Enduring Charm of ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ are its Characters 1947

Charming Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) meets tough but cute customer Susan
 (Natalie Wood) in 1947's classic comedy/drama "Miracle on 34th Street."

I only have dim memories of 1947’s Miracle on 34th Street from childhood. Apparently of the three channels we got back in the '70s, the station that showed afternoon movies on TV favored It's a Wonderful Life, at least twice a year!

While not miraculous, there were a number of pleasant surprises watching 1947 version of Miracle on 34th Street completely for the first time. First, it's not told strictly as a Christmas story, but as a character-driven story. This makes Miracle more grounded in reality and universal, and sets it apart from most Christmas-themed movies. That’s also how 20^th Century Fox studio head Darryl F. Zanuck wanted it released, feeling that it would be otherwise pigeon-holed as a genre movie. So, Miracle on 34^th Street was released in May, 1947. The film was a big box-office hit for the rest of the year, and a perennial classic ever after.

The post-war realism touches by director-screenwriter George Seaton are forward-
thinking, in "Miracle on 34th Street." Maureen O'Hara's a divorced working mother
 & John Payne is a lawyer who likes kids & isn't afraid to help in the kitchen!

There are two interwoven stories in Miracle on 34^th Street. One is about a little girl who doesn’t believe in Santa Claus. The other is about a man who believes that he is indeed Kris Kringle. As the two stories become interwoven, the little girl comes to believe in Kris and Mr. Kringle eventually prevails, in court no less, that he is indeed Santa Claus.

One of the most touching moments of 1947's "Miracle on 34th Street" is when the
little Dutch war orphan (Marlene Lyden) wants to talk to Santa. 

Filming began in late 1946 for Miracle on 34^th Street, by director George Seaton, and post-WWII sensibilities infuse this movie, thanks to the writers. Seaton won best screenplay writing Oscar for his take on the story; Valentine Davies won an Oscar for his best original story. First off, Maureen O' Hara plays divorced mother Doris Walker, which raised censors’ eyebrows. It would have been much easier to make Doris a war widow, right? While there were more marriages and a baby boom, there were more divorces after WWII, too. Doris’ little girl, Susan, isn’t a sugary sweet cinema tyke, but a bit of a tough little cookie. O’Hara’s maid is played straight and with no stereotyped humor. When Kris Kringle befriends a shy, chubby teen named Alfred, who finds joy in becoming Santa, I got a distinct gay vibe from this gentle loner. While Miracle could have ignored referencing the recent war, there’s a war orphan who insists on visiting Santa at Macy’s, and it’s one of the film’s most touching scenes. The characters feel more like real people and not movie stereotypes.

Alvin Greenman as Alfred, the shy janitor who gets great joy out of playing
Santa Claus, in 1947's "Miracle on 34th Street."

Adding to the realism was a generous amount of location shooting for the era. Miracle on 34^th Street opens with Edmund Gwenn’s Kris Kringle walking down Madison Avenue. Macy’s famous Thanksgiving Parade was extensively shot, with Gwenn’s Santa looking right at home! There are several scenes at the real Macy’s flagship store. Best of all, Susan’s dream home was real, and still stands in Port Washington, Long Island.

Edmund Gwenn as Kris Kringle in Macy's actual 1946 Thanksgiving Parade
for 1947's "Miracle on 34th Street."

Edmund Gwenn won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar as Kris Kringle, after his cousin Cecil Kellaway turned it down. I’m glad, because Cecil could be very cutesy in lovable roles—see Guess Who's Coming To Dinner? Gwenn plays with good cheer, real warmth, but also with matter of fact common sensibility. His Kris Kringle is probably my favorite film Santa!

Edmund Gwenn, perfectly cast as Kris Kringle, in 1947's "Miracle on 34th Street."

Maureen O’Hara is lovely, intelligent, and spirited as always, so this leading lady role fits her like a glove. She’s a working woman here, and a modern mother, too. Yet, O’Hara softens at the prospect of saving Gwenn’s Santa by the last act. O’Hara always holds her own in a man’s world—in this case, Macy’s!—but she never loses her womanliness. By the end of the movie, you’re rooting for her Macy’s promoter to merge with lawyer Payne.

