Memorable, crazy movie

Great Film overall

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Miracle on 34th Street (1955) *** (out of 4) Made-for-TV remake of the 1947 classic has Thomas Mitchell playing Kris Kringle who gets a job at Macy's where he tries to convince a non-believing mother (Teresa Wright) and her daughter (Sandy Descher) that he is real and there's nothing wrong in believing. This film doesn't come close to the 1947 movie and I'd say it also falls well short of the 1994 version but there's still enough here to make it worth viewing. Clocking in less than an hour, there's no doubt that the film flies by and I think the story itself is just so charming that it would be nearly impossible to mess it up. As with the earlier version, the story itself is just so good that even the most jaded adult will find themselves wanting to believe in Santa and that's why the story itself is so priceless. Another strong thing this version has going for it are the performances. Mitchell, best remembered for IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, does a very good job in the role of Santa. He's certainly looks the part quite well, which shocked me but he's also got that certain charm that was just made for the role of Santa. It also doesn't hurt that he too has the charm to make you want to believe the character really is Santa. Wright is also very good in her role as the mother who doesn't want to believe and Descher is good as the daughter, although her crying scenes aren't that impressive. Macdonald Carey plays the love interest/lawyer and Dick Foran makes an appearance as well. Again, there's certainly nothing ground-breaking about this version and if you must watch only one then it's best to go with the original but if you're curious about all the different versions out there or if this one here is just within reach of you, it's certainly worth viewing.

I liked this very entertaining TV version of Miracle On 34th St. Although the film had to be cut to a shorter running time, all the key scenes are there. Thomas Mitchell, Teresa Wright, Hans Conried to name a few were some of the fine actors of the time. Thomas Mitchell, one of my favorite actors appeared in such great films as Gone With The Wind and It's A Wonderful Life. I didn't care for one scene in this film.The clubbing scene with the cane didn't work for me.It was a little too much over the top for Santa Claus. The scene in the courtroom with the letters was actually a little better than the 1947 version, I thought. A nice adaptation and a decent version to add to anyone's collection of holiday films.

If I could have I would have rated this -10! This movie is a disaster and what makes it so is the acting. Its amateur and thats putting it as nicely as possible. Its as if they're all reading straight off the cue cards with no expressions on their faces or inflection or emotion in their voices. I despise the '94 remake but this version makes the '94 film seem Oscar worthy. Now I hate when people imply sinister things that aren't really there in a film thats wholesome fare, but there's something about the way this Santa interacts with Susan, it comes off creepy. Made me uncomfortable watching their scenes together. And his portrayal of Santa didn't help matters, his performance was awkward at best. He had this wild look in his eyes throughout the whole film, that really did make him look like he should be committed. And when he hit Mr. Sawyer, it was not the innocent "V8 bop" Gwenn gives in the '47 version, instead he literally clubs him and in front of the children and then after stands there with this evil grin on his face, makes the viewer hardly sympathetic to his plight. Also, the whole plot that involved Mr. Sawyer giving a speech about the non-existence of Santa at Susans school, where the incident I just mentioned took place, was beyond contrived. What kind of school would hold an assembly for the purpose of ruining the fantasy idol of grade school children?? I understand that this is fiction, but there still has to be a basis in reality somewhere. The scene I just described was one of many deviations from the original movie. Another that didn't sit well was that Doris only finds Kris after he applies for the job as Santa instead of stumbling upon him at the actual parade....I think that sort of took some "magic" out of the tale. It just seemed the lightheartedness, innocence, sentiment and charm captured by the 1947 original was completely lacking in this. It was wholly miscast and poorly acted and it completely missed its mark. They should have just aired the original movie back in 1955 and made an annual tradition of it similar to what they did with 'The Wizard of Oz' and maybe the original 'Miracle' would be just as beloved. I could go on and on about what a travesty this picture is, but I have a 1000 word limit, just stick to the 1947 version is my sound advice.

Thanks to the recent 'Special Edition' release of the 1947 classic "Miracle on 34th Street", this first 'remake' of the tale, included in the 'Special Features', is available for everyone to enjoy...and while it lacks the magic of the film, it is certainly entertaining in it's own right! There were, surprisingly, five versions of the Valentine Davies Christmas story produced over 47 years, each offering a different emotional 'spin' to the question, "Could Santa Exist in a Materialistic World?". The 1955 version, aired as an episode of "The 20th Century-Fox Hour", was certainly the closest in 'look' to the original (utilizing footage from the film, to help offset a tiny budget, and offering Herbert Heyes, reprising his role as Mr. Gimbel), and benefits from a first-rate cast of major stars (Teresa Wright and MacDonald Carey, who had worked together in Hitchcock's "Shadow of a Doubt", John Ford 'stock company' stars Thomas Mitchell and Dick Foran, Orson Welles' Mercury Theater alum Ray Collins, and veteran character actors Hans Conried and Whit Bissell). While 10-year-old Sandy Descher lacked the skeptical sweetness of Natalie Wood in the key role of young Susan, veteran director Robert Stevenson, juggling a large cast and short running time, kept things moving so quickly that her shortcomings were easily overlooked.I'm a great fan of Oscar-winner Thomas Mitchell, and his portrayal of Kris Kringle is a gem, but he seems more a bearded leprechaun than Santa Claus, with a 'snap salute' greeting, and Irish mischief concealed behind those twinkling eyes! In a major divergence from the film, he actually DOES strike Sawyer (John Abbott), in front of a roomful of children, for attacking his claim of being Santa Claus (which, in the original, was a trumped-up charge to get Kris committed). Edmund Gwenn's portrayal was, and still is, the yardstick by which all "Santa Clauses" are measured...and, truthfully, no one else has ever come close.The major problem in the 1955 production isn't in the casting, however; it is in the brevity. A magical story of renewing one's sense of wonder and innocence, of rediscovering love and why we need Santa Claus, requires time to unfold, and less than an hour simply isn't long enough! Despite all of the talent involved, this version never comes across as more than an 'abridged' copy of the original, and would be easily 'passed over' without it's classic ancestor's name attached to it. But it is still fun, and worth viewing!