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The Worst Film Ever

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

I watched this last night on television for the first time (I did not see it when it came out in 1973). It sticks to the basics of the story: a jolly, fat old man named Kris Kringle (now Sebastian Cabot) is hired by Karen Walker (now Jane Alexander) to replace a drunken Santa Clause at the Thanksgiving Day Parade that Macy's throws. Kringle proves such a wonderful Santa that Mr. Macy (David Doyle) hires him for the season. He soon becomes a fixture in the Department Store by his fresh honesty that brings in customers. He also becomes a fixture in the lives of Karen and her daughter Susan (Susan Davidson) and her neighbor Bill Schaffner (David Hartman), encouraging Susan to rid herself of the mother-imposed controls on her imagination and childhood spirit, and encouraging Bill and Karen to get together. The fly in the ointment is the skeptical reaction of Dr. Henry Sawyer (Roddy MacDonald here) who is certain that Kris must be a mental case, as he openly claims he is Santa Clause. Eventually all is led to an insanity hearing before a politically active Judge (here Tom Bosley) with the prosecution led by the District Attorney (James Gregory here). The results are the same as in the original film.Familiarity supposedly breeds contempt, but here it was accepted that the audience knew the story (most audiences are aware of all the best stories connected to Christmas that have been made into films). The results is the film is still good, even if some of the edge and drive of the 1947 version are lost. For example, a definite highpoint of the original was William Frawley's funny speech of warning to Judge Gene Lockhart to be extremely careful about handling the insanity hearing. Frawley looked and spoke like the old time political pro he is supposed to be, and delivers the speech with a chirping little smile that the audience appreciates and cheers on. That speech has been dropped here, and while Jason Wingreen (best recalled as "Harry" the bartender on ALL IN THE FAMILY and ARCHIE BUNKER'S PLACE) is fine he has no really good replacement speech. Certain characters seem wasted. Karen's assistant is played by Jim Backus, but he is never given any really memorable bit of business his comic and acting abilities deserve. The hearing is a closed one, and it lacks the noise and publicity the original film gave (which added to the pressures on Lockhart and the D.A. in that film, Jerome Cowan). Roland Winters is in this film as Mr. Gimble, and has one good scene besting his rival for publicity. But the character also ended up in the 1947 version testifying (as does Mr. Macy) at the hearing.The biggest change (and a flawed one) is Dr. Sawyer. In the original it was Porter Hall, who really had no right to call himself a doctor, as he was not a real therapist (he just fell into the job at Macy's). He is a spiteful, despicable little worm, who eventually finds that his own actions get out of hand and ruin him. Here MacDowell is shading the character a bit. He actually is a psychiatrist, and he does believe that Cabot is off the wall, but he is also angry at Cabot's contempt for him and humiliating him in public. Something could have been rewritten to allow him to come around to seeing Cabot was right (if rewriting was part of the plans of the production). Still for all these changes or deletions, as I said the film holds up well, and the cast gives it their all. So as far as remakes go it is a good one, and worth watching.

Mirricle is my favorite Christmas movie, the 1974 version i think is my least favorite but i have only seen it once a very long time ago. I just wish there was a set I could buy with all the versions on it, because sometimes I wish I could watch them all back to back. Just a thought corporate America PUT OUT A BOXED SET!!!!!!!! All of the versions have their strong suits. The original is the most widely recognized and beautifully written and I believe most everyones favorite, but I have never even seen the fifties TV version, and I would like that opportunity. The 74 version has some nostalgia for the people who saw it when they were little, and the most recent version is easier for small children to identify with. It would even be nice if they could have a version of the Broadway play but I doubt there are any copies of it running around.

This version is by far the best of Miracle on 34th Street! I like the original, but there was far too much 'acting', where in this version it was real. My children have asked many times why it is not shown any more, and where we could buy the DVD or download it if that fails. They would love for my grandchildren to see this version. One of my daughters could have been the little girl in this movie. She firmly believed in Santa Claus until she was 12, not the one at the mall or in the parades, but the real one that brought the presents that were under the tree on Christmas morning. We need to bring this version back to TV to bring magic back to Christmas.

With all of the comments about this version not being the original acknowledged, this one is still my favorite version of the story.Maybe its because I grew up with David Hartman on Good Morning America and in all those sappy commercials....or maybe its because I have always been a fan of Sebastian Cabot.Regardless, the update did a good job of bringing the story into the '70s and, even 30 years later, I find it comforting on the very rare occasion that it is shown during the Christmas season....Sebastian Cabot is fine throughout, and the updated setting, while not outshining the original, at least makes us feel like we could have been there.So, I wouldn't place it in my "top 10" list of movies, or even consider it any kind of competition with the original.But it does have its own, somewhat subdued, charm, and its always a pleasure to see Cabot in one of his later roles.