Disclaimer: I wrote this a few years ago on my other blog, but I'm sharing it here because it's a holiday weekend and I don't want to do any real writing, haha!
This is probably my favorite and most beloved Christmas movie from my childhood. If you've seen it, I think you'll agree that this movie is pretty special.
When the Macy's Santa gets good and soused before the big Thanksgiving Day Parade, Mrs. Walker (Maureen O'Hara), the no-nonsense chick in charge, grabs the next best thing: Santa Claus himself! Or so he claims...
The new Santa is a huge hit, and he's offered a spot as the in-store Santa during the holidays. But when his mental health is questioned, he has to prove to everyone, Mr. Macy, the psycho shrink, Mrs. Walker and her daughter Susan and everyone else, that he really is Santa Claus and that it's important to believe in other people.
Whoever was in charge of casting this film got it spot-on...Edmund Gwenn IS Kris Kringle. I can't imagine a more perfect Santa! He looks the part, he's sweet, he's just absolutely perfect! A young Natalie Wood plays Mrs. Walker's skeptical daughter Susan, who never believes in fairy tales or Santa Claus or fantasies of any kind. John Payne plays Fred Gailey, Mrs. Walker's neighbor and friend, who ends up being Kris Kringle's lawyer and hero in trying to legally prove that Kris Kringle is the one and ONLY Santa Claus!
Miracle on 34th Street is a very special movie with a lot of special moments...Kris Kringle picking bubblegum out of his beard, Kringle singing in Dutch with a little girl who can't speak English, the pile of letters to Santa on the judge's desk, little Susan finding her dream house...oh, and keep an eye out for Thelma Ritter in a small role as a cranky mom trying to do some Christmas shopping!
Happy Holidays! They're upon us!
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