Miracle on 34th street trivia questions and answers

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About This Quiz

It's the film that made everyone believe in Santa again, and it remains required viewing for those looking to get into the Christmas spirit. Take our quiz to test your knowledge of "Miracle on 34th Street"!

What event is taking place as the 1947 version of "Miracle on 34th Street" opens?

The film opens at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, where a drunken Santa is quickly replaced by a man who claims to be the real deal.

What is the name of the woman who acts as the event planner for Macy's?

Doris Walker, played by Maureen O'Hara, is a divorced mom with a young daughter. She works as an event planner for Macy's in New York City.

What is the name of Doris' daughter?

Doris Walker has a daughter named Susan, who acts very grown up for a 2nd grader.

What actress played Susan in the 1947 movie?

A young Natalie Wood played the serious and sensible Susan, who went from a non-believer to a true Santa fan.

What does Susan ask Santa to bring her for Christmas the first time she meets him?

The very mature Susan tells Santa that she doesn't want anything from him for Christmas and informs him that her mother will surely bring her sensible gifts.

What language does Santa speak easily with a young girl, who has just moved to the U.S.?

Santa converses easily with a young Dutch girl, making Susan consider for the first time whether he could actually be Santa Claus.

Which store sells the best ice skates, according to Mr. Claus himself?

Santa irritates the Macy's store staff when he reveals to a family that Gimbels makes the best ice skates.

What's the job of the character named Julian?

Head of the Macy's toy department

Played by Philip Tonge, Julian Shellhammer serves as the head of the toy department at Macy's flagship store in the film.

Why does Mr. Macy approve of his store's Santa sending customers to other stores?

The store is running out of toys

The customers respond by increasing their loyalty to Macy's

Mr. Macy is convinced that it's a stroke of genius that his own marketing department came up with. When the other big stores find out, they follow Santa's suit!

Mr. Macy wants all the noisy children to leave the store

When Santa insists Susan tell him what she really wants for Christmas, what does she ask for?

When Santa visits her at home, Susan finally admits that what she wants most is a house and informs Santa that if she doesn't get one, then he must be just another impostor.

Who does Santa hit in the head with his cane?

Mr. Sawyer, the store psychologist

Santa taps psychologist Mr. Sawyer in the head with his cane, which leads police to lock Santa up in a psychiatric facility.

Where do the police lock up Santa after the cane incident?

Thomas Mara is the District Attorney at Kris Kringle's trial. If Mara wins, Kringle will be permanently committed to Bellevue.

Who does Fred call to the stand to testify that Santa Claus really exists, before the court asks him to prove that Mr. Kringle is the one and only Santa Claus?

Thomas Mara Jr., the son of the prosecutor

"Because my daddy told me so," is the reason Tommy Jr. gives for believing in Santa Claus. Tommy's father, of course, is the attorney prosecuting the case against Santa. On the way back to his seat, Tommy stops to tell Santa he wants a real, official football helmet. (Mr. Macy has already testified that he believes Kris Kringle is the true Santa Claus.)

What does Doris write at the bottom of the letter that Susie decides to send to Santa during his trial at the courthouse?

"i EVEN BELIEEVE YOU WILL GET ME THE PRESENT I ASKED FOR. I HOPE YOU ARE NOT SAD. YOURS TRULY, SUSAN" her letter says.

What "competent authority" finally proves to the court that Mr. Kringle really is Santa Claus?

When the U.S. Post Office delivers all of Santa's mail to Kringle, the judge in his case considers this to be definitive proof that the man is the real deal.

Susan finally gets the house she wants at the end of the film.

At the conclusion of the film, Fred and Doris marry and decide to buy the house that Susan dreams of.

What does the family discover when they move into the new house?

The family finds the red cane that Santa always used to carry, leading even the adults to wonder if they had come face to face with Santa Claus himself.

What was the film originally called?

"Will the Real Santa Claus Please Stand Up?"

The movie was originally titled "The Big Heart" and was actually released under that name in the UK.

Which month was the movie released in 1947?

Studio executives knew that June movies sold more tickets, so they released the holiday movie in June to maximize the box office dollars.

Who played Kris Kringle in the 1947 version of the film?

Edmund Gwenn starred as Kris Kringle, the man deemed by the courts to be the real Santa Claus.

What is the name of Doris and Susan's neighbor, who also agrees with Mr. Kringle that the ladies might be too cynical for their own good?

Attorney Fred Gailey, played by actor John Payne, lives next door to the Walker family.

Which star of the film wrote a sequel?

John Payne, who played Fred, was such a fan of the movie that he wrote a sequel. Sadly, the film was never produced.

Edmund Gwenn (Santa Claus)

Who is Santa living with before he is sent to Bellevue?

Santa moves in with Fred so that the Macy's staff can keep an eye on him and make sure he stays out of trouble.

What store replaced Macy's as the focus of the 1994 version of the film?

Macy's declined to participate in the 1994 remake, so the iconic store was replaced by the fictional Cole's.

Who directed the 1994 remake of "Miracle on 34th Street?"

While the movie picked up a couple of remakes over the years, the most well-known was the John Hughes version, which came out in 1994.

Which actress took on the role of Doris in the 1994 remake?

Elizabeth Perkins took on the role of Doris, though the character was known as Dorey in the remake.

Who played young Susan in the 1994 remake?

Mara WIlson, who also starred in "Matilda" and "Mrs. Doubtfire," played the role of Susan in the 1994 version of "Miracle on 34th Street."

Gimbels didn't appear in the 1994 remake.

Gimbels was out of business by 1994, so the Macy's-Gimbels rivalry of the 1947 film was replaced by a fictional rivalry between Cole's and Shopper's Express.

What was the name of Doris' neighbor and boyfriend in the 1994 version of the film?

The character of Fred Gailey was replaced by Bryan Bedford, played by Dylan McDermott.

What served as proof that Kringle was the real Santa Claus in the 1994 remake?

The courts ruled that if the U.S government could put "In God We Trust" on a dollar bill, then there was no reason that Kris Kringle couldn't be declared the one and only Santa Claus.

What gift does Susan receive at the end of the 1994 version of the film?

Susan asks for a house, a father and a baby brother. By the end of the film, she has all three.

Who played Kris Kringle in the 1994 remake?

Richard Attenborough donned the red suit to play Santa in the 1994 version of "Miracle on 34th Street."

How many actors appeared in both the 1947 and 1994 versions of the film?

Just one actor, Alvin Greenman, appeared in both films. He played Macy's employee Alfred in the 1947 movie and a doorman named Alfred in the 1994 film.