Maureen O'Hara made a no-nonsense leading lady and looked great doing so!
As Macy's events coordinator Doris Walker, in 1947's "Miracle on 34th Street."

John Payne is lawyer/neighbor Fred Gailey, who is attracted to Macy's event coordinator/ PR person, Doris Walker, played by O'Hara. He gets through her little girl Susan to get to her. These days that might seem dicey, but they were more innocent times. He's taken by the young daughter, who has been taught to be realistic. I prefer John Payne when he was in his young, good-natured leading man era, rather than his later worn-out tough guy. Payne has a good rapport with young Natalie Wood and John had played well opposite O’Hara in another crowd pleaser, Sentimental Journey. Seaton writes a fun post-war leading man role that’s free of posturing. A guy who’s comfortable with kids, Santa, and even puts on an apron and helps in the kitchen! 

Maureen O'Hara's divorced mom is wise to being set up by neighbor John Payne
and her own daughter, in 1947's "Miracle on the 34th Street."

Although I adore Natalie Wood, I never sought out her Miracle on 34^th Street. I guess I preferred her as a sensitive and sultry adult! Much like Elizabeth Taylor, whose star-making turn, National Velvet, I’ve only seen once. I’ve not seen much of Wood’s work as a child actress, but as the pragmatic kid who longs for a home of her own, Nat is a standout here. Her reaction to the war orphan talking to Santa in Dutch is so intensely expressive. Wood works well with the three adult stars and she more than holds her own—in fact, she’s quite the scene-stealer!

Natalie Wood is memorable as Susan Walker, the modern girl who doesn't believe
in Santa Claus, in 1947's "Miracle on 34th Street."

The great supporting cast includes: Phillip Tonge as Julian Shellhammer, head of Macy’s toy department; Porter Hall makes a great comic villain as Macy’s personal man who fancies himself a psychiatrist; Gene Lockhart (June’s dad!) is an amusing wishy-washy judge; William Frawley comes on in the last act as a political con man; and Jerome Cowan’s funny as the frustrated district attorney.

With just one uncredited scene in 1947's "Miracle on 34th Street," Thelma Ritter
 scored with audiences & 20th Century Fox, and became a star character actress.

Enjoy some familiar faces amid the many uncredited players in Miracle on 34^th Street. The most famous is Thelma Ritter. As the harried mother looking for the right gift for her boy, she's astounded when Santa sends her to Gimbels. That distinctive face and voice in that one scene led her to a contract at 20^th Century Fox, where she went on to become a beloved character actress, winning six Oscar supporting actress nominations. 

Young Jack Albertson, right, as the postal worker who has a win-win idea, in 1947's
 "Miracle on 34th Street." Jack later starred in "Chico and the Man."

That guy in the postal mail room who gets the wise idea to send all the letters to Santa to the court room at the climactic scene is Jack Albertson, later famed for Chico and the Man. Character actor and acting coach Jeff Corey is one of the reporters. Future sitcom and Disney fixture Percy Helton is Macy’s drunk Santa. The entire cast is aces, right down to Robert Gist, as the store window dresser who gets pestered by Kris Kringle about his arrangement of toy reindeer!

Natalie Wood's Susan doesn't believe Edmund Gwenn's Kris Kringle or his beard
is real, in 1947's "Miracle on 34th Street."

There have been a slew of remakes of Miracle on 34^th Street, mostly for television. Nearly all demonstrate in their lacking of what the original did so well. All the plastic mugging by those actresses playing little Susan are the common flaw, showing why Natalie Wood's serious yet wryly skeptical performance was so remarkable. The Fox TV '55 remake stars Thomas Mitchell, beloved character actor—Scarlett's Pa! George Bailey's Uncle Billy! Here, as Kris Kringle, Mitchell is on autopilot. MacDonald Carey is all voice, as usual, Teresa Wright is solid but lacking O’Hara’s spark, and pinch-faced little Sandy Descher mugs as usual.

