History YMMV / MiracleOnThirtyFourthStreet

* AwardSnub: Natalie Wood gives one of the best remembered performances by a child actress of her generation and was named "Most Talented Juvenile Star of 1947" by Parents Magazine, however when the Academy Awards rolled around the following year, they chose to bestow their (now defunct) Juvenile Academy Award to Claude Jarman Jr. for Literature/TheYearling, a film that is comparatively less remembered today. Had the Juvenile Oscar not existed at the time, it's possible Natalie might at least have scored a Supporting Actress nomination.

* HarsherInHindsight: A major plot point is that Kringle is seen as mentally unstable but not being a danger to himself or others, leading to the climactic court hearing to be allowed to maintain his freedom. In 2022, [[https://nypost.com/2022/11/29/nyc-to-involuntarily-commit-more-mentally-unstable-people/ after a number of public attacks caused by mentally unstable people, the NYC court decided to allow law enforcement to arrest and send people declared mentally unfit to the hospital if they refuse treatment, regardless of whether or not they are harmless]].

** District Attorney Thomas Mara remarks to his wife that the negative press coverage he's getting makes him look like "a sadistic monster" who likes to "tear the wings off butterflies." Years later, Natalie Wood's own [[https://www.google.com/books/edition/Natasha/ShQPhimir3EC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=butterfly biographer]] would reveal that this was a tactic Natalie's mother, Maria Gurdin, ACTUALLY used on the set of her first movie - 1943's "Happy Land" - in order to get her to cry on cue. It worked and Natalie went into hysterics at which point her mother pushed her in front of the camera and yelled "she's ready!"

* AwardSnub: Natalie Wood gives one of the best remembered performances by a child actress of her generation and was named "Most Talented Juvenile Star of 1947" by Parents Magazine, however when the Academy Awards rolled around the following year, they chose to bestow their (now defunct) Juvenile Academy Award to Claude Jarman Jr. for Literature/TheYearling, in a film that is comparatively less remembered today. Had the Juvenile Oscar not existed at the time, it's possible Natalie might at least have scored a Supporting Actress nomination.

** District Attorney Thomas Mara remarks to his wife that the negative press coverage he's getting makes him look like "a sadistic monster" who likes to "tear the wings off butterflies." Years later, Natalie Wood's [[https://www.google.com/books/edition/Natasha/ShQPhimir3EC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=butterfly biographer]] would reveal that this was a tactic Natalie's mother, Maria Gurdin, ACTUALLY used on the set of her first movie - 1943's "Happy Land" - in order to get her to cry on cue. It worked and Natalie went into hysterics before at which point her mother pushed her in front of the camera and yelled "she's ready!"

* CatharsisFactor: Kris wacking Sawyer on the head followed by Macy firing him are definitely what he deserved for being a bullying {{Jerkass}}.

* FairForItsDay: Kris' line to Alfred about overeating ("It doesn't seem you've had time to be guilty of anything, except overeating") can come across as jarring to some modern-day viewers, especially considering that it's framed as Kris ''comforting'' him when he's already depressed. However, the concept of body shaming – or, more specifically, "fat shaming" – barely existed at this time beyond condemning the most obvious kind of abuse or bullying, nor was being heavy as stigmatized as it is today. It's also clear that Kris doesn't intend to be hurtful, and Alfred shows no ill will towards him when they meet again at the courthouse (their interaction suggests that Alfred understands that by confronting Mr. Sawyer, Kris was in his corner). It also helps that Alfred joked about his own weight when he and Kris first met, remarking that he already has the "padding" to dress as Santa himself, so Kris knows he has a sense of humor about it

* ValuesDissonance: Everyone is perfectly fine with a little girl being left in the care of the dashing stranger across the hall. To be fair, Cleo the Housekeeper mentions that she can keep an eye on Susan through the apartment windows to ensure she's safe, but the idea of a man not well known to a child's legal guardian befriending said child has different connotations today (and in the 1947 version, he admits he was befriending Susan in order to woo Doris.) The 1994 remake alters the storyline to have Dorey Walker and Brian Bedford already in a serious relationship, thus ducking this issue altogether.

* FairForItsDay: Kris' line to Alfred about overeating ("It doesn't seem you've had time to be guilty of anything, except overeating") can come across as jarring to some modern-day viewers, especially considering that it's framed as Kris ''comforting'' him when he's already depressed. However, the concept of body shaming – or, more specifically, "fat shaming" – barely existed at this time beyond condemning the most obvious kind of abuse or bullying, nor was being heavy as stigmatized as it is today. It's also clear that Kris doesn't intend to be hurtful, and Alfred shows no ill will towards him when they meet again at the courthouse (their interaction suggests that Alfred understands that by confronting Mr. Sawyer, Kris was in his corner).

