Description
Plot
Miracle on 34th Street (initially released as The Big Heart in the United Kingdom)[2][3] is a 1947 American Christmas comedy-drama film released by 20th Century-Fox, written and directed by George Seaton and based on a story by Valentine Davies. It stars Maureen O’Hara, John Payne, Natalie Wood, and Edmund Gwenn. The story takes place between Thanksgiving and Christmas in New York City, and focuses on the effect of a department store Santa Claus who claims to be the real Santa. The film has become a perennial Christmas favorite.
Miracle on 34th Street won three Academy Awards: Gwenn for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Valentine Davies for Best Writing, Original Story, and George Seaton for Best Writing, Screenplay. The film was nominated for Best Picture, losing to Gentleman’s Agreement. In 2005, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant”. The Academy Film Archive preserved Miracle on 34th Street in 2009.[4]
On the morning of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the man playing Santa Claus is drunk. An old man named Kris Kringle discovers this and indignantly complains to event director Doris Walker. Noticing that Kris resembles Santa Claus, Doris persuades Kris to play Santa in the parade himself. Kris is well received and is subsequently hired to play Santa at Macy’s New York City store on 34th Street.
The toy department head, Mr. Shellhammer, instructs Kris to recommend overstocked items to undecided shoppers. Instead, Kris directs a woman to another store to fulfill her son’s Christmas request. Impressed, the woman informs Shellhammer that she will become a loyal Macy’s customer.
Film Information
| Directed by | George Seaton |
|---|---|
| Screenplay by | George Seaton |
| Story by | Valentine Davies |
| Produced by | William Perlberg |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | |
| Edited by | Robert Simpson |
| Music by | Cyril Mockridge |
| Distributed by | 20th Century-Fox |
Release date |
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Running time | 96 minutes |