There was a more elaborate TV version in '59, with Ed Wynn mugging insufferably as Kris Kringle. In the '70s, there was Sebastian Cabot—Family Affair's Mr. French—playing Kris Kringle as truly crazy. Cabot is stuck with stiffs like David Hartman and Jane Alexander, who look and act like refugees from an aspirin commercial. Suzanne Davidson is completely false as Susan. A great 70’s supporting cast plays cartoonishly, and this version has that drab early ‘70’s look.

Santa Claus wins! Stick with the original and best version of "Miracle on 34th Street."

There was one big screen 1994 version of Miracle on 34^th Street, produced by John Hughes that was unmemorable, as well. Stick to the more realistic and truly magical 1947 version of Miracle.

Little Susan Walker has a common post-WWII dream, to have a home of her own,
in 1947's "Miracle on 34th Street." This home still stands today!

My take on "Sitting Pretty!"

Here’s another fine Fox comedy with Maureen O’Hara, Sitting Pretty. Maureen contends with Mr. Belvedere here, not Kris Kringle! My look:

https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2025/03/clifton-webbs-mr-belvedere-still.html

 

Jane Wyman Lifts ‘The Blue Veil’ 1951

 

Jane Wyman is the governess who wears "The Blue Veil" from 1951.

The Blue Veil is a most straightforward melodrama, a tearjerker tale of a life-long governess, of what was once called a "woman's picture." The 1951 film was released through RKO, a moderate hit in its day with mostly positive reviews, but today is mostly forgotten. This is because there’s nary a good copy to be had and is rarely shown. Whether it’s copyright or estate issues—it’s actually a Norman Krasna and Jerry Wald production—The Blue Veil deserves to be restored.

Jane Wyman as Louise Mason wears the traditional governess/nanny "Blue Veil."
 With Cyril Cusack as the toy store owner who admires "LouLou."

As The Blue Veil takes place over several decades and still clocks in at the standard one hour and forty five minutes, some of the events and especially reactions seem a bit perfunctory. What helps is the cast is populated with old pros, who convey the most with each scene. Yet, it is Jane Wyman's warmth and strength that hold this episodic tearjerker together, and nabbed Wyman a Best Actress Academy Award nomination.

Jane Wyman is a young widow who just finds out her new baby has died,
in 1951's "The Blue Veil." Jane was 34 when this was filmed.

There is the era's "get on with it" attitude toward trauma and life changes evident in The Blue Veil. For example, within the first five minutes, Jane Wyman's Louise Mason goes from a war widow with a baby, to suddenly losing her child, with a doctor who comes in and gives the world's most generic non-explanation, capped with, "…we did all we could for it." Later, a practical employment lady who thinks that Louise should be a nanny ASAP to ease her pain! Likewise, when Louise is eased out from her duties after the widower boss remarries, his new bride asks how many weeks it will take the nanny to teach her everything about caring for the baby. No time for therapy back then!

Jane Wyman as nanny Louise Mason, with her first charge. Charles Laughton is her
 boss and Vivian Vance is his new bride. "The Blue Veil" from 1951.

While the “mother love” storyline can be very sentimental, Jane Wyman's acting is warm, but not sticky sweet. That's why I enjoy Jane in movie soaps. Some movie fans think of Wyman as dull, but I find her acting naturalistic. Especially when shed of glamour, Jane Wyman appeals with those huge doe eyes and soft but firm voice. She suggests deep feeling without the diva posturing so typical of the era. I find Wyman’s acting more in keeping with Barbara Stanwyck and Olivia de Havilland than say, Crawford or Davis. 

The Blue Veil starts after WWI and ends after WWII, so Jane's Louise goes through a series of jobs, with the governess/nanny/nurse in the "blue veil" uniform connecting deeply with several families.

