Miracle on 34th Street
by Valentine Davies
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The lives of three people are changed by an old man who insists that he is Santa Claus.Tags
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I can't do anything really crafty, but I can fill in the cross-stitches if you give me a counted-cross-stitch kit. (I like the looks of those better than the printed ones.) I've been working on and off for years on a tree skirt kit. It has dark blue fabric, and the picture is of some beautiful animals and a seriously awesome St. Nicholas, wearing pale blue and looking rather fierce.
I chose this pattern because I've never really liked the traditional Santa Claus – all omni-benevolent and generically sweet. I like the idea of a volatile elemental spirit, a guardian of children who doesn't have any illusions about them.
So I enjoyed Miracle, because this Kris Kringle isn't sweet. Or rather, he isn't just sweet. He's capricious and show more irritable as well as open-handed, mischievous, and (of course) generous. He can have fits of stubbornness, anger, and despair. He's human, only more so.
This novel was written by a screenwriter named Valentine Davies who came up with the idea and pitched it first to his harshest critic: his wife. Rather to his surprise, she thought it sounded terrific. So he pitched it to Twentieth Century-Fox. They liked it, too.
Interestingly, Davies wrote the novel but not the screenplay – which probably accounts for some differences between the two. The book and the movie were released at the same time, and Davies won an Academy Award for best original story.
I haven't seen the movie in quite a while, because I strongly disagree with the premise. I'm a fiction writer, and I've lived in a constantly shifting world of my own creation for as long as I can remember. (It would probably be more accurate to say "worlds," since this place in my head is as multileveled as Norse mythology, but has more laser weapons.)
This imaginary place is far more precious and interesting to me than the rock-solid real one everyone can see. I don't need to claim that my fantasies are "true" to grant them the significance in my life that they deserve. Some of my most important relationships are with people who don't technically exist.
So I don't understand or agree with the idea that the way to give children imagination is to tell them a story and then insist the characters in that story really exist. How does that teach them creativity? They don't have to use their imaginations. You've already told them everything.
I'm not arguing against playing Santa with kids, although as a parent I treated Santa Claus as just one more fairy-tale character and never gave him credit for the Christmas-morning wonders I worked my butt off to make happen. But I have no quarrel with people who tell their kids Santa is real. After all, most Americans grow up with that story, and they grow up just – well, okay, most Americans grow up to be total fruitcakes. But I don't blame Santa for that.
I'm just saying, I don't see any connection between developing the imagination and being told Santa Claus exists.
But if there were a Santa Claus, I'd like to imagine him as someone just like Valentine Davies' character: kind, impatient, humorous, animal-loving, imperious, and compassionate. show less
I chose this pattern because I've never really liked the traditional Santa Claus – all omni-benevolent and generically sweet. I like the idea of a volatile elemental spirit, a guardian of children who doesn't have any illusions about them.
So I enjoyed Miracle, because this Kris Kringle isn't sweet. Or rather, he isn't just sweet. He's capricious and show more irritable as well as open-handed, mischievous, and (of course) generous. He can have fits of stubbornness, anger, and despair. He's human, only more so.
This novel was written by a screenwriter named Valentine Davies who came up with the idea and pitched it first to his harshest critic: his wife. Rather to his surprise, she thought it sounded terrific. So he pitched it to Twentieth Century-Fox. They liked it, too.
Interestingly, Davies wrote the novel but not the screenplay – which probably accounts for some differences between the two. The book and the movie were released at the same time, and Davies won an Academy Award for best original story.
I haven't seen the movie in quite a while, because I strongly disagree with the premise. I'm a fiction writer, and I've lived in a constantly shifting world of my own creation for as long as I can remember. (It would probably be more accurate to say "worlds," since this place in my head is as multileveled as Norse mythology, but has more laser weapons.)
This imaginary place is far more precious and interesting to me than the rock-solid real one everyone can see. I don't need to claim that my fantasies are "true" to grant them the significance in my life that they deserve. Some of my most important relationships are with people who don't technically exist.
So I don't understand or agree with the idea that the way to give children imagination is to tell them a story and then insist the characters in that story really exist. How does that teach them creativity? They don't have to use their imaginations. You've already told them everything.
I'm not arguing against playing Santa with kids, although as a parent I treated Santa Claus as just one more fairy-tale character and never gave him credit for the Christmas-morning wonders I worked my butt off to make happen. But I have no quarrel with people who tell their kids Santa is real. After all, most Americans grow up with that story, and they grow up just – well, okay, most Americans grow up to be total fruitcakes. But I don't blame Santa for that.
