10 Little Known Facts About Your Favourite Christmas Films
8. Natalie Wood Thought Edmund Gwenn Was The Real Santa Claus - Miracle On 34th Street
Like many films that address the tricky existence issue (kids look away now), Miracle On 34th Street keeps things grounded in reality (look at the politics at work in the courtroom) and has the existence of Santa tied directly into the spirit of Christmas. Its now an essential holiday classic, but go watch an original trailer for the film and youll struggle to find any trace that the film is about Kris Kringle. In a marketing ploy that makes no sense, 20th Century Fox released the film in May, so naturally wanted to hide the films Christmassy slant. I know that risks making me a hypocrite given my earlier dismissing of Die Hard, but the best on screen representation of Santa Claus has my back. And Edmund Gwenn really is the best cinematic Santa weve had. Obviously he looks the part, with a real bushy beard and a slightly eccentric manner. The people watching the 1946 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade agree; to get the footage necessary for the film, Gwenn played Santa and was even introduced but Philip Tonge (toy department manager Shellhammer in the film). He also has the right feel too, to the extent where eight year old Natalie Wood, who plays Suzie, ignored the scepticism of her character in the script and actually believed Gwenn was the real deal. It must have been pretty crushing when she realised he really was just a nice old man with whiskers.
