After a divorced New York mother hires a nice old man to play Santa Claus at Macy's, she is startled by his claim to be the genuine article. When his sanity is questioned, a lawyer defends h... Read allAfter a divorced New York mother hires a nice old man to play Santa Claus at Macy's, she is startled by his claim to be the genuine article. When his sanity is questioned, a lawyer defends him in court by arguing that he's not mistaken.After a divorced New York mother hires a nice old man to play Santa Claus at Macy's, she is startled by his claim to be the genuine article. When his sanity is questioned, a lawyer defends him in court by arguing that he's not mistaken.
- Won 3 Oscars
- 8 wins & 1 nomination total
- Mr. R.H. Macy
- (uncredited)
- Courtroom Spectator
- (uncredited)
- Mrs. Shellhammer
- (uncredited)
- Judge's Clerk
- (uncredited)
- Child on Santa's Lap
- (uncredited)
- Secretary
- (uncredited)
- Department Store Head
- (uncredited)
- Reporter
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIn the untranslated dialogue with the Dutch girl, Kris asks her what she wants for Christmas. She says she wants nothing, telling him she got her gift by being adopted by her new mother.
- GoofsKris claims that John Quincy Adams' Vice President was Daniel D. Tompkins. In fact, that was John C. Calhoun, while Tompkins had been Vice President under Adams' predecessor, James Monroe. The confusion arose because Adams was the 6th President whereas Tompkins was the 6th Vice President, some Presidents having had a different Vice President in each term, and one of the latter having served under 2 of the former.
- Quotes
Mr. Shellhammer: But... but maybe he's only a little crazy like painters or composers or... or some of those men in Washington.
- Alternate versionsAlso available in two computer colorized versions. The film was first colorized in 1985 by Color Systems Technology, Inc. and again in 2006 by Legend Films using much-improved technology. Prints came with a disclaimer: "It has been altered without the participation of the principal director, screenwriter and other creators of the original film."
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Screen Writer (1950)
- SoundtracksJingle Bells
(1857) (uncredited)
Written by James Pierpont
Played at the announcement of the parade
Played occasionally in the score
Sung a cappella a bit by Percy Helton and later by Jack Albertson
Gwenn, who played many solid character roles, gets the chance here to play a role for which he was ideally suited, and it works very well. O'Hara and Wood make a good pair to balance him out. The supporting cast gets some very good moments of their own, especially Gene Lockhart and William Frawley, whose scenes are entertaining while also offering some occasionally pointed commentary.
The style of the production is well-suited to the material, offering an innocently upbeat story without overdoing it on sentimentality. For all that this style of the production and acting are out of fashion, they are able to capture a theme like this in a worthwhile way that is simply not possible with the kind of false "sophistication" that permeates so many present-day movies.
That's not to say that this is some kind of masterpiece, which it is not and did not try to be. Instead, it's a light, enjoyable, positive movie that does make a worthwhile point or two. That kind of feature will always find an appreciative audience somewhere.
- Snow Leopard
- Dec 8, 2004
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- The Big Heart
- Filming locations
- 24 Derby Road, Port Washington, Long Island, New York, USA(Susan's dream house)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross worldwide
- $1,742
- Runtime1 hour 36 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1