Film is an exceptionally powerful medium. Not only does it have the ability to reach a large audience, it engages that audience in a unique way, appealing directly to the sentiments of those watching.

Miracle on 34th Street utilizes these aspects of film to create a story for the masses that speaks to the strong values of love and faith. Thus it has remained a classic in the realm of holiday movies for over half a century.

Released in May of 1947, Miracle on 34th Street tells the story of Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn), a jolly, white-bearded man hired last minute to fill in as the Santa Claus in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. He stays to take the position of the in-store Santa, and in doing so he befriends Susan Walker (Natalie Wood), a young girl who

has never believed in Santa. Kris Kringle claims to be the real Santa Claus, and amid his efforts to make a believer out of Susan, he encounters trouble and is put on trial for insanity. His defense attorney Fred Gailey (John Payne) takes it upon himself to prove that Kris is indeed Santa Claus, and in the process teaches everyone that "faith is believing when common sense tells you not to."

The parade sets the scene for this classic tale with an event that Americans have come to love, and Macy's, far from being a mere backdrop, is one of the film's stars. Journalist Stuart Elliot wrote in the New York Times in 1994 that "Indeed, Macy's presence in the movie was so pervasive that it seemed to foreshadow product placement, the contemporary practice in which studios charge fees to marketers and retailers to include their products and services in films." [1] Sure enough, shots are often shown in which the Macy's sign or name is prominently displayed across nearly half the screen. While it is unlikely that publicity was as much a concern as verisimilitude in the making of the film, Miracle on 34th Street has provided Macy's with constant advertisement since.

In addition to straight publicity, Miracle on 34th Street has immortalized Macy's as "the store with a heart." The image it portrays is one of a store officially run by a kindly 'Mr. Macy,' (a fictional owner given that the real Mr. Macy was deceased), and unofficially run by Santa himself, as he sets the store's practice of putting the spirit of Christmas ahead of profit. When Kris Kringle is put on trial, Macy's becomes 'the store that believes in Santa.' As NYC's Fashion Network Report publisher Alan G. Millstein speculated in the 1990's, the original Miracle on 34th Street "has probably brought Macy's more good will and publicity than tons of their advertising over the years."[2]

In 1994, this holiday classic was remade but with a new fictional department store in place of Macy's. Macy's declined the filmmaker John Hughes' request to feature the store because executives felt that the "original version--like our store in Herald Square--is a one-of-a-kind classic that just gets better with age." Hughes speculated that Macy's was actually uncomfortable with a new subplot that would have focused on the store having financial problems, but whether this is true or not is unclear. [3]

 

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[Images]
Miracle on 34th Street Movie Poster : courtesy of <http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00000K3CK/102-9549096-2062561?v=glance&n=130>
Miracle on 34th Street Video Clip: courtesy of <http://www.boxofficeprophets.com/tv/tv1208.asp>
Miracle on 34th Street Movie Poster: courtesy of <http://www.dvdtipps24.de/miracle-on-34th-street-%5Buk-import%5D.B00005NOM0.528098.html>
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[Citations]
[1]Stuart Elliot, "A New 'Miracle on 34th St.,' This Time Without Macy's," New York Times (1857-Current file), 18 November 1994, ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851-2002), D1, (6 December 2005).
[2] Stuart Elliot, "A New 'Miracle on 34th St.,' This Time Without Macy's," New York Times (1857-Current file), 18 November 1994, ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851-2002), D1, (6 December 2005).
[3] Stuart Elliot, "A New 'Miracle on 34th St.,' This Time Without Macy's," New York Times (1857-Current file), 18 November 1994, ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851-2002), D1, (6 December 2005).