Miracle on 34th Street begins on Thanksgiving when a smartly dressed older man with a great, white beard walks down the street in New York City right before the start of the annual Macy's Day Parade. Soon, though, he starts scolding an intoxicated Santa for drinking on the job, thus rendering the latter incapable of performing his duties for the parade. The organizer of the parade, Doris Walker (Maureen O'Hara), frantically tries to solve the problem, but the only real solution is to ask the first man (the one with the real beard who was so disappointed in the drunk Santa Claus) to temporarily take over. While initially refusing, this man (who happens to be named Kris Kringle and is played by Edmund Gwenn in an Oscar-winning performance) can't refuse the chance to ensure the children are happy.
One child who finds him appealing but is also quite skeptical of his claims of being the real Santa is Doris' daughter, Susan, played by the adorable Natalie Wood in one of her most famous roles. Susan, the Lisa Simpson of her day, does not believe in fairytales and therefore does not believe in Santa Claus. This disbelief is largely attributed to her mother, who doesn't feel it's a good idea to be telling children such stories. Despite their differences of opinion, Santa and Susan strike up a friendship. They see a lot of each other because due to his success at the parade, Kris is hired by Macy's to be their Mall Santa, a job he takes very seriously.
It's not exactly smooth sailing, however, as Kris clashes with the company's psychologist (Porter Hall), and Doris and the others soon learn that Kris actually believes he is the real Santa Claus. In his company profile, in fact, he lists his age as "as old as my tongue and a little older than my teeth," while his next of kin is listed as Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, et al. He also does not hesitate to recommend other stores to families so that they might find what they're looking for. It's unlikely that the business leaders of New York would respond so positively to such a scheme (and the film's screenplay by George Seaton is markedly aware of this, as Harry Antrim as Mr. Macy remarks that while the store will put public service ahead of profit, "Consequently, we'll make more profits than ever before").
The Oscar-winning screenplay by Seaton and the story by Valentine Davies easily switches to a courtroom flick, as the lawyer Doris is dating (played by John Payne) defends Kringle in court to prove his sanity. The trial scenes elevate Miracle on 34th Street and make it more fun and even a tad more realistic, as the judge presiding over the case (Gene Lockhart) nervously watches as the prosecution of Santa Claus damages his reputation with children, whose parents may vote to throw him out of his position. The judge's political consultant (William Frawley) is played as a brash politico enthusiastically chomping on cigars, yet he is the one urging the judge to be lenient towards Kris Kringle.
Miracle on 34th Street has long been cherished as a holiday classic, and it is currently the second-highest ranked Christmas film on Rotten Tomatoes, right behind It's a Wonderful Life. The image everyone remembers, as already pointed out, is when Susan first sits on Santa's lap and is stunned to realize his beard is real. However, the film's most heartwarming moment is easily when a young Dutch orphan who cannot speak English is delighted to realize that Santa can in fact speak her mother tongue; the scene is reminiscent of modern-day Santas signing to deaf children and the delight it brings them.
Aside from that sentimental moment, it's the actors who bring the film home. Gwenn's performance is perfectly natural, like he isn't even trying. True, he's full of energy and passion when he needs to, but it's the simple moments that have stuck with audiences throughout the decades. The ease at which he delivers the lines helps the audience believe the character's antagonism to the many less desirable qualities of adults, such as embracing the commercialism of Christmas. Kris firmly believes that "Christmas isn't just a day; it's a frame of mind." This attitude of the character and film makes Miracle on 34th Street an unforgettably swell movie.
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