26 Things You Didn't Know About 'Miracle on 34th Street'

In her autobiography, Maureen O'Hara (Doris) revealed that even after the long days of filming, she and Edmund Gwenn (Santa) and John Payne (Fred) would hang out together on their nights off, strolling 5th Avenue.

The actress recalled feeling a motherly love for 8-year-old Natalie, once sharing, "I have been the mother to almost 40 children in movies, but I have always had a special place in my heart for little Natalie. She always called me Mamma Maureen, and I called her Natasha, the name her parents had given her."

It's true — Edmund Gwenn made thousands of people happy when he appeared as Santa in the real 1946 Macy's parade. Cameras were set up along the route to film the entire thing.

Studio head Darryl F. Zanuck insisted Miracle on 34th Street make its debut in the spring, because more people went to the movies in the warm weather. Leading up to its May 2, 1947 release, promotions kept the Christmas aspect of the film a secret. They went as far as to erase the word "Christmas" from the original title of the movie: Christmas Miracle on 34th Street. Other original titles in the mix for the film were The Big Heart, My Heart Tells Me and It's Only Human.

Look closely and you'll see that Kris Kringle's next of kin are his beloved reindeer. Look even closer, and you'll see the reindeer we've been calling "Donner" all this time is actually spelled like "Donder." A handwritten manuscript by Clement Moore confirms the surprising revelation.

Cecil Kellaway was originally asked to play Santa, but declined. He played Santa on an episode of Bewitched years later though.

It's only fitting that Valentine Davies was inspired by the peak shopping season of an ever-more commercialized Christmastime.

Another revelation from Maureen O'Hara's autobiography: John believed in the film so much that he wrote a sequel for it. "He was going to send it to me, but tragically died before he could get around to it," Maureen wrote. "I never saw it and have often wondered what happened to it."

Studio executives knew they would need permission from the stores to use their names, but didn't want either store to see or comment on the movie until it was completed. It was a big risk, but luckily, everything worked out in the end.

In real life, things were just as competitive between the brands that stood just blocks away from each other in New York City. In fact, the rhetorical phrase, "Does Macy's tell Gimbels?" was often used in business in the '30s, '40s, '50s and '60s to mean trade secrets shouldn't be shared.

For those not fluent in Dutch, it might be difficult to understand what the little girl says. When asked what she'd like for Christmas, she admits she doesn't want anything, because she received her one true wish of being adopted by her new mother. Then, they sing a silly holiday jingle together, in which one translation goes, "Saint Nicolas Little Rascal/Put something in my little shoe/Put something in my little boot/Thank you little Saint Nicolas!"

In the '70s, Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner were asked if they'd be interested in having their daughter, Natasha Gregson Wagner, star in a TV remake of Miracle on 34th Street. She would have played the same role her mother did all those years ago. Natalie, who experienced the hardships of being a child star, declined the offer, because she didn't want her own kids to start acting at such a young age.

He did such a good job as Kris Kringle (or maybe Natalie was just a staunch little Santa believer) that the 8-year-old actress was fooled.

The actress nearly rejected the role of Doris Walker, because she had just touched down in Ireland and would have had to return to America to begin shooting — something she wasn't thrilled about. After reading the script, however, her entire view of the movie changed. "I don't think I will ever tire of children asking me, 'Are you the lady who knows Santa Claus?'" Maureen revealed in her autobiography. "I always answer, 'Yes, I am. What would you like me to tell him?'"

In 1985, Miracle on 34th Street was one of the first films to be colorized, resulting in some controversy from film purists who believed it should have remained black and white — Maureen included.

If you ever hoped to see it in person, you can. Producers decided not to use a set or assemble an exterior for the movie, instead using a home in Port Washington, New York. Not only is it still standing today, but it looks mostly the same.