You only get one shot
20th Century Studios
Maureen O’Hara, who played Doris Walker in “Miracle on 34th Street,” has since opened up about the experience of filming the movie, which would you believe, served as a guiding light for David Harbour’s upcoming “Violent Night.” Walker, of course, was one of the main characters in the film — a divorcée with a precocious but slightly too cynical daughter named Susan (Natalie Wood). In the movie, Walker actually works for none other than Mr. R.H. Macy himself, and as such spends a lot of time in and around the flagship store and parade where she first discovers Gwenn’s Kris Kringle.
In her biography “‘Tis Herself,” O’Hara recalled how she was “urgently brought back to New York” to film at the Macy’s parade:
“They weren’t going to run the parade more than once on our account … It was a mad scramble to get all the shots we needed and we got to do each scene only once.”
Not only did the filmmakers have to shoot around the parade as it was happening, but they were also facing unwelcome weather conditions throughout. O’Hara remembered it being “bitterly cold” during filming of the parade scenes. In fact, the whole on-location production was plagued by bitter temperatures which at one point, as the official TCM website notes, caused the cameras to actually freeze during the shooting for the film’s finale.
Filming The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Was A ‘Frantic Scramble’ For The Miracle On 34th Street Crew
20th Century Studios
Is there a more perfect combination of capitalism and the more precious aspects of American life than the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade? Kindling festive excitement among the innocent children of the country is a wonderful thing, especially when it’s sponsored by a store that wants to turn a decent profit for Christmas. As cynical as you want to be about it, there’s no denying the annual event has become a beloved part of the holiday season stateside, signaling the immaculate melding of corporate interests with the human capacity for joy.
But believe it or not, before 1947 the parade didn’t quite have the national recognition it does now. It wasn’t until George Seaton’s equally beloved interpretation of Valentine Davies’ story “Miracle on 34th Street” hit theaters that the parade began being broadcast nationwide. The holiday classic not only spread a heartwarming message of hope, but also thrust Macy’s and its festive procession into the public consciousness with its opening scenes depicting Edmund Gwenn’s Kris Kringle waving to the crowds. To get these important shots, Seaton actually shot on location in New York rather than using any kind of visual effects to impose Gwenn over pre-shot footage. But as you might expect, filming on-location proved to be somewhat of a mad dash for the film’s crew, who had to fit their shots around the actual 1946 parade schedule.
But believe it or not, before 1947 the parade didn’t quite have the national recognition it does now. It wasn’t until George Seaton’s equally beloved interpretation of Valentine Davies’ story “Miracle on 34th Street” hit theaters that the parade began being broadcast nationwide. The holiday classic not only spread a heartwarming message of hope, but also thrust Macy’s and its festive procession into the public consciousness with its opening scenes depicting Edmund Gwenn’s Kris Kringle waving to the crowds.
To get these important shots, Seaton actually shot on location in New York rather than using any kind of visual effects to impose Gwenn over pre-shot footage. But as you might expect, filming on-location proved to be somewhat of a mad dash for the film’s crew, who had to fit their shots around the actual 1946 parade schedule.
You only get one shot
Maureen O’Hara, who played Doris Walker in “Miracle on 34th Street,” has since opened up about the experience of filming the movie, which would you believe, served as a guiding light for David Harbour’s upcoming “Violent Night.” Walker, of course, was one of the main characters in the film — a divorcée with a precocious but slightly too cynical daughter named Susan (Natalie Wood). In the movie, Walker actually works for none other than Mr. R.H. Macy himself, and as such spends a lot of time in and around the flagship store and parade where she first discovers Gwenn’s Kris Kringle.
In her biography “‘Tis Herself,” O’Hara recalled how she was “urgently brought back to New York” to film at the Macy’s parade:
“They weren’t going to run the parade more than once on our account … It was a mad scramble to get all the shots we needed and we got to do each scene only once.”
Not only did the filmmakers have to shoot around the parade as it was happening, but they were also facing unwelcome weather conditions throughout. O’Hara remembered it being “bitterly cold” during filming of the parade scenes. In fact, the whole on-location production was plagued by bitter temperatures which at one point, as the official TCM website notes, caused the cameras to actually freeze during the shooting for the film’s finale.
In her biography “‘Tis Herself,” O’Hara recalled how she was “urgently brought back to New York” to film at the Macy’s parade:
Not only did the filmmakers have to shoot around the parade as it was happening, but they were also facing unwelcome weather conditions throughout. O’Hara remembered it being “bitterly cold” during filming of the parade scenes. In fact, the whole on-location production was plagued by bitter temperatures which at one point, as the official TCM website notes, caused the cameras to actually freeze during the shooting for the film’s finale.
“They weren’t going to run the parade more than once on our account … It was a mad scramble to get all the shots we needed and we got to do each scene only once.”
An unbeatable classic
Compare that to the 1947 movie where crowds were treated to star Edmund Gwenn as the actual Macy’s parade Santa and it’s easy to see why the original retains such charm. With Hollywood being the way it is, we’ll likely see several more attempts at a remake in future years, but there’ll be no need. As Macy’s said in a statement in 1994, when refusing to take part in Hughes’ version of the film: “We feel the original stands on its own and could not be improved upon.”
