Sixth Day of Holiday Movies

On the sixth day of Christmas, the holiday movie recommendation I present to you…

Is… Miracle on 34^th Street (1947) starring Maureen O’Hara and John Payne.  Maureen O’Hara is the working single mother, Ms. Doris Walker, and John Payne is her neighbor, Mr. Fred Gailey.  Doris Walker stopped believing in the magic of Christmas many years ago and has passed her realist views onto her young daughter Susan, played by a young Natalie Wood.  On this Thanksgiving, Ms. Walker has an encounter with a Santa lookalike, Kris Kringle played by Edmund Gwenn, who saves her job and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.  After working at Macy’s as Santa, Kris finds himself on the verge of being institutionalized for believing he really is Santa.  Fred Gailey jumps to his defense and has to prove that Kris really is Santa. 

This is one of the first Christmas movies that I can recall seeing as a child and it’s easy to understand why.  I admit to being a bit of a purist and still prefer it in the original black and white.  As an adult, it still pulls at my heartstrings and leaves me with a renewed sense of faith, hope and the belief in Christmas magic.  Even just thinking about it makes me want to write a letter to Santa and mail it!

If it’s been awhile since you experienced the joy of this Christmas classic, I urge you to seek it out.  It is worth it.

As with many good stories, this one has been remade and reimagined many times over the years.  The most famous remake was Miracle on 34^th Street (1994).  This was a theater release with the central four characters being portrayed by Richard Attenborough (Kris), Elizabeth Perkins (Dorey Walker), Dylan McDermott (Bryan Bedford, the Fred Gailey role) and Mara Wilson (Susan Walker).  The famous John Hughes was involved with the screenplay and producing this film.  When it originally released I had an issue with separating Richard Attenborough’s Kris from his then recent mega-hit Jurassic Park.  I can remember seeing it and enjoying it but it’s been awhile for me so I think that this 34^th Street double-feature will be in my near future.  How about you?

We have reached the halfway point of our movie recommendation list.  More picks to be shared beginning next week.  Have any of my recommendations so far thrown you for a loop?