HotToastyRag In my family, we've probably taken more household phrases from Miracle on 34th Street than from all versions of A Christmas Carol combined. It's a very special movie with a very special place in our family's Christmas traditions. The tree is up and decorated, all twelve varieties of Christmas cookies have been baked, and we gather around the television to hum along with Cyril J. Mockridge's delightful theme, and to enjoy and recite all our favorite lines from start to finish. "It's cold, a man's gotta do something to keep warm!" "Throw it on the floor!" "I'll just have a sandwich or something." "To be completely honest and truthful with the child. . ." "I'll go check on the meat." "First of all, I'm not persecuting him; I'm prosecuting him." "And they're gonna say it in votes-you're gonna be an awful popular fellow!"Even the movie's flaws are delightful, and my family loves to anticipate Maureen O'Hara's overacting-"This is going to hurt Kris very badly, and I don't want to be the one to do it!"-the wrong answer given to the question of who was Vice-President under James Quincy Adams, and the silly little loopholes in the plot that are meant to be overlooked. Miracle on 34th Street is a fantastic, sentimental, nostalgic, perfect Christmas movie. It embodies everything about the Christmas spirit, so even though there are little flaws in George Seaton's script, the magic and happiness of the season glosses over them. Even though Maureen's delivery is a little stylized, we're still rooting for her. Natalie Wood, in an adorable, charming performance full of an incredible talent for her age, captures the heart of all who watch her. I think it's impossible to be in a bad mood when you watch this movie, especially when Natalie's on the screen. She never acts like she's acting. She's truly a little girl in need of the Christmas spirit, and her mom really is Maureen O'Hara. She has great, believable chemistry with everyone in the cast.Edmund Gwenn, in an Oscar-winning performance, sets the bar so high, no one else has ever been able to play a truly believable Santa Claus-besides Jim Broadbent; I can't ignore him. Teddy has a constant twinkle in his eye, and his jolly, sweet disposition soothes even the greatest of doubts. John Payne costars as Maureen's love interest and Edmund's greatest advocate. He's a great match for Maureen, balancing out her edges and teaching her to dream. In addition to the main leads, everyone in the supporting cast has memorable and hilarious parts and lines. Jerome Cowan as the district attorney, Gene Lockhart as the judge, Porter Hall as Teddy's foe at work, Philip Tonge as Maureen's coworker, Alvin Greenman as Teddy's young friend, and a pre-famous Thelma Ritter all contribute to the nearly perfect Christmas movie. Without each of them, it would feel like something was missing. Thankfully, nothing is missing, and every Christmas my family and I can rejoice with all our old friends.Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, since the main plot deals with whether or not there is a Santa Claus, I wouldn't let my kids watch it until they were a little older. My mom didn't let me watch this one until I was eleven.

Christmas-Reviewer REVIEW DATE 2/19/2018 PLEASE BEWARE OF SOME REVIEWERS THAT ONLY HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW. I HAVE OVER 400 REVIEWS OF "CHRISTMAS RELATED FILMS & SPECIALS" WHEN ITS A POSITIVE THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE PRODUCTION. NOW I HAVE NO AGENDA! I REVIEW MOVIES & SPECIALS AS A WAY TO KEEP TRACK OF WHAT I HAVE SEEN! I HAVE DISCOVERED MANY GEMS IN MY QUEST TO SEE AS MANY " C H R I S T M A S " MOVIES AS I CAN.Now Someone keeps reporting my reviews. I guess they are jealous because I do tell the truth. I want to point out that I never make snide remarks about actors weight or real life sexual orientation. If there acting is terrible or limited "I talk about that". If a story is bad "I will mention that" So why am I being "picked on"? IMDB? When one of my reviews gets deleted IMDB will not even tell me what someone found offensive. Well on to this review.Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) is indignant to find that the man (Percy Helton) assigned to play Santa in the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is intoxicated. When he complains to event director Doris Walker (Maureen O'Hara), she persuades Kris to take his place. He does so well, he is hired to play Santa at Macy's flagship New York City store on 34th Street.Ignoring instructions to steer parents to buy from Macy's, Kris directs one shopper (Thelma Ritter) to a competitor. Impressed, she tells Julian Shellhammer (Philip Tonge), head of the toy department, that she will become a loyal customer.Attorney Fred Gailey (John Payne), Doris's neighbor, takes the young divorcée's daughter Susan (Natalie Wood) to see Santa. Doris has raised her to not believe in fairy tales, but Susan is shaken after seeing Kris speak Dutch with a girl who does not know English. Doris asks Kringle to tell Susan that he is not Santa, but he insists that he is.Worried, Doris decides to fire him. However, Kris has generated so much positive publicity and goodwill for Macy's that Macy (Harry Antrim) promises Doris and Julian bonuses. To alleviate Doris's misgivings, Julian has Granville Sawyer (Porter Hall) administer a "psychological evaluation". Kris passes, and questions Sawyer's own mental health.This is a great film that everyone should see.

