It's in B&W? Miracle on 34th Street (1947) | First Time Watching | Movie Reaction 

That's the magic of black-and-white movies: when they're well-made and well-filmed, your brain literally stops even noticing the lack of color. And some black and white movies actually BENEFIT from the lack of color; movies like Casablanca use shadows and moody vibes that only get stronger when seen in black and white. Great reaction as always! :) EDIT: I also love that this movie features a single working mother, and she's not portrayed as a bad Mom - just an overprotective one who's been hurt in the past.

Here's a loose translation from Kris Kringle and the Dutch girl. One note - in Dutch, the idea of Sinterklaas is more closely related to St. Nicholas (hence why it won't be listed as "Santa Claus" in this translation). Kris: Hello! I'm glad you came by! Girl: Oh! You *are* Sinterklaas! Kris: But of course! Girl: I knew it! I was sure that would understand! Kris: Naturally! Tell me what you'd like from Sinterklaas! Girl: Nothing! I have a lot of things. I only want to stay with this lovely lady. Kris: Do you want to sing something for me? Both: (the song) Sinterklaas, you little rascal, put something in my little shoe. Put something in my little boot. Thank you, Sinterklaas! Even more incredibly, the actress, Marlene Lyden, was American. She learned her lines by rote.

Natalie Wood was such a great child actress...and remained a great actress throughout her career.

Edmund Gwenn won a best supporting actor for this and said "Now I know there's a Santa Claus!" Also, Gwenn was actually Santa in the Macy's parade in 1946 for this film. And FYI, amid the legal errors in the film, they did get one thing right: in NY, the lower level trial court is called the Supreme Court, and what other states call the Supreme Court is in fact known as the Appellate Division.

Speaking of Oldest movies.... Mr Smith Goes to Washington is a must.

Susan Walker was played by Natale Wood. She was a brilliant child actor always in demand. She was making two other films while she starred in 34th street. She was popular throughout her career, but it really took off in the 60's and 70's making her an A List Star. She tragically died in 1981 drowning off the coast of Catalina.

People were used to sharing an apartment or even a room with practical strangers during the war, especially in a pricey housing/rental market like NYC. The way-too-shortlived series Agent Carter started in 1946 and had Peggy Carter sharing her efficiency apartment with another young woman. They had alternating work shifts, so they even shared the same bed, just sleeping in it at different times of the day/night. Not all that unusual at the time.

Trivia for Miracle on 34th Street: 1. Released in 1947; written and directed by George Seaton, from a story by Valentine Davies. 2. Miracle on 34th Street was nominated for 4 Oscars in 1947 - Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Edmund Gwenn as Kris Kringle), Best Writing, Original Story (Valentine Davies), and Best Screenplay (George Seaton). The writing rules were different back then. It won in three of the four - both writing categories, and Edmund Gwenn won for Supporting Actor. It didn't win Best Picture, however - that went to a film called Gentleman's Agreement. 3. The post office mail sorter was played by Jack Albertson, who is most known for his role as Grandpa Joe in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. 4. Some argue that Maureen O'Hara (Doris, the mom) was among the best actresses who never was nominated for an Oscar in their careers. Of course, they're subjective, and not everything, but it's always nice when you can have it. She was originally born in Dublin, Ireland, and was set to return there to help her family pick itself back up after World War II, but read the script, came back to the United States, and did the film. 5. Natalie Wood (Susan) was doing two films at the same time - Miracle on 34th Street and a supernatural thriller film called The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. She would finish one project, head next door to the other studio, and do the other one right after. 6. Natalie Wood was born Natalie Zacharenko in San Francisco in 1938. Her parents were Russian and fled from the Bolsheviks during the 1917 Russian Civil War. She also briefly went by the name "Natalie Gurdin." The stage name "Natalie Wood" was an homage to director Sam Wood, one of the well-known names in Hollywood at the time. Her sister Lana Wood (born Svetlana Gurdin) is also an actress. 7. Sadly, Natalie Wood is also known for her mysterious death in November 1981. She was shooting a film called Brainstorm, which was going to be her comeback vehicle after taking time off to raise a family, when she drowned during a boat trip to Santa Catalina Island. I won't go into the details, because it would take too long, but to this day, it remains controversial and mysterious. 8. Funnily enough, the film was released on June 11, 1947, because producer Daryl F. Zanuck claimed more people would go to the movies during the summertime. The trailer made no mention of its Christmas themes to keep the audience in suspense. 9. In order to get approval from the notoriously stingy Production Code Administration, which wouldn't show films deemed as "immoral," the title was changed several times. "Miracle on 34th Street" was once titled "My Heart Tells Me" and "The Big Heart," among others. The code is no longer there, but no films could be shown without the PCA approval stamp back then. 10. Filming was done during winter 1946, during a bitterly cold winter. It was so cold that some cameras did literally freeze in place. A woman living across the street from where the parade scene was shot allowed Maureen O'Hara and the production crew to stay with her to warm up. O'Hara took the woman and her husband to the famous "21" restaurant, and the woman was so excited and awestruck to be there that she ordered a glass of milk and nothing else. 11. Interestingly, another Christmas themed film, The Bishop's Wife, was nominated for Best Picture that same year.

