74 Fun Facts About Miracle on 34th Street

In the 1947 film Miracle on 34th Street, who plays Kris Kringle?

Edmund Gwenn made the part his own, returning to play Kris five more times on radio between 1947 and 1954; Hitchcock later cast him in The Trouble with Harry.

How does Kris end up in the red suit at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade?

Kris finds the hired man is drunk and complains to Doris Walker, who puts him in the suit on the spot; he does so well that Macy's hires him for the store.

In the 1947 film Miracle on 34th Street, which actress plays Susan's mother, Doris Walker?

Maureen O'Hara had only just got back to Ireland after the war when Fox summoned her; reluctant at first, she changed her mind once she read the script.

Which child star plays the sceptical Susan Walker in the 1947 film Miracle on 34th Street?

Natalie Wood was eight and won acclaim in the part; she went on from child stardom to adult stardom in Rebel Without a Cause and West Side Story.

Why does Kris deliberately fail his mental examination in Miracle on 34th Street (1947)?

He thinks Doris betrayed him: tricked into the examination, Kris believes she was in on Sawyer's scheme and gives up, until Fred persuades him to fight his commitment in court.

What convinces Susan that Kris might really be Santa, when she watches him with a little orphan girl?

He speaks Dutch to her, an orphan from the Netherlands; Doris has raised Susan not to believe in fairy tales, so it is the first crack in her scepticism.

Which branch of the federal government does Fred cite in court as recognising Kris as Santa Claus?

The Post Office delivered sacks of letters addressed to Santa Claus to Kris at the courthouse, and Fred argues that a federal agency has thereby recognised him as the one and only Santa.

Which witness at the hearing testifies that Santa Claus is real because his own father told him so?

The DA's young son takes the stand and says his father told him Santa Claus is real, so the prosecutor concedes the point rather than contradict himself in open court.

What do Fred and Doris spot inside the house Susan wanted for Christmas in the final scene?

A cane like Kris's is leaning inside the empty house, and Fred, fresh from his courtroom win, begins to wonder whether the old man really is Santa Claus after all.

Why does Judge Harper hesitate to rule against Santa Claus in Miracle on 34th Street (1947)?

He is up for re-election, and his adviser Charlie Halloran warns that such a ruling would be disastrous at the polls, so Harper buys time by hearing more evidence.

After testifying in Miracle on 34th Street (1947), what does Mr. Macy do to store psychologist Granville Sawyer?

Fires him: called as Fred's witness, Macy admits under oath that he believes in Santa Claus, then sacks the psychologist whose scheming put Kris in court.

George Seaton directed the 1947 Miracle on 34th Street and won an Oscar for which other job on it?

Writing the screenplay: Seaton adapted a story by Valentine Davies, who won a separate Oscar for it and turned it into a short novel published as the film came out.

How did Miracle on 34th Street (1947) film its parade scenes?

Live on the day, Thanksgiving 1946: Macy's let the cameras in on condition the parade never stopped, so every shot had to be caught in a single take.

Darryl F. Zanuck opened the Christmas film Miracle on 34th Street in warm weather, arguing what?

Audiences were bigger then, Zanuck reasoned: more people went to the movies in warm weather, so Fox's campaign never let on that it was a Christmas film and the posters kept Kris in the background.

In Miracle on 34th Street (1947), Macy's Santa shocks his bosses by sending shoppers to which real arch-rival store?

Gimbels was Macy's real rival, a block from its Herald Square store; 'Does Macy's tell Gimbels?' was already a national catchphrase for rivals who share nothing, which is what makes the Santa's advice so shocking.

Under what title was Miracle on 34th Street first released in the United Kingdom?

The Big Heart had been Fox's working title, one Darryl Zanuck said he was 'crazy about', before the studio settled on Miracle on 34th Street; British cinemas got the older name.

Accepting his Oscar for Miracle on 34th Street, the actor who played Kris Kringle said he now knew what?

'Now I know there's a Santa Claus,' he told the audience. Though he plays the central role, his award was for Best Supporting Actor, one of the film's three Oscars from four nominations.

Miracle on 34th Street lost the Best Picture Oscar for 1947 to which fellow nominee, another Fox film?

Gentleman's Agreement, Elia Kazan's drama starring Gregory Peck as a reporter posing as Jewish, took Best Picture for 1947, so 20th Century-Fox won either way.

Which character actress made her screen debut in Miracle on 34th Street (1947) as a mother Kris sends elsewhere?