Jonathan Berk Miracle on 34th Street, the original from 1947, is one of my all-time favorite Christmas movies. Particularly, Edmund Gwenn as Kris Kringle who is the iconic Santa Claus in my opinion. Most of the film features an endearing story of a non-believer being presented with an unbelievable reality. There is the court case aspect of the film, which is a little silly but doesn't tarnish this classic film. I give Miracle on 34th Street the Not Quite Golden, Ponyboy rating.Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) winds up working as a Macy's Santa Claus after covering for a drunk during the annual parade. He manages to convince many that he is the real thing except for a psychiatrist named Granville Sawyer (Porter Hall). Sawyer looks to prove Kringle is insane while Kris focuses on convincing Susan (Natalie Wood) and her mother Doris (Maureen O'Hara) that he is in fact Santa.The theme in this film is one common within Christmas movies about Santa Claus. The power of believing is so great that it defies logic. It's a positive idea that is displayed by the characters in the film at various periods. The adults are all hesitant to accept Kris Kringle as the one true Santa Claus, but they are also hesitant to outright dismiss it. There is clearly something about his presence that they can't quite pinpoint. It's the same feeling I get when I watch the movie as I know it's Edmund Gwenn, but he really looks and acts like Santa. It's why I come back to this film almost every Christmas.The film culminates with Kris's sanity being put on trial after he strikes Sawyer with his cane. Sawyer had predicted that Kris would go violent, but he fabricated the facts as to why. Ultimately, Kris ends up trying to help Alfred (Alvin Greenman) who Sawyer has been manipulating. After confronting Sawyer, Kris does strike him only because he finds him a horrible human being. The court case is interesting and eventually comes down to Fred Gailey's (John Payne) ability to prove that Kris is the one true Santa. I won't spoil it, but you can guess it'll end in a happy way.This classic Christmas movie is one that I'll watch probably the rest of my life. It reminds me of my childhood and the power of believing. Sure, logic dictates most of my actions, but sometimes it's more fun to believe. What's wrong with a magical man delivering presents to all the good children across the world. Nothing...nothing is wrong with that.

jacobs-greenwood This film is not just a kids' movie. Indeed, much of the dialogue and several subtexts within the film are too advanced for many children younger than ten (and a lot of it would bore a seven year old).The script is very well written which undoubtedly accounts for the fact that it won two Oscars for Best Writing, Original Story and Screenplay. Precise wording and deliberate interruptions (e.g. of characters who are about to do or say something "wrong") are techniques cleverly utilized throughout the picture enabling it to be viewed by children who still believe without upsetting them. It was also nominated for Best Picture but lost to Zanuck's Gentleman's Agreement (1947) (a story about anti-Semitism, ironically). Also notable is the fact that it was originally released in May. It was added to the National Film Registry in 2005. #9 on AFI's 100 Most Inspiring Movies list.Though the basis of the film is belief in Santa Claus, the conflicts (e.g.) from the wannabe psychiatrist, responsible for institutionalizing Kris, and within the judge and district attorney as they try to at once uphold the principles of law and their reputations without alienating voters and their families contribute much (amusingly so) to the story.These story-lines are seamlessly combined with the "love" story between the two main adult characters, parenting philosophy, the theme of faith ("believing when common sense tells you not to"), and the commercialization of Christmas. The plot's only flaw, in my opinion, is the lack of any real on-screen development of the love between the adults (who presumably are married after the film ends).Particularly memorable is young Natalie Wood's character's transformation from "practical", loner child to one that learns for the first time to pretend (to be an animal in a zoo), and the (sanity hearing) courtroom scenes including the DA being completely "disarmed" by his own son and, of course, when postal workers pour 50,000 letters on the judge's desk which prompts his well worded ruling "if a branch of the United States government recognizes this man as the one and only Santa Claus, I'll not dispute it ... case dismissed!".The acting is also superb. Edmund Gwenn won the Best Actor in a Supporting Role Award, probably in part because it was more of a Best Actor role given his screen time.Maureen O'Hara is excellent as always but I think John Payne's (underrated?, certainly under appreciated) "Fred Gailey" is what holds the film together.The incredibly talented supporting cast of character actors includes:Porter Hall (who also played memorable bits in Preston Sturges' films) as the "psychiatrist"William Frawley (Fred in I Love Lucy; Bub in My Three Sons) as the judge's campaign managerveteran actor Gene Lockhart as judgeThelma Ritter's debut film as the skeptical motherand even Jack Albertson as the postal sorterI think that, compared to other more recently released comedy- fantasy "kids" movies also made for adults, it stands up quite well today.