Such a great movie. And one of the first to depict a strong single working mom.

Probably my favorite Christmas movie. This version portrays the magic of the season.

Loved your reaction. Maureen O'Hara said that by halfway through filming, everybody working on the movie believed Edmund Gwenn was Santa Claus. Absolute perfect casting. The judge is played by Gene Lockhart, who plays Bob Cratchit in the 1938 version of A Christmas Carol. His real-life wife (Kathleen) and daughter (June) play Mrs. Cratchit and one of the Cratchit children. It's one of my favorite versions of Christmas Carol. Another Christmas connection: June Lockhart played Mrs. Claus in "The Night They Saved Christmas", another movie I enjoy a lot. PS - John Payne, who played Mr. Gailey, is an often overlooked actor. He's been excellent in everything I've seen him in. Tieing into the winter theme, he made some pretty entertaining movies with Sonja Henie.

Yes! You choose the right version! The biggest difference in the version is how the court case decision is made. But the acting is better in this too in my opinion

Glad you liked it in black and white. Billy Wilder's classic "The Apartment" from 1960 is also in black and white, you'll love it. It also gives a glimpse of corporate America in 1960.

Maureen O'Hara, who played the mother, was a wonderful actress and beautiful. I love her in the original Parent Trap. She was also in The Christmas Box (Hallmark movie) in her later years. It's a wonderful Christmas movie. I highly recommend it. I think you would like it.

Enjoyed watching this with you, and your reaction. Black and white is the way to go.on this one.🙂🎄🎀🎁

The historical Saint Nicholas was a huge man. When he went to the Council of Nicea in the 300s A.D., he ended up getting in a heated argument with another bishop by the name of Arius who claimed that Jesus was not the son of God, but rather was made divine by his devotion. Saint Nicholas, hearing this, was so convinced that it was heresy, beat Arius to a pulp and was temporarily stripped of his status as a bishop until he repented. Santa hitting Mr. Sawyer is not out of character

My siblings and I watched this every year when we were kids a TRUE Christmas movie ty

5:20 I did marching band for 4 years and loved it. I played Tuba (I always joked I played heavy metal).

Edmund Gwenn (Santa Claus) went on to win the Oscar for his role. Maureen O'Hara, the mother, eventually played John Candy's mom in Only the Lonely. Natalie Wood, the daughter, starred in West Side Story but her singing was dubbed. She unfortunately drowned off Catalina Island while having attended a nighttime party aboard her husband Robert Wagner's yacht under suspicious circumstances. The judge, Gene Lockhart, was the father of June, still with us, who starred on Lassie, Lost in Space, and Petticoat Junction. The judge's advisor, William Frawley, became Lucy's landlord on I Love Lucy, before he was a regular on My Three Sons. Jack Albertson, the postal worker, later played Charlie's grandpa in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, and starred on NBC's Chico and the Man. He is also remembered for his role in The Poseidon Adventure. He won a Tony for a theatrical role he reprised for the film version and one an Oscar for that same role. He also won an Emmy for Chico and the Man. The triple crown for acting!