Thelma Ritter, unbilled, plays the weary shopper who vows to become a regular Macy's customer; three years later All About Eve brought the first of her six Oscar nominations.

In 2005 Miracle on 34th Street joined which American honour roll?

The National Film Registry took it in 2005, beside Toy Story and The French Connection: quite an honour for a film the Legion of Decency had once rated 'morally objectionable in part'.

Why did the Catholic Legion of Decency rate Miracle on 34th Street 'morally objectionable in part' in 1947?

Doris is a divorcée, and the Legion's B rating came with a one-line objection: 'Reflects the acceptability of divorce.'

Where is Kris living when Miracle on 34th Street (1947) begins?

A home for the aged: Kris lives at the Brooks Memorial Home, whose doctor, Dr. Pierce, assures Macy's that his Santa delusion is harmless and suggests he lodge nearer the store.

Which figure's arrival traditionally closes the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade?

Old St. Nick, Santa Claus on his sleigh float, has closed the Macy's parade nearly every year since the first one in 1924, marking the start of the Christmas season.

The rival store in Miracle on 34th Street held its own Thanksgiving parade in which city, four years before Macy's?

Philadelphia saw the rival's store stage the first such parade in 1920, with some 50 of its own employees marching in costume; the parade outlived the store and is America's oldest Thanksgiving parade.

In the 1994 remake of Miracle on 34th Street, who plays Kris Kringle?

Richard Attenborough had spent 14 years behind the camera, winning Oscars for Gandhi, before Jurassic Park lured him back to acting in 1993; Kris Kringle was his next role.

The 1994 remake of Miracle on 34th Street replaces Macy's with a fictional store called what?

Cole's stood in because Macy's refused its name, saying the original 'stands on its own and could not be improved upon'; a made-up discount chain plays the rival.

Which filmmaker co-wrote and produced the 1994 remake of Miracle on 34th Street?

John Hughes, the writer-producer of Home Alone, filmed the parade in New York, then moved the whole production to Chicago, his adopted home town; Les Mayfield directed.

Which child actress plays Susan in the 1994 remake of Miracle on 34th Street?

Mara Wilson, fresh from Mrs. Doubtfire, won a part that the first draft had written for a boy, as her Kris Kringle co-star told Variety; Matilda followed in 1996.

In the 1994 remake of Miracle on 34th Street, the judge is persuaded by the words printed on what?

Susan's card to the judge holds a dollar bill with 'In God We Trust' circled; if the Treasury can put its faith in God, he reasons, New York can put its faith in Santa Claus.

Which holiday hit opened a week before the 1994 Miracle on 34th Street?

The Santa Clause had opened seven days earlier and went on to about $190 million worldwide; the remake debuted at under $3 million and finished near $46 million.

Which Broadway songwriter turned Miracle on 34th Street into the 1963 musical Here's Love?

Meredith Willson, of The Music Man, wrote the book, music and lyrics himself; Here's Love opened at the Shubert in October 1963 and is now licensed as Miracle on 34th Street: The Musical.

Here's Love pairs 'Pine Cones and Holly Berries' with which older hit?

'It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas', the composer's own 1951 hit, got a second life in the 1963 show, sung together with the newly written 'Pine Cones and Holly Berries' as one number.

Which Mary Poppins actor played Kris Kringle in NBC's live 1959 version of Miracle on 34th Street?

Ed Wynn, Uncle Albert in Mary Poppins, was a vaudeville clown newly turned serious actor: the year he played Kris also brought him an Oscar nomination for The Diary of Anne Frank.

In Miracle on 34th Street (1947), Sawyer has Kris committed to which real New York hospital?

Bellevue's psychiatric wards were so well known that its name became New York slang for an asylum; Fred has to go there to talk Kris into fighting his commitment.

Who plays Charlie Halloran, Judge Harper's adviser, in the 1947 film Miracle on 34th Street?

William Frawley had made more than 100 films when, four years later, with movie offers drying up, he was cast as the grouchy landlord Fred Mertz on I Love Lucy.

Which Macy's toy-department head first panics at Kris's policy of sending shoppers to rival stores?

Mr. Shellhammer, the toy department head, panics when Kris sends a shopper elsewhere, then beams as she vows to be a Macy's customer for life; R. H. Macy adopts the policy storewide.

Miracle on 34th Street is set between which two holidays in New York City?

