Miracle on 34th Street
Between Thanksgiving and Christmas , Miracle on 34th Streetis a vacation staple fiber . A story about recover faith in the unbelievable , the film has become a timeless classic during the holiday for multiple generations since its liberation in 1947 .
The motion-picture show is full of Hellenic Hollywood stars , from Maureen O’Hara to Natalie Wood , and has one of the adept performances by an actor play Santa Claus with Edmund Gwenn . But for all the computer storage hoi polloi have made with this moving picture , there are still lots of behind - the - scenes facts that have go unnoticed .
You Can Still See The Original Window Displays
In the picture , there are multiple windowpane displays that can be seen through the front window of Macy ’s department fund . Though they were design specifically for the film , these fantastically detailed dioramas stick around to become staples at the Macy ’s computer storage .
Later , after the filming was complete , the display were sold to the dear New York City toy stock FAO Schwarz . They remained at this place on 5th Ave until Schwarz sold them . Eventually , the display made their way to Marshall & Ilsley Bank of Milwaukee , Wisconsin . Here they can still be seen today , displayed in the hall of the banking company .
The Approval From Macy’s And Gimbels
The entire picture show works around the estimation that Macy ’s department store employ the material - life Santa Claus . To attain authenticity with the sets and locations , the filmmakers wanted to shoot on - land site at both the Macy ’s and Gimbels department store in New York City .
The stores were hesitating at first , not desire to at once sign up for a filmmaking project . Before tell yes , both stores wanted to see the finished film . This intend that the filmmakers had to cut and edit the entire plastic film , even lay on the line the computer memory saying no . Luckily , the stores loved the final product and consecrate their approval .
More Than Just A Movie Santa
The opening of the film begins on Thanksgiving day , with Edmund Gwenn ’s Santa Claus visiting New York on the day of the Macy ’s Thanksgiving Day Parade . Since they filmed on location , this meant that the filming occurred during the genuine parade in 1946 .
Edmund Gwenn was made the official Santa Claus of the parade that year , riding in the sleigh at the end of the procession and addressing the crowd from the marquise of the department store . He help in the unveiling of the showing windows and was the official Santa that year for the store .
Edmund Gwenn’s Physical Transformation
Edmund Gwenn is remember as one of the most exact on - cover portrayals of Santa Claus ever . For many audience , there are few other actors who have embodied the spirit of the dear physique of Christmas quite as well .
To achieve the forcible spirit of the reference , Gwenn perpetrate as much as he could for the role . The setting in the movie where Natalie Wood tower on his beard is literal because he grew it himself . Not only that , but the doer also realise thirty pounds before filming to fill himself out .
The House At The End Is Real
The finale of the moving picture finds Natalie Wood ’s character , Susan , realizing that Kris Kringle carry through all her Christmas wish . The house that she had so desperately wanted had been grease one’s palms for her and her new family , leaving them with a storybook terminate .
The household in the film was in reality real , and not an assembled set at all . Located in Port Washington , New York , the house still stands today . If you were to visit it in real life history , you would detect it nearly very as it looked during film in 1946 ( apart from some small enhancive alteration ) .
The Real Santa?
As stated , Edmund Gwenn committed as much as he could to meet Santa . He grow out his facial hair , get ahead weight unit , and even played the part for thousand of children during the iconic Macy ’s Thanksgiving Day Parade .
All of this oeuvre not only pulled the wool over the eye of audience members but the cast as well . agree to her biographer , Natalie Wood believed all the way through filming that Edmund was the real Santa . It was n’t until the wrap party that she realized he was just an actor .
Shared Stars
One of the funnier moments in the plastic film was Kris Kringle confronting the parade Santa who get too intoxicated to perform . This Santa drank a minute more than needed to warm up up on this cold November day in New York , serving up a preposterously madcap performance .
This character was played by Percy Helton , who actually play a role in a later iconic Christmas flick . Helton can be find hanging out with none other than Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye , appear in Paramount’sWhite Christmasas the gear conductor who hounds them for tag .
Power Complications
As stated , the movie had been filmed for a unspoilt lump at the actual Macy ’s and Gimbels location in New York City . Since they had decided to shoot here as oppose to a construct set , there were many issues the film producer faced that could have been avoided .
The amount of camera equipment , firing , and more meant that the studio needed a ton of power that the computer storage itself could not furnish . So , the cord for the equipment often had to stretch all the direction down to the cellar of the depot to the additional power supply .
Edmund Gwenn Almost Wasn’t Cast
It is hard to reckon anyone other than Edmund Gwenn playing the function of Kris Kringle . But , as with many take roles , Gwenn was not the first choice for the studio . Lined up originally for the role was worker Cecil Kellaway .
Kellaway was in reality a first cousin to Gwenn , adding a bit of a hereditary connection between the two potential Santas . Eventually , Kellaway turned down the role , but he did eventually play Santa in another undertaking , appearing in an instalment ofBewitchedin 1964 .
Freezing Cameras
electric problems were n’t the only issue that the crew ran into while filming the pic . The winter that they had filmed was one of the harsh on record , with absolutely freezing temperatures . It was so moth-eaten in fact that the cameras literally froze and were unable to work .
Vaughn Mele , a woman who live nearby the cinematography , tolerate the bunch to make out into her home to keep warm . Maureen O’Hara , grateful to the woman for her cordial reception , took Mele and her hubby out for a fancy dinner as a gift .
NEXT:10 Things You Did n’t Know About The Making Of A Christmas Story
