Another free on Youtube movie that’s well worth a watch is the 1973 version of Miracle on 34th Street, a film that’s smart enough not to mess with the formula of the beloved 1947 original. This one, directed by Fielder Cook definitely has the look and feel of a cheaper TV production but strong performances, particularly from a spry Sebastian Cabot as jolly old Kris Kringle really help this one along. Full-voiced Cabot is convincing as Kringle and is almost everything you’d want a movie Santa to be, though I do find him to occasionally be a bit of bossy know-it-all.
I still have my issues with the plot that forces us to side with a guy who physically assaults someone. The ‘good guys’ also take advantage of a judge’s guilt to get him to admit that Santa is real and pretty much make a mockery of the entire American legal system. But hey, it’s Christmas! So, humbug to anyone who says Santa isn’t real.
There’s also a charming scene where Kringle sings a delightful Christmas bedtime song to precocious little magic-doubter Susan (Suzanne Davidson). This lovely moment is quite unexpected, yet fits the film so perfectly.
Davidson as Susan is ace, seeming mature beyond her years and very believable in her verbal sparring and chess matches against the grown ups. However - and I feel guilty for saying this -she’s just not as cute as she is in other versions, veering too far towards cocky ‘clever clogs’ than I’d have liked. But she’s a kid, so I’ll let her off with it and she's still ace.
Cook’s version also gains bonus points for having Happy Days’ Tom Bosley play the hapless judge stuck between a rock and a hard place. He’s got a job to do but nobody wants to be the guy who put Santa in jail. Bosley’s performance is full of funny little facial expressions that show just how exasperated he is with the whole thing. I especially enjoy the bit where the mailbags of letters to Santa are delivered to the court and the judge casually adds the two from his own grandkids to the pile.
It’s a fun film but the made-for-TV ‘70s aesthetic just isn’t as pleasing on the eye when you put it up against the lush black and white original or the glossier, more expensive ‘90s version. Though it all feels a little less ‘warm’, this is still a sweet tale with a touching message about keeping the magic of Christmas alive in our hearts.
Adding to my frustrations, our internet got cut off overnight - the idiots at our broadband provider think we’ve moved house already, despite our protestations that we most certainly have not. Thank god, then, for mobile phone data and the kindness of WiFi password-loaning next door neighbours that allow me to get onto Youtube and enjoy this one today. Just like this film, little acts of kindness help restore your faith in humanity.
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