Thanksgiving and Christmas bracket the story: it opens on the morning of Macy's parade and ends on Christmas Day, when Susan spots the house she wished for.

In 1985 Miracle on 34th Street became one of the first classic films to undergo which controversial process?

Colorization: a computer-tinted version appeared in 1985, one of the first for a full-length feature, and it helped stir film purists into an uproar over altering black-and-white classics.

In the 1994 remake, Susan's third Christmas wish, revealed only in the final scene, is what?

Susan's third wish is a baby brother; her other two, a father and the house from the store catalogue, have just come true, so the adults glance at Dorey's stomach and kiss.

In the 1994 remake, who plays Bryan Bedford, the lawyer neighbour who proposes to Dorey?

Dylan McDermott plays Bryan Bedford, who wins Kris's case and then marries Dorey in a small ceremony after Christmas Eve midnight mass.

Which actor, fresh off a studio suspension, defended Kris in court in his last film for Fox?

John Payne played the defence lawyer in his final film under his 20th Century-Fox contract, leaving the studio in 1947; he later starred in the TV western The Restless Gun.

In Miracle on 34th Street (1947), Sawyer tells young janitor Alfred he is unstable because he enjoys doing what?

Playing Santa Claus at his local YMCA is all it takes: Sawyer's verdict on the gentle teenager is what makes Kris lose his temper and rap the psychologist on the head.

In the 1994 remake of Miracle on 34th Street, which fictional rival chain pays a disgraced ex-Santa to provoke Kris?

Shopper's Express, a discount chain, pays the sacked Santa to goad Kris in the street and fake an injury when he raises his walking stick, which gets Kris arrested.

In Miracle on 34th Street (1947), what does Fred give up in order to defend Kris?

His law-firm job: Fred quits to take the case, and Doris, who has no faith in his chances, accuses him of being unrealistic; he retorts that one day she will find life's 'lovely intangibles' are what matter.

In Miracle on 34th Street (1947), what costly gift does Kris buy for Dr. Pierce with his Macy's bonus?

An X-ray machine turns up at the Christmas Day party for Dr. Pierce, the physician who had insisted that Kris's belief about himself was a harmless delusion.

Which future Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory star has an early bit part in Miracle on 34th Street (1947)?

Jack Albertson, Grandpa Joe to a later generation, was still two decades away from his Oscar for The Subject Was Roses when he took the small 1947 role.

Miracle on 34th Street is ninth on the AFI's list of most inspiring films; which Frank Capra film is first?

It's a Wonderful Life topped the list unveiled in 2006, chosen by a jury of some 1,500 film-industry people, so two 1940s Christmas stories made the top ten.

The 1994 Miracle on 34th Street star joked that he sought which director's blessing, having just worked for him?

Steven Spielberg had just directed him in Jurassic Park and, the actor said, was opposed to remakes, so he joked that the credits should say he played Kris Kringle with the director's blessing.

When did the cast of Miracle on 34th Street (1947) shoot inside the real Macy's, to keep clear of shoppers?

At night was the only time the aisles were empty, the film's Doris recalled, and her eight-year-old co-star loved it because she was allowed to stay up late.

What did Sebastian Cabot have to do before playing Kris Kringle in the 1973 TV version of Miracle on 34th Street?

Shave off his beard: the trademark whiskers he had worn since 1957 could not be made to look like Santa's, the make-up crew found.

Which Frasier star appears as Alberta Leonard in the 1994 remake of Miracle on 34th Street?

Jane Leeves had been playing Daphne Moon for a year when the remake came out, a decade after she danced in Monty Python's The Meaning of Life.

On which date does Judge Harper finally dismiss the sanity case against Kris in Miracle on 34th Street (1947)?

December 24 brings the ruling, which leaves Kris free to celebrate with Fred, Doris and Susan the very next day.

Which Happy Days regular played Judge Harper in the 1973 television version of Miracle on 34th Street?

Tom Bosley took the bench for CBS in late 1973, on the eve of Happy Days, which began the next year and kept him busy as Howard Cunningham for a decade.

Where does Kris lodge while working at Macy's in Miracle on 34th Street (1947), to be nearer the store?

With Doris's neighbour: Fred, a lawyer, offers to put the old man up after seeing the good effect he is having on Susan.

In which genre did the American Film Institute rank Miracle on 34th Street fifth in its 2008 10 Top 10 lists?

Fantasy: the AFI's definition needs characters whose experiences transcend the rules of the natural world, so its voters evidently took Kris at his word.

