But is he actually Santa??- MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET (1947) FIRST TIME REACTION 

The postal worker who tells his boss about a brilliant idea to get rid of the mail is Jack Albertson. He plays Grandpa Jo in "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" and Manny Rosen in "The Poseidon Adventure"

To answer your headliner question: The movie leaves it open for the viewer to decide for themselves whether he is or not. At the very least, I think it's implied that it's highly probable. The man-- Mr. Galey-- is a *_neighbor_* who is interested in the mom and cares about the child (this is established when he is first mentioned by the housekeeper as the one who was looking after Susan). And he is a lawyer by profession.

Maureen O'Hara (the mother) is a Hollywood legend. She starred in 65 films including The Quiet Man and McClintock with John Wayne. One of my favorites is the 1991 film Only The Lonely as John Candy's mother. Her daughter is played by Natalie Wood. She was mostly big during the 50's and 60's. Her tragic death in 1981 from drowning created a lot of mystery and speculation.

After this movie came out, Macy's actually did have a policy of keeping information on other stores for their customers. I grew up in New York, and when I was a little kid I remember going to see Santa at Macy's. They still had those books.

This movie inexplicably was originally released in the spring! In April! Can you believe that? Little Natalie Wood had a long career, appearing in many classics (the original "West Side Story", for instance) before coming to a tragic end (not to be a bummer). You can see how great she is, right from this early role, she's so cool. And do I think he's really Santa? Hmmmm. I don' t know, but I will say this:if there is a Santa, it's Edmund Gwynn! :D

Mr. Gwynn won the Oscar that year for his performance!

This is a must see every Christmas season. Another holiday movie that is often overlooked because the story does not revolve around Christmas itself is "It Happened on Fifth Avenue" (also made in 1947) which is another light "winter in New York" story and like "Miracle" has meaningful lessons underneath.

They explain who Mr. Gailey is. You just have to pay attention.

I just turned 37, and I STILL believe in Santa Claus!

Little Natalie Wood was so cute!

You asked: "Did you used to believe in Santa?" What do you mean "used to"? You must have gotten that hat from your Grandma in Canada so you could visit her in the winter ;) Because one does not think of "California" when they see that hat. Entertaining as per usual Kay! I'll put in a good word for you with Santa. You've been a very good girl in sharing these videos with us.

They know each other because they're neighbours

I just rewatched this wonderful movie tonight. One of my top 3 favorite Christmas movies of all time.

So nice to see William Farley Fred Mertz from i love Lucy in another role.

The little girl was played by Natalie Wood, who, as a teenager starred in "Rebel Without A Cause" with James Dean. She drowned in 1981 when she fell off her yacht while her husband, Robert Wagner and her lover (Christopher Wslken) fought over her. There was a remake in 1973 then again in 1994. The 1994 version starred Richard Attenborough (Jurassic Park),Mara Wilson (Matilds) and Elixabeth Perkins (Big).

Understandable that you don't recognize the actors. This was from a long time ago. Edmund Gwenn (Kris) did a wide range of characterizations. He was Mr. Bennet in a version of "Pride and Prejudice." Also showed up in "Them!" and in "The Trouble With Harry." Maureen O'Hara (the mom) played the roles that James Harper mentioned below (all of which might be good to make a reaction to), but I remember her best as the mom in Disney's "The Parent Trap" which I saw in the theater when I was 10. She was also in the tear-jerker "How Green Was My Valley." William Frawley (the Judge's advisor) did have a long career, and was most famous for "I Love Lucy." But he finished off as Bub in "My Three Sons," also a very good show. No one has mentioned Gene Lockhart (the Judge). He had a long career too. He's the father of June Lockhart (the mom in "Lassie"). He, his actress wife and his daughter June all appeared in a version of "A Christmas Carol."

My favorite, all time Christmas Movie.

🥰 i love that movie ,, one of the best

Hey Kay, interesting story; this guy & girl recently undertook a project st the Chapel of the Pines columbarium in LA & went through all 5 vaults chock full of cremated remains, many of which were of famous golden era of Hollywood stars & they organized them & digitally recorded them & repaired ones damaged from flooding, they also raised money & placed remains in new niches for famous stars that were really deserved, but most importantly they found in a beautiful brass earn with a name plate the remains of Edmund Gwenn that had been lost since he died in 1959!!! Edmund played Santa in Miracle on 34th Street!!! They found it in the last vault thinking he'd been lost forever!!! I believe he now is upstairs and has a niche with memorabilia that the public can visit in the columbarium now!!! Just an interesting side note!

