One of the best Christmas movies of all time and one of my favorites was actually a summer blockbuster. “The picture was finished in February 1947,” wrote Maureen O’Hara, the film’s lead actress, in her autobiography published in 2004. “[Producer Darryl Zanuck] wasn’t sure it would be a success, and so he had it released in June, when movie attendance is highest, rather than wait for Christmas. In fact, the publicity campaign barely talked about Christmas at all.”
“Miracle on 34th Street,” a film so full of Christmas spirit that its youngest star mistook herself for the real Santa Claus, wasn’t originally marketed as a holiday film. In fact, it was released in the summer of 1947, rather than the months preceding Thanksgiving or Christmas.
O’Hara isn’t making this up. Early promotional materials for “Miracle on 34th Street” focused on O’Hara co-star John Payne’s smiling faces, with nary a snowflake between them. Natalie Wood and Edmund Gwenn, both of whom played Kris Kringle in the film, were relegated to the poster’s background.
Furthermore, the film’s promotional trailer does not feature any of the film’s actors and makes no mention of Christmas, Santa Claus, or anything else that would indicate the film’s holiday themes. Instead, viewers were treated to a short film in which a fictional Hollywood producer roams the studio’s backlot looking for ideas on how to market “Miracle on 34th Street” to the general public.
Rex Harrison and Anne Baxter, two actors who do not appear in the film, make cameo appearances to persuade the fictional producer of the film’s potential as a comedy, romance, or tearjerker. Finally, after some persuasion (and after actually watching the film), the producer is convinced that “Miracle on 34th Street” is his best film.
“Boys, we’ve got to get across to the public that that picture has everything,” he tells his colleagues. “Why, it’s hilarious! It’s romantic! It’s tender! It’s charming! It’s delightful! It’s exciting! And it’s groovy!”
Despite the film’s cloak-and-dagger approach to its holiday setting, it went on to become a box-office success after its initial release, trickling into more and more theaters over the next several months and remaining a draw during the holiday season.It even won three Oscars (and a nomination for Best Picture) at the 20th Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actor for Edmund Gwenn, whose portrayal of Kris Kringle convinced Natalie Wood, his young co-star, that he was the real deal.