The child who played Susan in Miracle on 34th Street (1947) appeared as a teenager in which John Ford western?

The Searchers followed in 1956, a year after Rebel Without a Cause, the film that brought her a first Oscar nomination, as the former child star moved into adult roles.

Jerome Cowan, the prosecutor in Miracle on 34th Street (1947), played a doomed private eye in which Bogart film?

The Maltese Falcon made him Miles Archer, Sam Spade's doomed partner; six years later he was the hapless prosecutor stuck arguing that Santa does not exist.

Which star-studded disaster film gave Miracle on 34th Street director George Seaton the biggest hit of his career?

Airport, adapted from Arthur Hailey's novel in 1970, originated the decade's disaster-film craze and was the first of a four-film series.

Which Planet of the Apes star played the scheming Dr. Sawyer in the 1973 TV version of Miracle on 34th Street?

Roddy McDowall had spent five years under chimpanzee make-up as Cornelius and Caesar when he took the part of the store's vindictive psychiatrist.

Which saxophonist performed at Radio City Music Hall for the 1994 premiere of the Miracle on 34th Street remake?

Kenny G appeared alongside the Rockettes, who performed scenes from their Christmas Spectacular in a 30-minute stage show at the premiere.

Which future evening news anchor appears as a newscaster in the 1994 remake of Miracle on 34th Street?

Lester Holt was anchoring the evening news at Chicago's WBBM-TV at the time, two decades before he took over NBC Nightly News.

The name Kris Kringle, borne by the hero of Miracle on 34th Street, comes from German words meaning what?

Christ child, Christkindl in German, reached America with Pennsylvania's German settlers, so strictly the name belongs to the infant Jesus and not to Santa.

Valentine Davies got the idea for Miracle on 34th Street while doing what during a Christmas season?

Queuing in a big store at Christmas gave him the idea, and the film was later shot under working titles that included It's Only Human.

Where was the house that Susan runs into at the end of Miracle on 34th Street (1947) actually filmed?

On Long Island: the dream house stood in the hamlet of Port Washington, where scenes for Meet the Parents were shot half a century later.

The Kris Kringle of Miracle on 34th Street (1947) later battled which giant creatures in the film Them!?

Ants, grown huge on atomic radiation in the New Mexico desert, were the menace, and he played the elderly entomologist who works out where they came from.

Which anthology series dramatised Miracle on 34th Street three times for listeners, first with the film's stars in 1947?

Lux Radio Theatre aired its one-hour version three days before Christmas 1947, with the film's leads and its child star all reprising their roles.

Which actor, Bob Cratchit in the 1938 A Christmas Carol, plays Judge Harper in Miracle on 34th Street (1947)?

Gene Lockhart played Cratchit opposite his wife Kathleen as Mrs. Cratchit, with their daughter June, later of Lost in Space, making an uncredited appearance.

Alvin Greenman, the janitor Alfred of 1947, returned in the 1994 remake of Miracle on 34th Street as what?

A doorman was his cameo, a nod to the original in a remake that otherwise had to invent new names for both the store and its rival.

Which future West Wing star plays a brazen customer in the 1994 remake of Miracle on 34th Street?

Allison Janney, billed only as a woman in the Christmas shop, was five years from playing C. J. Cregg and more than two decades from her Oscar for I, Tonya.

Which Gilligan's Island star played Macy's toy department chief in the 1973 TV version of Miracle on 34th Street?

Jim Backus, the millionaire Thurston Howell III and the voice of Mr. Magoo, played the manager horrified to hear Santa sending customers elsewhere.

Where in New York's legal system is Kris's sanity hearing held in Miracle on 34th Street (1947)?

The State Supreme Court, which in New York alone is a trial court and not the highest one; some scenes were shot inside the real building.

Which star of The Ghost and Mrs. Muir pops up in the original Miracle on 34th Street trailer to praise the film?

Rex Harrison was among the studio stars shown raving about the picture, in a trailer built around a fictional producer roaming the studio backlot.

In which wartime service was Valentine Davies serving when he wrote the story of Miracle on 34th Street?

The Coast Guard had him in uniform around Christmas 1943, when he first set the tale down; it reached cinemas three and a half years later.

Which Chicago department store supplied props for the 1994 Miracle on 34th Street and had hoped to host the shoot?

Marshall Field's wanted the cameras in its State Street flagship; instead its props dressed a ballroom at the School of the Art Institute.