A Miraculous Movie

>there could be no retakes. The film crew paid the
It was originally called The Big Heart. Daryl Zanuck theladies of the house to place the cameras in their
shrewd head of Twentieth Century Fox couldn't buywindows. Then their husbands came home,
the image of Santa Claus in a court room. But like socomplained about the inconvenience and demanded
many ventures Miracle On 34th Street (1947) cametheir own equal share. Most difficult to film was the
about because of passion, in this case that of Directorsickly but determined Edmund Gwenn who would win
George Seaton who had gone to New York on hisan Oscar for playing Kris Kringle. He suffered from a
own and made arrangements with the real Mr. Macybladder control problem but couldn't stand the thought
and Mr. Gimbel to film inside their department stores.of someone taking his place in the parade. The children
Impressed by Seaton's commitment Zanuck gave thewho stood on the sidewalk waving at Santa never
show a green light.saw the long tube under his cloak.
Who would play the little girl who didn't believe in SantaOvercoming his initial reluctance Daryl Zanuck who
Claus? Seaton agonized over it, until the assistantwas famous for his memos, made suggestions to
director remembered an amazing child prodigy fromimprove the film's story. The mother Doris, played by
Santa Rosa, California who could cry on cue. HerMaureen O'Hara was too cold, she would scare a
name was Natasha Nikolaevna Gurdin renamedman like Fred (John Payne) off, she had to be made
Natalie Wood after director Sam Wood . The samewarmer to the audience by explaining that she had
Natalie Wood who would later go out on a hotel roombeen burned by an earlier relationship and that's why
ledge and threaten to jump when her boyfriend Elvisshe didn't want her daughter believing in Santa Claus.
Presley ignored her to play poker with Memphis Mafia.Zanuck also felt that they shouldn't overdo the scenes
The same girl who would infuriate fellow castwhere Macy's employees recommend that their
members of West Side Story (1961) with her tardiness,customers go shopping at Gimbels, just some simple
her refusal to learn simple dance steps and herdialogue was enough to get the point across. But
insistence on long lunch breaks to visit with her analyst.despite the loud cheering by preview audiences when
But the seven-year-old Natalie had none of the typicalSanta Claus was declared sane in the courtroom
child star precocious behavior, she gained the respectscene, Zanuck never had full confidence in the film. He
of her co-stars on the Miracle set with her professionalput it in theaters in July, the busiest time of year for
demeanor, earning the nickname One-Take-Natalie.moviegoers, and told his marketing staff to hide from
Like all filmed on location movies there were logisticalthe public that the film was about Christmas.
problems. The sequence where Santa was taken toOne reference in the Miracle script that's now dated
Bellevue was done without permission. The famouswas when Kris Kringle's psychiatrist mentioned a man
hospital would not cooperate with Hollywood becausein Hollywood who passed himself off as Russian
they had been portrayed badly in earlier films, theyPrince and owned a restaurant. It was a dig at Mike
were not swayed by the sight of a sickly, freezingRomanoff, a colorful fraud whose Rodeo Drive eatery
cold Santa Claus (Edmund Gwenn) bundled up underwas a fun sanctuary for Hollywood's most notorious
blankets in a car, waiting to shoot his scenes. Thefigures. One night FBI head J. Edgar Hoover was dining
filmmakers were forced to shoot only the carat Romanoffs when he was approached by an actual
approaching the building's entrance and edit the restjewel thief named Swifty Morgan. "Like to buy these
later. Another difficulty was getting permission to shootgold cuff links?" Amused, Hoover offered $200. "Oh
the Macy's parade from the apartment dwellers oncome on John the reward is more than that!
34th street which had to be done right the first time,