“Miracle” On NBC Radio

In 1947, 20th Century Fox released Miracle on 34th Street, the Christmas comedy-drama written and directed by George Seaton and based on a story by Valentine Davies. (Davies came up with the idea for the script while fighting Christmas shopping crowds trying to find a gift.the commercialism made him wonder what the real Santa Claus would make of the bedlam.)

Edmund Gwenn plays Kris Kringle, the Macy’s department store Santa Claus who claims to be the real St. Nick. (Gwenn gained 30 pounds to play the role.) When Kringle is institutionalized as insane, attorney Fred Gailey (played by John Payne) comes to his defense and proves that he is indeed the real Santa Claus.

Others in the cast include Maureen O’hara as Doris Walker, the store’s event director, and Natalie Wood as her young daughter Susan.

The film was a hit and went on to win three Academy Awards, including a Best Supporting Actor win for Gwenn. It has become a perennial favorite at Christmastime.

Two years after the film’s release, NBC gave the nation a Christmas gift by presenting a radio re-enactment of Miracle on 34th Street on Screen Directors Playhouse. For this prestigious radio series, a popular movie was dramatized each week, oftentimes with one or more stars from the film reprising their roles. As an added component, the film’s director would usually be on hand to serve as guest host and also participate in an interview toward the end of the broadcast.

On the evening of Dec. 23, 1949, Gwenn stepped before the NBC microphones to re-create his Academy Awardwinning performance of Kris Kringle. Seaton was heard as guest director and host.

Side note: According to Natalie Wood’s biographer, during the filming of Miracle on 34th Street, the young actress was convinced that Gwenn

actually Santa Claus. It wasn’t until she saw him out of costume at the wrap party that she realized he wasn’t Santa.