Louise's first charge is Freddie, whose mother died giving birth, almost the reverse of her own situation. The widower is Charles Laughton as Frederick, most appealing as the lonely man, in a rare normal role. Laughton and Wyman have a nice rapport, and the businessman proposes to Louise. She wisely turns him down, feeling two lonely people does not make for a happy marriage. So secretary Vivian Vance soon accepts his proposal instead, and lives the dream of a prosperous businessman's wife. An example of how even-handedly The Blue Veil is told, Vance's character is pragmatic but not a villain. While Wyman’s Louise is saddened by her departure, she made the call, and accepts the situation gracefully.

I love overlap "dissolves"from classic films. Here, Jane Wyman's nurse says goodbye
 to her first child, then shown leaving to find a new job, from "The Blue Veil."

If Wyman's Louise was a young war widow just after WWI, that would put “LouLou” in her early '50s at the post-war end of this film. As Louise starts caring for her last child, each subsequent scene makes her looks older. By the finale, Wyman looks like Margo in Lost Horizon, after she escaped Shangri-La!

At the finale of "The Blue Veil," Jane Wyman's nanny is suppose to be in her early
 '50s, but looks like Helen Hayes in "Airport!"

Next, “LouLou” cares for two boys, the younger especially attached, the sons of a wealthy couple, with Agnes Moorehead in sympathetic mode as Fleur Palfrey. Moorehead acted five times opposite Wyman: Johnny Belinda; The Blue Veil; Magnificent Obsession; All That Heaven Allows; and Pollyanna.

Agnes Moorehead is Jane Wyman's second employer in 1951's "The Blue Veil."

Here, she meets Richard Carlson as the boys’ tutor, Jerry. A warm charmer and dreamer, he wants more than this temporary gig. He gets a teaching job offer in Syria—of a century ago! He wants Louise to run off with him and marry. That Jerry is weak of character shows when he's easily discouraged by Moorehead, then Wyman herself, when they both make valid points of his intentions. On the train, he projects his doubts on Louise, who then calls it off and goes back to her job.

I love this warm romantic scene between Jane Wyman & Richard Carlson in 1951's
 "The Blue Veil."

Some time elapses when Louise now takes care of the daughter of Annie Rawlins, an aging musical stage star. Her daughter Stephanie, played by 12 year old Natalie Wood, adores Louise. As is usually the case, the child becomes attached to doting nanny LouLou. Annie is good-hearted but thoughtless and often a no-show at her daughter's big life moments. When Stephanie calls Louise her mother at her confirmation, the nanny lets her mother know that it’s best to leave. This sets up a major tearjerker scene, when Louise tells Stephanie she has to go. Wyman and Blondell were old pros by this point and play with their typical naturalism. Wood is remarkable as the disappointed daughter and plays her big scene, begging Louise stay, quite movingly.

Tearjerker scene from "The Blue Veil," when Jane Wyman's governess realizes it's time to move on. Young Natalie Wood as her charge & Joan Blondell as the mother.

Natalie Wood was 12 when she made "The Blue Veil."
She is quite good as the girl who becomes attached to Wyman's nanny.

I was a bit surprised that Blondell got a supporting actress Oscar nomination for The Blue Veil. Her role is brief as the good natured broad, and she isn't doing anything new. Yet, she got no nods for A Tree Grows in Brooklyn or Nightmare Alley, in roles that were bigger and juicier. But that's Hollywood, where some very strange Oscar nominations and wins were awarded in the ‘50s. Gloria Grahame in The Bad and the Beautiful and Jan Sterling and Claire Trevor for The High and the Mighty come to mind.

Dan O'Herlihy & Audrey Totter play a young couple who go to England during WWII,
 leaving their baby boy with Jane Wyman's dependable nanny, in "The Blue Veil."

