Tacticalin
An absolute waste of money
Mabel Munoz
Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?
Yazmin
Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.
mark.waltz
Best known for his feisty role as Pop O'Hara in the epic "Gone With the Wind", Thomas Mitchell was a delightful character actor whose old world spirit made him a fan favorite. To be cast as Kris Kringle, the Macy's Santa who claims to be the real deal, was an inspired idea for T.V. anthology series, and he grabs the role with gusto just as young Sandy Descher does his beard. Equally as lovable but forgotten in this role thanks to the Oscar Winning performance of Edmund Gwenn, Mitchell is even more jolly thanks to his Irish charm and holiday spirit. Descher is perhaps a more natural actress than Natalie Wood who sometimes seemed forced and cloying in her attempts at acting. Teresa Wright lacks the warmth of Maureen O'Hara, even in that character's initial cynicism, you could tell that O'Hara was laying on her emotions while Ms. Wright is far less glamorous and thus seems icier even as the character warms up to Mitchell's charms.Taking over the John Payne part is that Mr. "Sands of the Hour Glass" himself, MacDonald Carey, who would dress up on occasion as "Days of Our Lives'" Tom Horton. His performance is nicely layered as he manages, along with Mitchell, to warm up Descher to the joys of childhood, and breaks through Wright's frozen form as he romances her much to Ms. Descher's delight. Also very funny are Hans Conried as the head of personnel, John Abbott as an ultra-nervous psychiatrist, Ray Collins as the perplexed judge and Don Beddoe as Mr. Macy himself. I am not much of a Santa Claus fan in the year 2015 as the obsession with going crazy to find the perfect gift and the lack of the real meaning of Christmas has been over-shadowed with his presence and not in the old-fashioned manner. However, in growing up, there was a correlation between Santa and the real meaning of Christmas, and here, it is given more than just the slightest hint that Santa believes in more than just gift giving, just as the hints would be made about the very first Christmas by Mickey Rooney's Santa in "Santa Claus is Coming to Town". This helped remind me of what joy I used to feel at Christmas and returned my somewhat missing holiday spirit. While this isn't a classic in the sense of the original version (and greatly overshadowed by it), it is certainly remarkable and nicely done in the sense that at this time, the movie had not been made ready for T.V. broadcast. Probably still shown in repeat movie theater runs, it would be held for years in addition to other holiday classics. So even at just 45 minutes, this is perfectly joyous and to see Mr. Macy and Mr. Gimble shaking hands and laughing over the irony of it really does bring out the true meaning of what the real Father Christmas wanted: Peace and joy and good will between men. If big business rivals can shake hands on the holidays, why can't the rest of us?
gavin6942
One Kris Kringle (Thomas Mitchell), a department-store Santa Claus, causes quite a commotion by suggesting customers go to a rival store for their purchases...So, of course, this is not as good as the original, which has since become one of the all-time Christmas classics. And unlike the original, which had a few names in it, this one really has no stars that anyone has ever heard of. And, yes, it does not look as good as the original because no one has bothered to remaster it.But for what it is, it is not a bad little film. If you want to watch the original story but do not have two hours, here you go: the basic plot in under an hour. I appreciated it, because sometimes you just do not want to invest that much time in television.
Michael_Elliott
Miracle on 34th Street (1955) *** (out of 4) Made-for-TV remake of the 1947 classic has Thomas Mitchell playing Kris Kringle who gets a job at Macy's where he tries to convince a non-believing mother (Teresa Wright) and her daughter (Sandy Descher) that he is real and there's nothing wrong in believing. This film doesn't come close to the 1947 movie and I'd say it also falls well short of the 1994 version but there's still enough here to make it worth viewing. Clocking in less than an hour, there's no doubt that the film flies by and I think the story itself is just so charming that it would be nearly impossible to mess it up. As with the earlier version, the story itself is just so good that even the most jaded adult will find themselves wanting to believe in Santa and that's why the story itself is so priceless. Another strong thing this version has going for it are the performances. Mitchell, best remembered for IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, does a very good job in the role of Santa. He's certainly looks the part quite well, which shocked me but he's also got that certain charm that was just made for the role of Santa. It also doesn't hurt that he too has the charm to make you want to believe the character really is Santa. Wright is also very good in her role as the mother who doesn't want to believe and Descher is good as the daughter, although her crying scenes aren't that impressive. Macdonald Carey plays the love interest/lawyer and Dick Foran makes an appearance as well. Again, there's certainly nothing ground-breaking about this version and if you must watch only one then it's best to go with the original but if you're curious about all the different versions out there or if this one here is just within reach of you, it's certainly worth viewing.
Ben Burgraff (cariart)
Thanks to the recent 'Special Edition' release of the 1947 classic "Miracle on 34th Street", this first 'remake' of the tale, included in the 'Special Features', is available for everyone to enjoy...and while it lacks the magic of the film, it is certainly entertaining in it's own right! There were, surprisingly, five versions of the Valentine Davies Christmas story produced over 47 years, each offering a different emotional 'spin' to the question, "Could Santa Exist in a Materialistic World?". The 1955 version, aired as an episode of "The 20th Century-Fox Hour", was certainly the closest in 'look' to the original (utilizing footage from the film, to help offset a tiny budget, and offering Herbert Heyes, reprising his role as Mr. Gimbel), and benefits from a first-rate cast of major stars (Teresa Wright and MacDonald Carey, who had worked together in Hitchcock's "Shadow of a Doubt", John Ford 'stock company' stars Thomas Mitchell and Dick Foran, Orson Welles' Mercury Theater alum Ray Collins, and veteran character actors Hans Conried and Whit Bissell). While 10-year-old Sandy Descher lacked the skeptical sweetness of Natalie Wood in the key role of young Susan, veteran director Robert Stevenson, juggling a large cast and short running time, kept things moving so quickly that her shortcomings were easily overlooked.I'm a great fan of Oscar-winner Thomas Mitchell, and his portrayal of Kris Kringle is a gem, but he seems more a bearded leprechaun than Santa Claus, with a 'snap salute' greeting, and Irish mischief concealed behind those twinkling eyes! In a major divergence from the film, he actually DOES strike Sawyer (John Abbott), in front of a roomful of children, for attacking his claim of being Santa Claus (which, in the original, was a trumped-up charge to get Kris committed). Edmund Gwenn's portrayal was, and still is, the yardstick by which all "Santa Clauses" are measured...and, truthfully, no one else has ever come close.The major problem in the 1955 production isn't in the casting, however; it is in the brevity. A magical story of renewing one's sense of wonder and innocence, of rediscovering love and why we need Santa Claus, requires time to unfold, and less than an hour simply isn't long enough! Despite all of the talent involved, this version never comes across as more than an 'abridged' copy of the original, and would be easily 'passed over' without it's classic ancestor's name attached to it. But it is still fun, and worth viewing!
