Maureen O'Hara, John Payne and Natalie Wood starred with Santa Claus in this classic holiday film.

Circa 1947

After a divorced new York mother hires a nice old man to play Santa Claus at Macy's, she is startled by his claim to be the genuine article.  When his sanity is questioned, a lawyer defends him in court by arguing that he's not mistaken.  The story takes place between Thanksgiving and Christmas in New York City and focuses on the effect of a department store Santa Claus who claims to be the real Santa.  Miracle on 34th Street has become a perennial Christmas favorite.  

Edmund Gwenn

1877-1959

Gwenn was a English actor.   On film, he is best remembered for his role as Kris Kringle in Miracle on 34th Street for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and the corresponding Golden Globe Award.

Young Susan first showed Santa Claus a magazine picture of the house she wanted for Christmas.  In real life, the house is located in Port Washington, New York. It was built in 1943 and is just over 1,700 square feet.  

A memorable scene in the film is when Susan, her mother and her mother's boyfriend dash into the the newly discorvered house and find Kris Kringle's cane leaning on the fireplace.  That's how they know Santa is real! 

The house takes center stage in the 1947 film near the end when 6 year old Susan Walker is devasted to learn that a Macy's Santa, seemingly can't deliver on is promise to give her the home she's always wanted, including a big tree and a swing in the back yard.  At a Christmas party Susan mournfully tellls Santa .. "You couldn't get it because you're not Santa Claus.  You're just a nice old man with whiskers."

But then a Yuletide miracle occurs!  Susan spots her dream house on a hill with a "For Sale" sign out front.  She, her mother and her mother's boyfriend dash inside and discover Kris Kringle's cane leaning on the fireplace!

On a visit to Macy's flagship store in Herald Square one year, the Frutkins noticed a little girl and her parents admiring the window display which just happened to show minature scenes from the movie  

"The girl was visibly excited to be looking at the windows.  Her mother said,'That's her favorite movie.  My wife and I looked at each other and decided to tell her where we lived. She was speechless."

Orrie and Goodie Frutkin

Although the interior shots of the house were filmed on a soundstage, the exterior shots were from the real life house that still stands today. 

Susan spots the house she showed Santa Claus

and

At that very moment she realizes .. Santa is real. 

The real homeowner's daughter was so moved by the scene that she bought an identical cane at a thrift shop and placed it by the fireplace in the living room .. just like in the film.*

*If I owned the house, I would have tried acquiring the actual cane used in the film.  

To this day, folks drive by the house all the time from all over the world to take pictures of the beloved Christmas movie house. The Frutkins don't mind if people photograph the exterior of their home. They are just happy to live in such a beloved film landmark. 

It's the famous Long Island house that brought joy to Natalie Wood's little-girl character in the Christmas classic though for the couple living in the charming Cape Cod style house, it's just .. home sweet home. 

Orrie and Goodie Frutkin

 "We just love this house.  We knew it was something special before we even knew it was a celebrity house.  We're happy to see people's eyes light up when we tell them it's the house in Miracle on 34th Street, but to us, it's just a cozy, comfortable place to live."

Orrie and Goodie Frutkin

Circa 1980

A few things you may not have known about the film.

1.  The co-stars were super tight.  In her autobiography, Maureen O'Hara (Doris Walker) revealed that even after the long days of filming, she and Edmund Gwenn (Santa Claus) and John Payne (Fred Gailey) would hang out together on their nights off, strolling 5th Avenue.

2.  Maureen O'Hara and Natalie Wood had an extra special bond.  The actress recalled feeling a motherly love for 8 year old Natalie. "I have been the mother of almost 40 children in movies, but I have always had a special place in  my hear for little Natalie.  She always called me Mamma Maureen and I called her Natasha,the name her parents had given her."

3.  The Thanksgiving Day Parade scene was completely real.  Edmund Gwenn made thousands of people happy when he appeared as Santa in the real 1946 Macy's parade.  Cameras were set up along the route to film the entire thing. 

4.  Santa's employment card revealed a Christmas secret. Kris Kringle's next to kin are his beloved reindeer.  

5.  John Payne really watnted to do a sequel. John believed in the film so much that he wrote a sequel for it.  O'Hara wrote in her autobiography "He was going to send it to me, but tragically died before he could get around to it.  I never saw it and have often wondered what happened to it."  The sequel was never made and the written script is considered lost. 

6.  They almost couldn't film the final shot.  The weather that day was so intensely bitter that the camera equipment was failing, causing major delays.  But an unexpected hero saved the day.  A kind woman named Vaughn Mele, who lived across the street, invited the cast and crew into her home to warm up between takes.  As a thank you, Maureen O'Hara invited Vaughn and her husband out to dinner at the famous restaurant, 21, where Vaughn was so excited she could only stomach a glass of milk!

7.  Macy's and Gimbels didn't consent to having their names in the movie until filming was completed.  The intense rivalry between Macy's and Gimbels really did exist. In real life, things were just as competitive between the brands that stood just blocks away from each other in New York City.  In fact, the phrase "Does Macy's tell Gimbels?" was often used in business in the '30s through the '60s to mean trade secrets shouldn't be shared.

8.  There was almost a remake starring Natalie Wood's daughter. She would have played the same role her mother did all those years ago.  Natalie declined the offer because she didn't want her own kids to start acting at such a young age.  

9.  Maureen O'Hara originally didn't want to do the film!  The actress nearly rejected the role of Doris Walker because she had just touched down in Ireland and would have had to return to America to begin shooting.  Something she wasn't thrilled about though after reading the script her entire view of the movie changed.  "I don't think I will ever tire of children asking me, 'Are you the lady who knows Santa Claus?  I always answer, "Yes, I am.  What would you like me to tell him?"  Maureen O'Hara never wanted the film to be colorized yet 1985, the film was one of the first to be colorized resulting in some controversy from film purists who believed it should have remained black and white.

10.  Edmund Gwenn's transformation into Santa Claus wasn't easy.   The actor had to gain 30 pounds and add five inches to his waistline  which was alot for the 5.5" actor.  After filming wrapped, he found it difficult to lose the weight.  His long gray beard was real!  When Gwenn gave his most memorable acceptance speeches in Oscar history he spoke these words .. "Now I know there's a Santa Claus!  Gwenn remains the only actor to ever win the prestigious honor for playing Kris Kringle.