If you haven't seen it yet, you should check out It's a Wonderful Life, another Christmas classic about how one person can make a difference.

Imagination is important. Speaking of... don't forget to leave a razor and shaving cream on the bathroom sink for the "Gilded Yak" on Christmas Eve.

This is a great movie. I’m glad that you had a chance to watch it. Nice hat by the way.

Yes...this is the real Santa.

He is the REAL Santa who plays a Department Store Santa.

I still believe in santa

I adore this film The court scene (resolution) is far superior to the remake

The book 'Miracle on 34th Street' was actually an adaptation of the film, probably one of the first instances of that happening. The parade sequences were actually filmed during the set-up for the actual Macy parade. The ending is not all that vague. It's obviously Kris' cane that they see by the fireplace. Edmund Gwen was the perfect Kris Kringle. His performance was strong, but understated. There have been two remakes, but neither even came close to having the charm of the original.

They didn't have Malls at this time

Every thanksgiving I wake up early and get my thanksgiving meal going and I always put on this movie to get off the holidays love it happy holidays and yes he is Santa to me

Great reaction Kay! So glad I subscribed.

"Kids don't read papers, or news." Actually, you're wrong. There wasn't TV then, just radio. Reading was big. Even as late as the 60s, we'd grab the paper from my dad when he came home from work. True, I was mostly interested in the comics and the movie & TV listings, but I would certainly notice big headlines and ask about them.

I still want to see a cross-over, "Miracle on Elm Street" Freddy gets his arse kicked by Santa. ;) AKA "Freddy Finally Gets the Mittens He Wanted as a Boy". ;)

FYI, the first Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade was in 1924. It was already a big deal when this movie came out (although it had been on hiatus during World War II). Modern audiences don't realize how progressive this movie was. The year is 1947 but Maureen O'Hara's character is not only a woman in a higher level position of a famous national retail chain, but she's also a divorcee which was a big social taboo at the time.

I went to see Santa 🎅 once as a child and he was " feeding his reindeer " at which point I was far more interested in seeing them 😅. I was so disappointed that they didn't let me see them 😔 😞.

So happy to see a reaction to this. Easily my favorite Christmas movie of all time. I've seen it so much that every second of it is practically engraved on my soul. And Edmund Gwenn has always been my image of Santa (it's so strange seeing him in other movies without the beard). The ending is vague, and even after decades I'm not completely sure what the last scene means. Everything online is just speculation it seems. So yeah, you're gonna have that mystery for the rest of your life lol. I always liked to think he was the real deal. On top of everything else this movie's a nice taste of old New York City. It is funny to see how people back in those days were apparently comfortable letting their kids get babysat by a random lawyer in their apartment building. Literally would never happen today. And usually I don't like colorizing old black & white movies, but since I grew up watching the color version of this one, I can't go back to the b&w.

As a child I did believe in Santa Claus.

Nice hat and vid Ms. Kay! 😊

You should see the Pride and Prejudice witn Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier.

The first guy you were talking about That is Mr Gailey he is a Lawyer and lived in the same APT Building as susan and her mother . There is your answer.

I don’t know if they still do it now but for the longest time, Macy’s actually did recommend other stores that would have the exact gifts the customers were looking for during the Christmas season. It was part of the store’s success. The movie was a low key fictional origin story to the store policy.

I tend not to be over critical so I'll try to be diplomatic. The characters aren't hard to figure out and in any case are identified by who they are and what they do. If you missed that it's because you're not paying close enough attention. ( and if it's a problem back it up and reorient yourself ). No, he's not Santa and avoiding the trickier questions allows the audience to maintain the fantasy. As for the message, it does still resonate. Indeed, if you go in to any Macy's at Christmas time, among the decorations you see the single word "Believe", an enduring reference to this story.

just a suggestion if nobody has mentioned it....how the grinch stole christmas...the original Boris Karloff animated is always a must watch for me during the season....Jim Carrey tried with the movie but something about the original always gets me....cheers

Can you PLEASE react to SANTA CLARITA DIET & WRECKED? 2 brilliant sitcoms with ONLY 30episodes/20min long so you can finish both really fast! Plus no other youtuber has reacted to them yet so you would have the exclusive content! And for a show I highly reccomend IMPOSTERS (20ep) & MISFITS (38ep)! I bet you would love them and I would love to see your reaction! 😍

7:26 a Dutch orphan in 1947, chances are her parents were murdered by nazis

A cute holidy story, it's been remade many times over the yrs but I still like watching this one each year.

there are a few remakes of this. One changed quite a bit.