I'm just saying, I don't see any connection between developing the imagination and being told Santa Claus exists.
But if there were a Santa Claus, I'd like to imagine him as someone just like Valentine Davies' character: kind, impatient, humorous, animal-loving, imperious, and compassionate. show less
I've loved the classic version of Miracle on 34th Street since I was a kid, so when I saw a library discard version of the story at a recent library book sale, I had to grab it. I knew it'd be perfect for my classic read for December.
Davies apparently wrote the original story for Miracle, and while the screenplay was done by someone else, Davies then did this novella-length treatment as well. Truly, it feels like a synopsis of the story. The heart isn't there. Mind you, it isn't bad, but it's far from good. The plot generally follows the familiar one from the movie, though Kris Kringle has the zoo reindeer literally eating out of his hand and there are also other minor variations.
Be aware that this is very much a story of 1947. There is show more a "colored" maid and gender ideals are blatantly espoused. For example, Doris Walker is described as being prettier and more feminine when she's less of a workaholic (women can be a multitude at once, k thanks).
When I added this on Goodreads, I saw there was a newer children's book version out. I can see this translated very well to that form. The vocabulary in this book is quite basic--it's safe to say it was written to appeal to juveniles on up--and it would condense down nicely. show less
Davies apparently wrote the original story for Miracle, and while the screenplay was done by someone else, Davies then did this novella-length treatment as well. Truly, it feels like a synopsis of the story. The heart isn't there. Mind you, it isn't bad, but it's far from good. The plot generally follows the familiar one from the movie, though Kris Kringle has the zoo reindeer literally eating out of his hand and there are also other minor variations.
Be aware that this is very much a story of 1947. There is show more a "colored" maid and gender ideals are blatantly espoused. For example, Doris Walker is described as being prettier and more feminine when she's less of a workaholic (women can be a multitude at once, k thanks).
When I added this on Goodreads, I saw there was a newer children's book version out. I can see this translated very well to that form. The vocabulary in this book is quite basic--it's safe to say it was written to appeal to juveniles on up--and it would condense down nicely. show less
First sentence: If you searched every old folks' home in the country, you couldn't find anyone who looked more like Santa Claus. He was the living, breathing incarnation of the old gent--white beard, pink cheeks, fat tummy and all--and his name was Kris Kringle, too. Whether this was coincidence or design--a sort of stage name he had assumed--his friends at the Maplewood Home for the Aged never knew. Nor did they know exactly how old he was.
Premise/plot: Movie novelization of the classic holiday film of the same name. Both were released in 1947. I believe the note to the reader admits that the book is based on the film's script. If you've seen the movie, you've essentially read the book. Almost. There isn't much substance and depth show more added above and beyond the movie. While a few scenes we get a wider scope--greater understanding there are a few scenes that are very abrupt or concise. The climax of the movie are all the dramatic court scenes, this showdown of lawyers. In the book, however, the court stuff is kept to a bare minimum. The book definitely has a blink and you miss it ending. The same attention to detail that was found throughout the novel is a bit rushed for the last bit. For those that have not seen the movie, essentially a little girl puts Santa Claus to the ULTIMATE test. Meanwhile, Kris Kringle is on trial himself. Is he sane? insane? A danger to himself or others?
My thoughts: I am glad I've read this one. I have read it twice now. I want to love this one so much. I adore the movie. I am always glad to revisit these characters. If you are able to read this one, you should. But if you are having a hard time tracking it down, relax knowing that the book isn't "better" than the movie in this instance. It isn't a waste of time, mind you. It's not. It just doesn't go deeper than the movie and the plot is the same. show less
Premise/plot: Movie novelization of the classic holiday film of the same name. Both were released in 1947. I believe the note to the reader admits that the book is based on the film's script. If you've seen the movie, you've essentially read the book. Almost. There isn't much substance and depth show more added above and beyond the movie. While a few scenes we get a wider scope--greater understanding there are a few scenes that are very abrupt or concise. The climax of the movie are all the dramatic court scenes, this showdown of lawyers. In the book, however, the court stuff is kept to a bare minimum. The book definitely has a blink and you miss it ending. The same attention to detail that was found throughout the novel is a bit rushed for the last bit. For those that have not seen the movie, essentially a little girl puts Santa Claus to the ULTIMATE test. Meanwhile, Kris Kringle is on trial himself. Is he sane? insane? A danger to himself or others?
