“Miracle on 34th Street” (1947)
Yet another holiday classic that apparently passed me by, Miracle on 34th Street was another in my holiday DVD-buying binge. We shunned the colorized version for the original black and white. A kind, white-bearded man shows up at the Macy’s parade, and is conveniently recruited to replace the drunk Santa. He goes on to be the Macy’s store Santa, hired by single-mom Mrs. Walker.
Mrs. Walker lives at home with her daughter Susan (an 8yo Natalie Wood), in whom she instills her value for truth and proof. Both are suspicious of the old man, who claims to be Kris Kringle. But with the help of their fanciful neighbor, who fancies Mrs. Walker, they begin to come around. Santa is targeted by the mean-spirited company psychologist, and put on trial. You probably know the famous ending even if you haven’t seen the film, but it was a pleasure to see it in context. Sweet and fanciful, it’s deserving of its classic status, and was fun to watch with the family.