next time.
As for the remakes, I've seen them both and they still pale to the original. Half the fun is little Natalie Wood - who was already a promising child star and was one of the few who matured into a fine adult actress.
I have seen part of the 1973 version, but didn't see the 1994 remake. It wasn't until I did the research that I found out about Albertson. Seeing Frawley blew my mind.
ReplyDeleteToday's trailers are for the supposedly-sound-byte-mentality of today's moviegoers. Idiocy prevails!