MIRACLE on 34th STREET - The Macy's Parade: Christmas Tradition or (good) Marketing Strategy?

-

MIRACLE ON 34th STREET was not originally intended to be released as a 'Christmas' movie. There was no mention of a holiday theme in the movie trailer, of which is very long and unappealing. (I'd be hard pressed to attend it based on the trailer alone! In my estimation, the worst movie trailer ever - judge for yourself!) Movie trailer

Screenwriter Valentine Davies came up with the story idea (originally titled, THE BIG HEART) while Christmas shopping for his wife. His struggle to get through the bustle of Christmas crowds, made him wonder how the real Santa Claus would feel about the commercialism he was witnessing. [imdb]  
Davies ended up writing the screenplay, as well as this 120 page novella. The book was released in conjunction with the film's release.
MIRACLE ON 34th STREET's story was set during Christmas time. Filming took place during the Fall/Winter of 1946, yet ended up being released in May 1947. The studio head, (Darryl F. Zanuck) felt that more people attended movies in the summer time. So, the holiday content was not revealed to the public.

Originally, Macy's and Gimbel's Department stores would not give permission for representation in the film, until they had seen the finished product. In the end, both stores were happy with their depiction - which saved on an enormous amount of editing. 
Now that Macy's Department Store is on board with the film, why not incorporate their holiday jump start to the Christmas Season into the MIRACLE ON 34th STREET! Which bring us to The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, a longstanding tradition that began in 1924 as (Macy's Christmas Parade) a 'kick off' to holiday shopping. 

The 1924 inaugural Macy's Thanksgiving Parade route was six miles long. It began in Harlem at 145th St. and continued to Herald Square, ending in front of the Macy's storefront. The procession, in comparison, stretched over a mere two blocks. The New York Times coverage of the debut parade referred to it as: a retinue of clowns, freaks, animals and floats accompanied by Macy's employees and professional entertainers. Floats included, THE OLD LADY WHO LIVED IN A SHOE and LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD. There were even live animals on loan from the Central Park Zoo, including bears, elephants and donkeys. Over 200,000 people filled the streets of New York City to view the spectacle.       https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1924/11/28/104060331.html?pageNumber=15 
Jump ahead to the 1946 Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, where the parade route begins at 77th Street and live animals are replaced by balloon characters. 

An estimated one million people lined the streets in 1946, to catch a glimpse of Santa Clause as he welcomed the beginning of Macy's Christmas shopping season.
Edmund Gwenn during the filming of the MIRACLE ON 34th STREET parade segment.

The scenes taking place during Macy's parade, were filmed during the actual live 1946 holiday event. Each shot had to be planned out and executed to the minute, for there would be no opportunity for retakes. 20th Century Fox had cameras positioned along the parade route at the parade's start on 77th Street, Central Park West, on the third floor of an apartment building on 253 West 58th Street, 

              and in Herald Square and 34th Street at 7th Avenue.
The Macy's parade watchers in November 28, 1946 were not aware that the Santa Claus in the parade was actually Edmund Gwenn himself! 
Gwenn carried out his duties as many a Santa before him, by addressing the crowd from the Macy's marquee at the conclusion of the parade. The official Christmas shopping season was to begin! 
The Macy's parade was initially broadcast locally to New York City viewers in 1946. The release of MIRACLE ON 34th STREET created a national interest in the holiday parade, due to the prominence of its depiction in the film. By 1948, Macy's Thanksgiving Parade was a nationally televised event. 

Upon its theatrical release of MIRACLE ON 34th STREET, 20th Century Fox offered a full refund to any viewer who didn't enjoy the movie.  Approximately 1,500 tickets were returned to the studio.(!!)
(re-watch trailer!!)

The Writer's opinion: Macy's Thanksgiving Parade is a Christmas tradition that also serves as a good marketing strategy!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

OCEANS Eleven (1960) - Music & Trivia

-
Image
Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr, Peter Lawford, Joey Bishop The tale behind the concept for OCEANS ELEVEN (1960) is recounted as: *Peter Lawford was first told of the basic story of the film by Director Gilbert Kay [not associated with this film] who heard the story from a gas attendant. Lawford eventually bought the rights in 1958, imagining William Holden in the lead. Sinatra became interested in the idea and a variety of writers worked on the project. When Lawford first told Sinatra of the story, Sinatra joked, " Forget the movie, let's pull the job!" *pp. 117-121 Levy, Shawn Rat Pack Confidential 1998 Fourth Estate Ltd . Ocean's Eleven featured a nearly all male cast. Out of the main characters, three of them - Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr., were singers. Oddly enough, the singer you would have expected to be featured - Frank - was not. The music 'spotlight' was cast on Dean and Sammy - which was not a disappointment in the leas
Read more

AUNTIE MAME - It's the Theatre, Dahling!

-
Image
Mame Dennis (played by Rosalind Russell) is a free spirited woman living a bohemian lifestyle, whose mantra is "Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death!" Her best friend and sidekick, Vera Charles (portrayed by Coral Browne), is (apparently) a well known actress on Broadway... so she likes to inform all who will listen. We often see her recovering in Mame's guest room, from a very good party. Vera is currently starring in a real 'yawn' entitled, MIDSUMMER MADNESS. At the same time, Mame is having difficulties finding suitable work due to the 1929 stock market crash. Vera reveals that she may have a 'walk on' part that would be perfect for Mame. The two friends are thrilled at the prospect of revisiting their stage alliance.   Unfortunately for Vera and her cast, it turns out that some Divas are not adaptable to simple 'walk on roles.' Mame, being the confidant, free thinking woman that she is, decided to fill the two lines
Read more

THE PARENT TRAP - Body doubles & Split screens

-
Image
The 1961 audience was totally wowed by the filming of TWO Hayley Mills in Disney's THE PARENT TRAP.   David Swift, director, was able to create the illusion of twins through the use of body doubles and a split screen. Ub Iwerk and Bob Broughton were the geniuses behind the new technological advancement in film. In creating the illusion of Hayley being her own twin, these scenes had to be filmed twice. Actress double, Susan Henning, stood in for placement during the filming of the split screen shots. Hayley would then, change clothes and wig for a re shoot of the opposite twin. Everything involved in the scene remained the same - camera, set, lighting, props, etc. for continuity. The other part of the screen is then filmed with the opposite - previously filmed - side which would be blacked out with a matte. The two strips of film were rephotographed one frame at a time. The 'split' in the screen is masked with a 'seam,' or background element - bedposts, door frames,
Read more