Miracle On 34th Street (1955)

A bitter divorcee (Teresa Wright), who works at Macy's department store, dissuades her daughter (Sandy Descher) from believing in fairy tales and myths like Santa Claus. But when she hires an elderly gentleman (Thomas Mitchell) to play Santa Claus during the Christmas shopping season, he insists that he is the real Santa Claus and he attempts to turn the daughter into a believer. Directed by Robert Stevenson (MARY POPPINS), this television adaptation of the popular 1947 movie is a serviceable substitute, at least for me. I'm not the greatest fan of the 1947 film. With a shorter running time, it gets the job done by cutting down on the heavy doses of sentimentality. If you have a great affection for the 1947 movie, you'll most likely find this remake unnecessary. It was remade again in 1959 with Ed Wynn, 1973 with Sebastian Cabot and 1994 with Richard Attenborough and in 1963 as a Broadway musical called HERE'S LOVE. With Macdonald Carey, Dick Foran, Hans Conreid and Whit Bissell.