AWARDS AND HONORS

Miracle on 34th Street was nominated for 4 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Edmund Gwenn), Best Writing, Original Story (Valentine Davies) and Best Writing, Screenplay (George Seaton). It won in every category except Best Picture.

Edmund Gwenn won a Golden Globe as Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Kris Kringle, and George Seaton also won a Golden Globe for his screenplay.

In 2005 Miracle on 34th Street was added to the National Film Registry for preservation.

In 2006 the American Film Institute ranked it number 9 on its "100 Years...100 Cheers" list, which "celebrate the films that inspire us, encourage us to make a difference and send us from the theatre with a greater sense of possibility and hope for the future."

In 2008 the American Film Institute ranked Miracle on 34th Street fifth on its list of the top 10 fantasy movies of all time.

Film Reviews: Miracle on 34th Street

"For all those blasé skeptics who do not believe in Santa Claus--and likewise for all those natives who have grown cynical about New York -- but most especially for all those patrons who have grown weary of the monotonies of the screen, let us heartily recommend the Roxy's new picture, Miracle on 34th Street. As a matter of fact, let's go further: let's catch its spirit and heartily proclaim that it is the freshest little picture in a long time, and maybe even the best comedy of this year." -- The New York Times

"Film is an actor's holiday, providing any number of choice roles that are played to the hilt. Edmund Gwenn's Santa Claus performance proves the best in his career, one that will be thoroughly enjoyed by all filmgoers. Straight romantic roles handed Maureen O'Hara and John Payne as co-stars also display pair to advantage...Gene Lockhart's performance as judge is a gem, as is Porter Hall's portrayal of a neurotic personnel director for Macy's. Surprise moppet performance is turned in by little Natalie Wood as O'Hara's non-believing daughter who finally accepts Santy. It's a standout, natural portrayal." -- Variety

"By the fadeout, not only the courts of New York State but 20th Century-Fox itself are ready to insist that there really is a Santa Claus, and that Mr. Gwenn is it. Almost certainly he is, so far as the box-office is concerned. Author-Director George Seaton has laced his sure-fire sentimentality with equally sure-fire wit and some cynical knowledge about how men of business and law might talk, look and act under these extravagant circumstances. The movie handles all its whimsy deftly and is consistently a smooth, agile job." -- Time magazine

"Probably no actor on earth could have done more handsomely by the role of Kris Kringle than Edmund Gwenn, who plays it without a trace of archness and makes sure that things are kept within the realm of credibility when the script becomes too fanciful for its own good. Mr. Gwenn gets sturdy support from everyone else in the cast...The most appealing of the lot, it seems to me, is a girl named Natalie Wood, who turns in a remarkably accurate performance as a progressive-school product indoctrinated against the whole idea of Santa Claus. My guess is that you'll find yourself nicely refreshed by this neat little fantasy." -- The New Yorker

Compiled by Andrea Passafiume