Marketic It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

ShangLuda Admirable film.

Invaderbank The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

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

mark.waltz Best known for his feisty role as Pop O'Hara in the epic "Gone With the Wind", Thomas Mitchell was a delightful character actor whose old world spirit made him a fan favorite. To be cast as Kris Kringle, the Macy's Santa who claims to be the real deal, was an inspired idea for T.V. anthology series, and he grabs the role with gusto just as young Sandy Descher does his beard. Equally as lovable but forgotten in this role thanks to the Oscar Winning performance of Edmund Gwenn, Mitchell is even more jolly thanks to his Irish charm and holiday spirit. Descher is perhaps a more natural actress than Natalie Wood who sometimes seemed forced and cloying in her attempts at acting. Teresa Wright lacks the warmth of Maureen O'Hara, even in that character's initial cynicism, you could tell that O'Hara was laying on her emotions while Ms. Wright is far less glamorous and thus seems icier even as the character warms up to Mitchell's charms.Taking over the John Payne part is that Mr. "Sands of the Hour Glass" himself, MacDonald Carey, who would dress up on occasion as "Days of Our Lives'" Tom Horton. His performance is nicely layered as he manages, along with Mitchell, to warm up Descher to the joys of childhood, and breaks through Wright's frozen form as he romances her much to Ms. Descher's delight. Also very funny are Hans Conried as the head of personnel, John Abbott as an ultra-nervous psychiatrist, Ray Collins as the perplexed judge and Don Beddoe as Mr. Macy himself. I am not much of a Santa Claus fan in the year 2015 as the obsession with going crazy to find the perfect gift and the lack of the real meaning of Christmas has been over-shadowed with his presence and not in the old-fashioned manner. However, in growing up, there was a correlation between Santa and the real meaning of Christmas, and here, it is given more than just the slightest hint that Santa believes in more than just gift giving, just as the hints would be made about the very first Christmas by Mickey Rooney's Santa in "Santa Claus is Coming to Town". This helped remind me of what joy I used to feel at Christmas and returned my somewhat missing holiday spirit. While this isn't a classic in the sense of the original version (and greatly overshadowed by it), it is certainly remarkable and nicely done in the sense that at this time, the movie had not been made ready for T.V. broadcast. Probably still shown in repeat movie theater runs, it would be held for years in addition to other holiday classics. So even at just 45 minutes, this is perfectly joyous and to see Mr. Macy and Mr. Gimble shaking hands and laughing over the irony of it really does bring out the true meaning of what the real Father Christmas wanted: Peace and joy and good will between men. If big business rivals can shake hands on the holidays, why can't the rest of us?

MartinHafer This is a television version of "Miracle on 34th Street". In most ways, it's the 1947 film all over again but with a few plot lines eliminated and an insanely fast delivery. The actors literally deliver their lines at break-neck speed--and it makes for a curious and unimpressive film. In no way at all is the film better than the classic version--and in most ways it is inferior. While Macdonald Carey and Theresa Wright try their best, they just aren't as good as John Payne and Maureen O'Hara. The same can be said for Santa. While Thomas Mitchell was okay--he just wasn't as sweet and wonderful as Edmund Gwen. However, the biggest difference is little Susan Walker. While Sandy Descher was competent, she wasn't even close to Natalie Wood--who delivered one of the best performances of a child in any film of the era.So, if this film is based very closely on the original, is VERY rushed and in no way is as good, you may be tempted to say 'why bother watching this 1955 version?'--and I'd insist that you are 100% correct! An odd curio but nothing more.

FlushingCaps Condensing one of my favorite film's--the 1947 version, into a 45-minute show had to be a mistake. Scenes that made the original great were omitted or condensed. One of everyone's favorite scenes in the original was when they hauled in all those bags of mail in the court room. This quickie version had just two men shown bringing in mailbags! The opening where Kris had applied and been hired for the job of Santa instead of filling in on an emergency basis definitely started this train going off the tracks and it became a total train wreck with the added scene described by other reviewers here.The original had a scene in Sawyer's office where Kris, frustrated, gave him a light tap with his cane. Most viewers could easily side with him at that point. This 1955 version has it played where Kris gives a full overhead swing clobbering Sawyer on his head from behind, in front of a room full of children and their parents.I cannot picture any type of Santa Claus viciously clubbing someone in front of a bunch of children. To me, this changed the whole tone of the show.Even without that scene, the rest of this show seemed speeded up. My DVR can play things where you hear everything but it runs faster than it took to record. I kept checking to make sure I wasn't doing this by accident.The scenes they took out were instrumental in making the original a great movie. I imagine most anyone seeing this version first would have no interest in watching any of the other fine versions that got the full treatment. As presented, the show is disturbing and lacks most of the charm of the original.

Ben Burgraff (cariart) Thanks to the recent 'Special Edition' release of the 1947 classic "Miracle on 34th Street", this first 'remake' of the tale, included in the 'Special Features', is available for everyone to enjoy...and while it lacks the magic of the film, it is certainly entertaining in it's own right! There were, surprisingly, five versions of the Valentine Davies Christmas story produced over 47 years, each offering a different emotional 'spin' to the question, "Could Santa Exist in a Materialistic World?". The 1955 version, aired as an episode of "The 20th Century-Fox Hour", was certainly the closest in 'look' to the original (utilizing footage from the film, to help offset a tiny budget, and offering Herbert Heyes, reprising his role as Mr. Gimbel), and benefits from a first-rate cast of major stars (Teresa Wright and MacDonald Carey, who had worked together in Hitchcock's "Shadow of a Doubt", John Ford 'stock company' stars Thomas Mitchell and Dick Foran, Orson Welles' Mercury Theater alum Ray Collins, and veteran character actors Hans Conried and Whit Bissell). While 10-year-old Sandy Descher lacked the skeptical sweetness of Natalie Wood in the key role of young Susan, veteran director Robert Stevenson, juggling a large cast and short running time, kept things moving so quickly that her shortcomings were easily overlooked.I'm a great fan of Oscar-winner Thomas Mitchell, and his portrayal of Kris Kringle is a gem, but he seems more a bearded leprechaun than Santa Claus, with a 'snap salute' greeting, and Irish mischief concealed behind those twinkling eyes! In a major divergence from the film, he actually DOES strike Sawyer (John Abbott), in front of a roomful of children, for attacking his claim of being Santa Claus (which, in the original, was a trumped-up charge to get Kris committed). Edmund Gwenn's portrayal was, and still is, the yardstick by which all "Santa Clauses" are measured...and, truthfully, no one else has ever come close.The major problem in the 1955 production isn't in the casting, however; it is in the brevity. A magical story of renewing one's sense of wonder and innocence, of rediscovering love and why we need Santa Claus, requires time to unfold, and less than an hour simply isn't long enough! Despite all of the talent involved, this version never comes across as more than an 'abridged' copy of the original, and would be easily 'passed over' without it's classic ancestor's name attached to it. But it is still fun, and worth viewing!