Instead of a little Dutch girl, the 1994 version of this movie has Santa using sign language to speak to a deaf child - which just isn't nearly as magical. I'm sure it's much more common for a department store Santa to know how to sign than know the Dutch language - its not nearly as common as French or Spanish.

The guy is Uncle Fred. Think about that.

I think Fred Gailey was Doris Walker's next door neighbor

Yeah an timeless Christmas Classic. Probably almost second to It's An Wonderful Life (1946) even though it isn't excalty an Christmas movie but has been label one and still an masterpiece. And the original more classy than the 1994 version. Take Note: if you ever growing an beard never blow bubble gum. 😂

I believe. 😄

So heartwarming :). Love it maybe after the holidays you could watch George of the jungle 2 as a suggestion. Your work is remarkable and you choose simply the best movies and everyone loves it be sure to keep fulfilling your passion and Merry Christmas :)

A nice little story, as you say, about imagination and faith. By the way, many smiles from you during this reaction. It was quite pleasant. ... One change the remake made that I liked was about the little girl who spoke Dutch in the original. In the remake she was deaf and Santa knew ASL. It's probably far too late for this year, but I wanted to make two recommendations for at least next year. #kayreacts Joyeau Noel, based on the unofficial 1914 Christmas truce, and #kayreacts The Ref, one of Denis Leary's first dramatic roles. Rather a bit of dramedy & a personal favorite.

It’s A Wonderful Life is the best Christmas movie ever made. Check it out.

I love your reactions but I only like some of the material you react to, so it's good to be able to watch you react to this classic.

This is my all-time favorite movie.

For God's sake!!!!! Je is the neighbor. And is interested in the mother

Saaaaaaaaanta!

3:58 I just realized how horrible it must be to be a little kid growing up in today's modern hellscape where your parents are soyface bugman redditors and shrill angry social media addicts 🤣🤣🤣

Freudian shrinks----messing with people's heads since, seemingly forever---although without mommy and daddy issues, half of today's TV crime procedurals wouldn't have a motive for murder/other crimes. As for the spring release, there are a few explanations, though the most likely one is that studios back then often released films in selected large markets during the summer months to generate buzz before national release (sometimes called road-show marketing----this is before widespread TV and other more modern media, so movies often thrived from word-of-mouth). I prefer the anecdote that at some board meeting, Fox studio head Daryl Zanuck said release it in June because people are more likely to go to the movies in warm weather, regardless of the fact that the film was pretty much 100 percent Christmas in setting and tone once they got past the Thanksgiving parade. Zanuck was probably right, as modern medicine wasn't fully modern, and people feared "drafts" and other ills in cold weather more than they do today, as treatments for conditions like pneumonia weren't as advance as they are today.

You asked who among your viewers believe or believed in Santa Claus. I don't remember ever believing in him. Perhaps because I was raised going to church, and so Christmas meant something different.

Cute hat.

i believe in the spirit of santa clause of giving, and having a meal with your loved ones. but it was fun as a child waking up christmas morning seeing the presents from santa and opening gifts with my mom and dad in my family house that i grew up in the 70s.

sad to think of parents not letting kids believe in Santa. Seems like more harm to the kids forcing them not to believe (when most everyone else their age do believe in Santa)

I honestly can't recall if I've ever believed in Santa. If I did, I must have been very little. I imagine the magic goes away when you find gifts hidden in a closet. Also, why are Santa's elves making brand name toys? That's another lawsuit.

Your generation need you learn classic actors.

Jesus Christ he's their neighbor, they set that up about as clear as possible. Jesus christ

Hello

Of course Santa is real, duh!

Best if you pause the film when you make comments. It seems you cannot keep track of the storyline and ask questions already answered while the film is running.

There's a difference between "letting a child have fantasies" and promoting the fantasies to them yourself. Children are quite capable of enjoying fantasies without believing they're real, just like adults do. As a kid, I loved Bugs Bunny cartoons, but I never once thought Bugs Bunny was real. I just couldn't ever justify lying to a kid that Santa is real. How is lying ever a good thing?

Hello