Louise's last stint as nanny comes for Helen and Hugh Williams, played by Audrey Totter and Dan O'Herlihy. They have a baby boy, Tony, and LouLou fits right in. Then British hubby Hugh is called off to war. When he is reported missing, Lulu holds down the fort while Helen goes off to find him. He is wounded and later dies, and she stays on for the war's duration. After the war, Helen stays on, for very vague reasons. By this time, Lulu is caring for Tony for free, even working to support him! While Lulu has taken care not to become too attached to her charges in the past, this time she does. When Helen finally returns, the boy is a grade-schooler playing baseball. Lulu attempts to run off with Tony, but is found. Totter’s Helen now has bulldog husband Henry Morgan in tow, who wants to press charges. But the district attorney shames them for their lack of communication, appreciation, or payment. Louise is heartbroken when they leave with Tony.

Have a hanky handy when Audrey Totter's Helen comes back nearly a decade later
for her son, in the care of Jane Wyman's nanny, from 1951's "The Blue Veil."

By this time, Louise is looking like and acting like a latter day Madame X, but having had none of her fun! Along the way, Louise turns down a third offer of marriage, from irascible but good guy Frank (Cyril Cusack), who owns a toy store that she frequents for her charges. Unfortunately, he dies of a heart attack when the police come looking for Louise.

Jane Wyman's nanny is now an elementary school janitor in 1951's "The Blue Veil."

Louise winds up as a janitor at an elementary school, to be near children. Today, she'd probably be pegged as a predator, but that's another discussion! Going home one day, she nearly steps out in front of a car, but is saved. At an eye doctor for a checkup, he turns out to be her second charge, Robbie Palfrey, who was once afraid of storms. Unbeknownst to Lulu, he arranges a dinner for her and her previous kiddos. With their spouses, they enjoy a lovely reunion, with Robbie announcing he wants Lulu to care for his own children. At this point, you will have used up a box of tissues!

Jane Wyman's "LouLou" is asked to be nanny to her one-time charge's children in
the finale of 1951's "The Blue Veil."

One of Jane Wyman’s smaller films, like the likewise underrated So Big, The Blue Veil is a straight up soap, but played with genuine feeling. Director Curtis Bernhardt, who made his name at WB, did well with actors and keeps this movie moving along smoothly. The Blue Veil feels more like a ‘40s movie in the increasingly modern ‘50s film world, but if you’re in the mood for cinema suffering with an uplifting finale, Wyman and a stellar cast are worth watching.

Here’s my look at one of Jane Wyman’s best latter day roles, in Douglas Sirk’s All That Heaven Allows, with Rock Hudson: https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2020/10/all-that-heaven-allows-1955.html

A stellar cast is a bonus in 1951's "The Blue Veil," but Jane Wyman's performance as
 Louise Mason, a nanny for over three decades, holds this film together.

 

Natalie Wood’s Farewell in “Brainstorm” 1983

Natalie Wood completed all but two scenes in "Brainstorm" before her untimely demise.

While 1983’s Brainstorm is not flawless filmmaking, the sci-fi film was made with good intentions, talented artists, and some intriguing ideas. Given the circumstances that Brainstorm was made under—the battling director and studio plus the death of a star—it’s a miracle that the resulting movie nearly two years later was even completed.

Christopher Walken plays the scientist husband of Natalie Wood in "Brainstorm."

Brainstorm is about research scientists who devise a system that allows people to experience recorded events, thoughts, and feelings of others—virtual reality. The military wants in on this government project and they don’t want to use the innovation for good, of course. The two lead scientists are Christopher Walken as Michael Brace and Louise Fletcher as Lillian Reynolds. Natalie Wood is Walken’s estranged wife, Karen, who is the project’s designer. Cliff Robertson is their boss, Alex Terson, who gives in to the government.

Christopher Walken and Natalie Wood play an estranged couple in "Brainstorm."

Though Natalie Wood had done some fine work in television after her return to acting, The Cracker Factory and a mini-series remake of From Here to Eternity, Wood sought to make her mark again on the big screen. Two prior efforts, Meteor and The Last Married Couple in America, despite good directors and co-stars, could not elevate the weak material. Though Wood had kept her face and figure, Natalie was acutely aware that she was now over 40, tough for golden era stars.

Natalie Wood hoped "Brainstorm" would be a step in the right direction
for her film career, but admitted the special effects were the real star.