This will always be one of my favorite feel good classic movies. My favorite Santa Claus movie is still "Santa Claus the movie". He is the epitome of what Santa is supposed to be. I hope you watch it

James, one last thing - "It's a Wonderful Life" was released one year earlier, in 1946. Therefore, I think that's the oldest movie that you've seen so far.

5:06 ish P.S. for the newer generations when she says "I'm going to go home to get in the hot tub", she just means taking a hot bath in a normal tub, not an outdoor hot tub.

he's not talking about house painters being crazy. he means painters as in artists. artists are notorious for being eccentric.

The “one guy in the mail room” was played by Jack Albertson, later known as Grandpa Joe in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

This is my absolute favorite traditional Christmas movie. As a lawyer, I can tell you that the legal parts are extremely accurate, and the reasoning is a solid legal principle called deference. Oh, and fyi, the Supreme Court of the state of New York is the initial trial court, the lowest ranking Court in the state. I don't know why they call it that.

I could not believe how attractive the mum is, wow what a beauty

The color version was "colorized" from the B&W original by TBS in the 1980s.

Much of this film was shot on location at the 1946 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and at night in Macy's flagship store in NYC. Natalie Wood was doing three films overlapping yet knew not only her own lines but those of other characters. She was convinced Edmund Gwenn was the real Santa Claus until the film's wrap party. Edmund Gwenn won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for this role. Maureen O'Hara and John Payne cited this as a favorite film.

Gimble's was the major competition for Macy's until the 80's when they went out of business.

I enjoyed watching you enjoy this movie. It did also occur to me that Mom & Mr. Gaily met at Thanksgiving and were talking marriage at Christmas. Hmmmm, things moved a lot faster back then! Merry Christmas!

Painters are a little bit crazy? Well, at least some of them. Van Gogh cut his ear off and suffered from hallucinations.

I have never understood people's issues with color vs black and white. It's honestly kinda stupid. Also my favorite scene in this movie is when he starts speaking Dutch to the Dutch girl.

I was blessed to see a silver nitrate print on a genuine silver screen. The images glow and shimmer. I wish more people could experiance that.

_It's a Wonderful Life_ was 1946.

The date of birth at 11:43 threw me for a loop: "As old as my tongue and a little bit older than my teeth." 😂

Season’s Greetings, they have this and ITS A WONDERFUL LIFE, both Colorized also…. I love both ♥️🤗👍✨

In order to kill the idea that all movies older than a certain date are worthless, I'd suggest you go for really ancient ones - two silent movies from the 1920's, both comedies. Due to the lack of actual dialog, they had to focus on physical comedy, often of the most breathtaking stuntwork by the actors themselves. And they are FUNNY. One is Harold Lloyd's Safety Last, including one of the most iconic terrifying scenes of all times - which you probably seen a photo of, even you don't know from where. He winds up hanging off the hands of a giant clock, stories above main street. Another is Buston Keaton's The General, which features actual Civil War era railroad equipment and practices. It is based on a real incident, when some northerners snuck down into Confederate territory. They stole a train and used it racing along and destroying the all-important rail line, by burning the wooden bridges and ripping up track sections. They were hotly pursued by an engine, The General (which still exists and has lovingly been restored). Disney made a serious movie of the same incident in 1956, the Great Locomotive Chase. Buston Keaton uses this storyline to frame some of the craziest stunts over, in front of, and behind a steam locomotive. Both movies have long been in the public domain, so you can watch and react to the full-length versions copyright free on RU-vid. One more of my favorite old (not silent) movie from the 1930's features beloved child actor Shirley Temple, starring in Heidi.

