Miracle on 34th Street (1973)

Absolutely Fantastic

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

BEWARE OF FALSE REVIEWS & REVIEWERS. SOME REVIEWERS HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW TO THEIR NAME. NOW WHEN ITS A POSITIVE REVIEW THAT TELLS ME THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE MOVIE. IF ITS A NEGATIVE REVIEW THEN THEY MIGHT HAVE A GRUDGE AGAINST THE FILM . NOW I HAVE REVIEWED OVER 300 HOLIDAY FILMS & SPECIALS. I HAVE NO AGENDA.A department store Santa (Sebastian Cabot) hired by divorced mother Karen (Jane Alexander) tells Karen's daughter, Susan (Suzanne Davidson), that he is the real Kris Kringle. He also sends children to the store's competitors for lower prices. When a psychiatrist (Roddy McDowall) employed by the store questions Kringle's sanity and ends up committing him to an asylum, Karen's attorney friend Bill (David Hartman) seeks to free Kringle by proving in the courtroom that he's really Santa Claus.This is nice production of the often told tale. There has been it least 3 television productions and 2 theatrical films that I am aware of. This production is good but the treat is seeing all the old familiar faces. The casting of this film makes the whole film worth watching!

My dad Marvin "Corky" Corcoran Sr. worked at Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. and was the Head Pilot for these Balloons when this movie came out. We still have the movie today. My dad and Sabaston Cabot didn't get along at all in fact. Sabaston Cabot kept poking those balloons with his umbrella. My dad politely asked him not to do that cause he would punch a hole right through them!!! Well needles to say he did it again and him and my dad got into a really big argument and He never poked another balloon again!! The NYPD told him that if he did he was going straight to jail!!! I never cared for him before this happened but sure didn't care for him when my dad got home and told us how ignorant he was!!!!

I thought the Thomas Mitchell version as OK as we'll, while Richard Attenborough's left a bitter taste in my mouth. What stood out was that it's set up blended so well into the 70's era. I confess, I always thought of David Hartman as a newsman, but here I realize he wasn't a bad actor at all. Cabot's Santa? Loved him! Convincingly kind and gentle, and showed brilliant Santa magic. In some ways it does feel like you'd get lost following this if you didn't already know the story, because you don't get a lot to tell you just what the characters as set up are all about, and you don't get hardly any exposition of Karen Walker as an unbeliever, but familiarity saves it. As well, I feel like i wouldn't like it as much if not for wanting some reprieve from the forced resolution I got out of the Attenborough version. The Post Office miracle doesn't feel as brilliant, but still different enough to feel fresh, a nd believable enough to appreciate as a miracle. I won't put as much diligence into making this a Christmas season must-see, but I'll definitely get to a point where it feels like another go is in order. Not a bad version at all.

With all of the comments about this version not being the original acknowledged, this one is still my favorite version of the story.Maybe its because I grew up with David Hartman on Good Morning America and in all those sappy commercials....or maybe its because I have always been a fan of Sebastian Cabot.Regardless, the update did a good job of bringing the story into the '70s and, even 30 years later, I find it comforting on the very rare occasion that it is shown during the Christmas season....Sebastian Cabot is fine throughout, and the updated setting, while not outshining the original, at least makes us feel like we could have been there.So, I wouldn't place it in my "top 10" list of movies, or even consider it any kind of competition with the original.But it does have its own, somewhat subdued, charm, and its always a pleasure to see Cabot in one of his later roles.