My thoughts: I am glad I've read this one. I have read it twice now. I want to love this one so much. I adore the movie. I am always glad to revisit these characters. If you are able to read this one, you should. But if you are having a hard time tracking it down, relax knowing that the book isn't "better" than the movie in this instance. It isn't a waste of time, mind you. It's not. It just doesn't go deeper than the movie and the plot is the same. show less
Miracle on 34th Street by Valentine Davies is a lovely story that reminds us of what is important at Christmas time. It’s not how well you decorate, cook, spend and wrap – it’s about that magical sense of believing in the impossible, feeling good will towards others and being with the ones that you love.
The story opens in New York City as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is about to get underway. The crowning glory of the parade is the Santa Claus float, but unfortunately this year’s Santa has been spending his time drinking and is now decidedly tipsy. The Macy’s parade organizer, the very practical Doris Walker, finds a bystander who looks perfect for the part and asks him to step in. This bystander, with the name of show more Kris Kringle, readily agrees and thus sets in motion a wonderful time in New York as his goodwill spreads to others. Unfortunately there is always a “nay-sayer” and the book ends in a court case where Kris Kringle must prove he is both sane and, indeed the real Santa Claus.
Woven into the narrative is the story of how Doris Walker learns to believe in the magic and finds true love while her young daughter learns to believe in Santa as well as how to use her imagination and have fun. Truly a story to warm the heart at this time of the year. show less
The story opens in New York City as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is about to get underway. The crowning glory of the parade is the Santa Claus float, but unfortunately this year’s Santa has been spending his time drinking and is now decidedly tipsy. The Macy’s parade organizer, the very practical Doris Walker, finds a bystander who looks perfect for the part and asks him to step in. This bystander, with the name of show more Kris Kringle, readily agrees and thus sets in motion a wonderful time in New York as his goodwill spreads to others. Unfortunately there is always a “nay-sayer” and the book ends in a court case where Kris Kringle must prove he is both sane and, indeed the real Santa Claus.
Woven into the narrative is the story of how Doris Walker learns to believe in the magic and finds true love while her young daughter learns to believe in Santa as well as how to use her imagination and have fun. Truly a story to warm the heart at this time of the year. show less
I gather from the paratextual material included in the book that the idea for Miracle on 34th Street was Davies's, that he wrote the story, and that this book was written as a tie-in promotional tool for the original release of the film. I quite enjoy the movie (though it's not really one of my favorite Christmas movies), but the book left me pretty cold. It's a fairly pedestrian telling of the story, and as I read I was constantly thinking of the little moments or bits of business in the movie that the book just doesn't capture. A few minor details of the plot are slightly different (the inciting "violent outburst" by Kris that lands him in Bellevue is different in the book, for instance) and were mildly interesting as insights into show more how the vision for the story changed (presumably) as the film was made. On the whole, doesn't really add anything to the experience of this tale, and I'd just as soon watch the movie again as read this. show less
Love the (original) movie. Dislike this book (and the remakes of the film). There are too many subtle and meaningful differences between the book and the movie, including tone. The film is a light delight. The book is almost dark and smarmy as it constantly tells the reader things, instead of showing them.
Aw, that's sweet. I've never seen the movie - at least, not the whole thing. And the author says in a foreword that the movie came first - that he wrote the story as a script, it became a movie, and only then was written as a book. There isn't an official answer given anywhere...but Occam's Razor says he really is Santa, it answers all the questions. A lot of fun, and I think worth reading again sometime.
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Common Knowledge
- Original title
- Miracle on 34th Street
- Original publication date
- 1947
- People/Characters
- Santa Claus
- Important places
- Manhattan, New York, New York, USA
- Related movies
- Miracle on 34th Street (1947 | IMDb); The 20th Century-Fox Hour (1955 | IMDb | The Miracle on 34th Street); Miracle on 34th Street (1959 | IMDb); Miracle on 34th Street (1973 | IMDb); Miracle on 34th Street (1994 | IMDb)
- Dedication
- FOR LIZ
--Valentine Davies
FOR LIZ AGAIN
--Tomie dePaola - First words
- If you searched every old folks' home in the country, you couldn't find anyone who looked more like Santa Claus.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)"But on the other hand, maybe I didn't do anything so wonderful after all!"
- Disambiguation notice
- The book began as an outline for a screenplay, written by Valentine Davies. He sent it to writer-director George Seaton at Twentieth Century-Fox, who wrote the actual screenplay. The story was then forwarded to S. Spencer ... (show all)Scott and editor-in-chief Robert Giroux of Harcourt, Brace and Company, who worked with Davies to release the book at the same time as the movie premier.
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