One of the sweetest Christmas movies ever. 😄 I love me some good black and whites 💕

The actress that plays the mom was with us until 2015 - she was 5'8" and was in a few pictures with John Wayne. One of those movies is called "The Quiet Man" and it's in its original color. Color fim goes way back to the Silent Era, but the film used back then was not only very expensive, it could easily burn up in the projector during a showing. Color was used in several films just before WWII and then studios went back to B&W due to the war and the need to conserve materials. Modern colorized films tend to blur out details - unless Peter Jackson puts his name on it which is something that he did to a compilation of World War One silent era film footage. The name of the film was called "They Shall Not Grow Old". Watch that if you ever get a chance and would like to compare B&W to Colorized (to perfection).

I absolutely adore this movie. I watch it every year and I prefer the black and white version. The remake is very cute too but will never bear this one for me ☺️🎄🎅🏼

"Painters are crazy" As in painters of art. Youve got to be a bit bonkers to come up with dog's playing poker.

That guy in the mailroom was the great Jack Albertson. For those too young to remember him, he played grandad in the 1971 version of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

This is my go-to movie to watch the day after Thanksgiving when I put my tree up. It's the perfect transition movie because it starts with the Thanksgiving Day parade and ends with Christmas time. I love the acting in this and the black & white version is superior. There's something special about classics that aren't in color. If you watch this movie or something like "It's a Wonderful Life" the color is, in my opinion, very distracting. Plus it makes certain things (snow) look very fake whereas in black & white the whites can look very striking. This is such a fun classic movie.

One of my very favorite Christmas movies, filled with great character actors. I loved your reaction. Be glad that you didn't waste your time on a colorized version with a Red Santa suit looking more like a muddy red-tinged gray.

Since you’re a massive bookworm, can you make a video of some books you love/recommend? If not, I understand! Love the videos you make, thank you for sharing.

The location where they are watching the parade is the infamous Dakota Apartment building on Central Park West at 72nd Street . Home of Lauren Bacall, Roberta Flack, Leonard Bernstein, John Lennon, and Yoko Ono.

I read somewhere that the later versions didn't work because their Santas just didn't have Edmund Gwynn's charm. If you haven't seen it yet, see him in one of my favorites, also in B&W, "Them!" I loved it as a kid and it totally holds up, now: one of the best early sci-fi monster movies, ever.

It's a Wonderful Life was 1946. You should react to It Happened One Night (1934), Tarzan the Ape Man (1932), The Wizard of Oz (1939), Gone with the Wind (1939), Dracula (1931), Frankenstein (1931), King Kong (1933), Casablanca (1942), Citizen Kane (1941), The Maltese Falcon (1942), and so many more old movies, with stars Clark Gable, Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Judy Garland, Orson Wells, Humphrey Bogart, Johnny Weissmuller, Maureen O'Sullivan, Vivien Leigh, Ingrid Bergman, et al. And, for good measure, Jimmy Stewart in Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo and Rear Window, The African Queen with Bogart & Katherine Hepburn, and Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront and A Streetcar Named Desire, all from the '50s.

You sounded surprised that a black and white movie was good ? Well, i can list dozens of great black and white movies, but i'll make it easy and just post a few... all comedies and loaded with the greatest actors on the silver screen 🎬 🎥 You Can't Take it With You (1938) Bringing up Baby (1938)😮😮😮 The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942) Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) The Philadelphia Story (1940)

I loved both versions this and 90s one with Mara Wilson. It is more modernized and i think the end reasoning to declare Kris Santa was more realistic but like both versions this is still my favorite tho. Edmund Gwenn made a better Santa imo. Maureen O.Hara is beautiful n my other fave movie with her is Parent Trap from the 60s u can see her gorgeous red hair

"To market, to market to buy a fat pig, home again, home again, jiggity jig!" I thought you would like to know the rhyme.

Personal connection to this film: That “one guy in the mail room” (Jack Albertson) reportedly got a little too friendly with my mother at a party in the 1970s. Also, there's no need to worry about colorized films. Few if any TVs or monitors lack a color control that can desaturate the image. ANY film can be made black and white at will.

Love this classic and I love Santa ✌🏻☀️

This and THE RIGHT STUFF are my all-time favorite movies. It's a deceptively complex movie.

