Guide Note

Miracle on 34th Street is a 1994 remake of the 1947 classic Christmas film in which a young girl and her family discover that Santa Claus just might not be a fantasy.

Fast Facts

1. Release Date: November 18, 1994
2. Screen adaptation by John Hughes
3. Starring: Richard Attenborough, Elizabeth Perkins, Mara Wilson, Dylan McDermott, J.T. Walsh, Timothy Shea, James Remar, Jane Leeves, Simon Jones, William Windom
4. Rating: PG
5. Director: Les Mayfield
6. Run Time: 1 hour 54 minutes

The remake has a more serious tone than the original, and a large portion of the movie was rewritten. Although the majority of the plot and characters remained intact, the plot undergoes a major change with Kris manipulated as the result of a conspiracy between the drunken Santa fired at the beginning of the film and the agents of a retail competitor. Macy's refused to grant permission to use their name, and was replaced by the fictitional "Cole's". Gimbels no longer existed and was replaced with the fictional "Shopper's Express". Alvin Greenman, who played Alfred in the original version, was featured as the doorman.

1947: Original version was released on May 2, 1947, starring Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Edmund Gwenn, Natalie Wood, Porter Hall, William Frawley, Jerome Cowan, Philip Tonge, Alvin Greenman, Gene Lockhart, Harry Antrim, Herbert H. Heyes, James Seay, Thelma Ritter, Percy Helton, Ann Staunton, Bobby Hyatt, Jack Albertson and Guy Thomajan

1955: Television movie entitled The Miracle on 34th Street, starring Thomas Mitchell as Kris Kringle and Sandy Descher as Susan Walker aired as an episode of The 20th Century Fox Hour.

1959: Television movie starring Ed Wynn as Kris Kringle and featured Orson Bean broadcast live and in color on NBC the day after Thanksgiving.

1963: Broadway musical version entitled Here's Love was written by Meredith Willson.

1973: Television movie starring Jane Alexander, David Hartman, Roddy McDowall, Sebastian Cabot, Suzanne Davidson, Jim Backus, David Doyle and Tom Bosley.