** Is Kris ''really'' Santa Claus?

* FairForItsDay: Kris' line to Alfred about overeating ("It doesn't seem you've had time to be guilty of anything, except overeating") comes off as jarring to some modern-day viewers, especially considering that it's framed as Kris comforting him when he's already depressed. However, the concept of body shaming or - more specifically - "fat shaming" barely existed at this time beyond condemning the most obvious kind of abuse or bullying, nor was being heavy as stigmatized as it is today. It's also clear that Kris doesn't intend to be hurtful, and Alfred shows no ill will towards him when they meet again at the courthouse (their interaction suggests that Alfred understands that by confronting Mr. Sawyer, Kris was in his corner).

** In the 1947 version, Susan compares Kris to the previous year's Santa, saying, "at least this one doesn't wear glasses." Kris himself wears glasses in the 1994 version.

** Is Kris *really* Santa Claus?

* FairForItsDay: Kris' line to Alfred about overeating ("It doesn't seem you've had time to be guilty of anything, except overeating") comes off as jarring to some modern-day viewers, especially considering that it's framed as Kris comforting him when he's already depressed. However, the concept of body shaming or - more specifically - "fat shaming" barely existed at this time beyond condemning the most obvious kind of abuse or bullying, nor was being heavy as stigmatized as it is today. It's also clear that Kris clearly doesn't mean it in a hurtful way in the first place, and Alfred shows no ill will towards him when they meet again at the courthouse (their interaction suggests that Alfred understands that by confronting Mr. Sawyer, Kris was in his corner).

* FairForItsDay: Kris' line to Alfred about overeating ("It doesn't seem you've had time to be guilty of anything, except overeating") comes off as jarring to some modern-day viewers, especially considering that it's framed as Kris comforting him when he's already depressed. However, the concept of body shaming or - more specifically - "fat shaming" barely existed at this time beyond condemning the most obvious kind of abuse or bullying, nor was being heavy as stigmatized as it is today. It's also clear that Kris clearly doesn't mean it in a hurtful way in the first place, nor does Alfred show any ill will towards him when they meet again at the courthouse (their interaction suggests that Alfred understands that by confronting Mr. Sawyer, Kris was in his corner).

* FairForItsDay: Kris' line to Alfred about overeating ("It doesn't seem you've had time to be guilty of anything, except overeating") comes off as jarring to some modern-day viewers, especially considering that it's framed as Kris comforting him when he's already depressed. However, the concept of body shaming or - more specifically - "fat shaming" barely existed at this time beyond condemning the most obvious kind of abuse or bullying, nor was being heavy as stigmatized as it is today. It's also clear that Kris clearly doesn't mean it in a hurtful way in the first place, nor does Alfred show any visible ill will towards him when they meet again at the courthouse.

** Does the judge rule in favor of Kris because he believes, or for the sake of his future reelection campaign?

** Creator/ThelmaRitter, in her first screen role, plays a harried Macy's shopper.

** The film's critique of commercialism replacing the spiritual elements of Christmas and society as a whole is one that is continually echoed in the modern era. Amusingly, this critique was left out of the 1994 remake - likely due to the remake's excessive use of ProductPlacement and promotions.

** Creator/WilliamFrawley, several years away from playing [[Series/ILoveLucy Fred Mertz]], appears as Judge Sawyer's political advisor, Charlie.

** Creator/WilliamFrawley, several years away from playing [[Series/ILoveLucy Fred Mertz]], appears as Judge Sawyer's political advisor.

** In a more heartwarming example, the Dutch girl (in the 1947 original) and the Deaf girl (in the 1994 remake) appear in one short scene each, but their interactions with Kris are among the best-remembered and most-loved parts of their respective films. The 1994 version is celebrated for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dvqM5P6Fv4 Kris giving the deaf girl a heartwarming message in accurate sign language.]]

** In a more heartwarming example, the Dutch girl (in the 1947 original) and the Deaf girl (in the 1994 remake) appear in one short scene each, but their interactions with Kris are among the best-remembered and most-loved parts of their respective films. The 1994 version is celebrated for Kris giving the deaf girl a heartwarming message in accurate sign language.

** In a more heartwarming example, the Dutch girl (in the 1947 original) and the Deaf girl (in the 1994 remake) appear in one short scene each, but their interactions with Kris are among the best-remembered and most-loved parts of their respective films.

* ValuesDissonance: Everyone is perfectly fine with a little girl being left in the care of the dashing stranger across the hall. To be fair, Cleo the Housekeeper mentions that she can keep an eye on Susan through the apartment windows to ensure she's safe, but the idea of a man not well known to a child's legal guardian befriending said child has different connotations today (in the 1947 version, he admits he was befriending Susan in order to woo Doris.) The 1994 remake alters the storyline to have Dorey Walker and Brian Bedford already in a serious relationship, thus ducking this issue altogether.

* ValuesDissonance: Everyone is perfectly fine with a little girl being left in the care of the dashing stranger across the hall. To be fair, Cleo the Housekeeper mentions that she can keep an eye on Susan through the apartment windows to ensure she's safe, but the idea of a man not well known to a child's legal guardian befriending said child has different connotations today (in the 1947 version, he admits he was befriending Susan in order to woo Doris.) The 1994 remake alters the storyline to have Dorey Walker and Brian Bedford already in a serious relationship, thus ducking this altogether.