Christopher Walken was then a hot young star, on the verge of becoming a leading man, like DeNiro or Pacino. Instead, Walken became a quirky star character actor. Did the Wood scandal taint Walken and give his odd looks and peculiar persona an even more sinister edge?

There's times when Christopher Walken's nerd scientist looks like Dwight Schrute.

First time director Douglas Trumball was prior a special effects director on classics like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Blade Runner. Trumball had a vision for the film, with use of a new process called Showscan. This was a high-speed, large-screen process that would show a picture with absolute clarity. The process would also require theaters to be retrofitted to accommodate this film. MGM was a studio that seemed to be strapped for cash many times over the years, and not the studio to foot the bill. But that’s never stopped a problematic production from getting the green light in Hollywood.

Louise Fletcher, excellent as Walken's co-scientist, Lillian Reynolds, in "Brainstorm."

Ironically, the studio's attempt to stop the film maker parallels Brainstorm's major plot point, when the scientists get their project taken away. When Natalie Wood died, MGM had already gotten cold feet over this expensive production. Even though all but two of Wood’s scenes were shot, they seized on her tragedy as an excuse to shut down production. The studio even locked the sets, much like when Brainstorm’s scientist gets locked out of his lab.

Cliff Robertson, as Alex, the smiling bad guy, in "Brainstorm."

Insurance company Lloyds of London offered to pay out for the completion of the film, instead of the whole write-off that MGM wanted. Trumball's fight with the studio to finish embittered him from directing again, and the studio dumped the film after the fact. Ultimately, the standoff was a lose-lose, but along the way, Brainstorm became a bit of a cult classic.

The premise is fascinating; the effects are terrific and imaginative for their time. The fine cast does what they can with the film's biggest problem: a script and characters that feels like a sketch, not a full-bodied portrait. The dialogue, especially in some of the crucial scenes, feels very flat-footed. There's a lot of short-hand for characterization, like Cliff Robertson's old-school rich alpha male wardrobe, Louise Fletcher's incessant smoking, and Chris Walken's absent minded professor routine. Natalie Wood has nothing to work with, but the star is warm, sincere, and beautiful, so that's something. More than a few film stars have gone out with far less fanfare.

Christopher Walken's scientist "sees" a sad memory via his wife in "Brainstorm."

Louise Fletcher has a beautiful death scene, elegantly depicted by the actress and director. Robertson’s got the smiling villain down pat, since Three Days of the Condor. Walken is perfectly cast as the brilliant but tunnel vision scientist. The actor plays his part well, not afraid to look like a nerd or a jerk in flashbacks.

The supporting cast is particularly good. Note that one of the “food fantasy” girls is 19-year-old Lana Clarkson, who would come to her own tragic end, murdered by Phil Spector in 2003.

Lana Clarkson, center, was just 19 in this food fantasy scene in "Brainstorm."

Trumball was admired by his stars, gave his all to the produce a breakthrough in special effects, fought the good fight with the studio, and he deserves great credit for that. I can only fault Trumball for not paying as much attention to the script as the special effects. Yes, the final result falls short of the original vision. But the story still has resonance. 

In happier times: Christopher Walken and Natalie Wood in "Brainstorm."

Natalie Wood was having better luck on television than film, and that is probably where she would have ultimately worked. Would Nat have settled for quality work on TV or would she have ended up as a guest star on one of the ‘80s many night time soaps? Wood was also exploring theater; Anastasia was to be her stage debut in early 1982.

Like other stars that died young, Natalie's death has kept her in the public eye. Sadly, that tragedy at times overshadows the legacy of Natalie Wood. And while Brainstorm is no classic, at least Natalie exited the big screen with her class intact.

FYI: I put all the movie overflow on my public FB  movie page. 

Check it out & join!  https://www.facebook.com/groups/178488909366865/

Encouraged by friend Elizabeth Taylor's success in "The Little Foxes,"
Natalie Wood had planned to make her stage debut in 1982 with "Anastasia."