Year of Release: 1947Country of Origin: USA
Director: George Seaton
Cast: Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Edmund Gwenn, Natalie Wood
Plot outline: When a friendly old man who claims to be Santa Claus is institutionalized as insane, a young lawyer decides to defend him by arguing in court that he is the real thing (IMDb).
One of the most beloved Christmas movies of all time, the original Miracle on 34th Street has been remade on multiple occasions, but has yet to be exceeded. The plot is quite elaborate, but it develops nicely as it works its way to the inevitable happy ending. One of the pleasures of the movie is the rising actors and actresses in the supporting cast. Natalie Wood, of course, went on to become one of the most successful actresses of the 1960s. Jack Albertson has a cameo as an imaginative postal clerk, and plain spoken Thelma Ritter makes her debut as a holiday shopper. Gene Lockhart is amusing as a judge who is far more interested in his upcoming election than in balancing the scales of justice, while I Love Lucy's William Frawley is a cigar chomping political boss. Lovely Maureen O'Hara sees plenty of screen time, but her character is somewhat shallow. John Payne is dull and predictable as the perfect man and requisite love interest. The movie's plum role goes to Edmund Gwenn as Santa Claus. He is engaging with those who share the spirit of Christmas, but he is a stern taskmaster to all of the Grinches and Scrooges that violate his principles. This 'dark turn' of his character makes it all the more interesting. Gwenn won an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor for his efforts. The movie also won Oscars for Best Original Story and Best Screenplay. The movie was nominated for Best Picture. (BK)
My judgement: ***1/2 out of 4 stars
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