The name “Kris Kringle” is a corruption of the word Kristkindel, which is German for Christ Child. This originated as an attempt by Martin Luther to replace Saint Nicholas (as the Catholic tradition) with Jesus riding on a donkey as the Christmas gift giver.

Fun fact- there is a town called North Pole in upstate NY ( complete with a Christmas theme park of course)

Natalie Wood (little Susan), grew up to make other movies, Rebel Without a Cause with James Dean, Splendor in the Grass with Warren Beaty and married Robert Wagner (most recent movie he made was Austin Powers. It is known that they had a fight on their Boat off of Catalina island California and found Natalie drowned… check it out on RU-vid. ♥️ She made other movies as well…

Hey! This is your first Black & White film on the channel! Yay!

Because It's A Wonderful Life bombed internationally the studios were nervous about releasing another Christmas movie. So nervous in fact that they released the movie in June.

I alwayssss Watch this era in it’s original black-and-white. It’s much better that way in my opinion. It brings an authentic feel. And I can concentrate on the women’s pretty dresses and hair more lol

A wonderful life is in 1946

The first time I watched this, I watched in color. Then later on I saw the black and white version. I honestly did not realize I had originally saw it in color at first. 😂

Next year i hope you can check out “Hogfather” adapted from Terry Pratchcett’s discworld series. The basic synopsis is a group of universal tax collectors hire an assassin to murder santa claus and so its up to DEATH to save christmas This movie introduced to a book series fell in love with and allowed me to start enjoying books The movie is actually a 2 episode miniseries so its around 3 hours long so plan accordingly

They go permission to shoot the parade however they would not allow to do retakes so they got permission for the parade to use the Santa actor instead of the actual department store santa..

P.S. you probably did not recognize him, but the man in the mailroom who sends the mail to the courthouse is played by the actor who later played Grandpa Joe in Willy Wonka and the chocolate factory

Merry Christmas! If youre looking for a New Years movie, id recommend " Poseidon Adventure" -1972

Saw your Christmas story reaction last night now this. U went from kid with big imagination to kid with none Both are my favorite Christmas movies besides home alone

It's a Wonderful Life was 1946

It was the New York State Supreme Court they were at, not the U.S. Supreme Court in DC. Each state has its own Supreme Court. The trial was conducted in the NY one. Judges are elected to those. I see them on the ballots all the time.

Merry Christmas from Iowa! Can you believe this warm Christmas? We’re having!?

Please watch this one more time with the commentary track by Maureen Ohara. You'll be very glad you did!

6:16 Irish accent coming out. "i want to TANK you"

Black and white forces us to use our imagination….a gift God so generously gave us in childhood….and the exact theme of this movie!!

I am curious if there are movies (like Christmas Carol) that have been remade many times which version does best by the book if you read the book.,

"... it's the Supreme Court!" Not as impressive as it sounds; in New York, the Supreme Court is the trial level court."

Maureen's Irish accent pops up a bit, but you pretty much need to look for it to find it.

If '67 is the oldest movie you've ever seen, clearly you need to see some Bogart movies! Treasure of the Sierra Madres, African Queen, and Casablanca! But I think It's a Wonderful Life came out in 1947.

There another version of this movie too

"Can anyone prove that Santa Claus isn't real" is known as the reversal of burden of proof fallacy. The burden of proof is on the person making the claim, not the doubter. I can just as easily say "Can anyone offer proof that the invisible, intangible unicorn in my backyard isn't real?" and make the same point.

People used to have far less clothes and they would have to last longer.

Watch this Christmas movie better watch out movie

The colorized version made Maureen O'Hara, a world-famous redhead, a brunette! For SHAME!!! You apparently still need to see the *BEST* Christmas Carol, the 1951 B&W version of Scrooge, starring *Alistair Sim!* In Iowa, judicial candidates must be listed in a nonpartisan way. Here in New York, their political party is listed on the ballot. The lowest state court in each and every county is inexplicably named The Supreme Court of the State of New York.

People in NYC still dress for fashion. They can’t stand the millions of tourists who wander around the city in their “comfortable” clothes, and general slovenly appearances.

Totally need to do the remake. The newer version is so much better in my opinion.