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Miracle on 34th Street original prop Santa Claus, sleigh & reindeer from opening scene of the film

Currency:USD Category:Memorabilia Start Price:20,000.00 USD Estimated At:20,000.00 - 30,000.00 USD
Miracle on 34th Street original prop Santa Claus, sleigh & reindeer from opening scene of the film
Condition Reports: If you wish to obtain additional information on a particular lot, or cannot appear at the viewing, Profiles may provide, upon request, a condition report. We remind prospective buyers that descriptions of property are not warranted and that each lot is sold “as is” in accordance with the terms of the limited warranty. Condition reports, as other descriptions of property, are not warranted; they are only provided as a service to interested clients.
(20th Century Fox, 1947) Santa Claus figure and (8) reindeer fashioned of wire armature and painted paper mache, all approx. 10” high, with 4 x 4” gift bag, and 5 x 5 x 11” sleigh of ornately painted balsa wood. These original props are the focus of the opening scene in the perennial Christmas season classic, Miracle on 34th Street, in which we are introduced to Kris Kringle (so well portrayed by Edmund Gwenn as to win him Best Supporting Actor for this role). As he strolls past a New York shop window at 19 E. 61st Street, “Lillian Schary Waldman, Interior Decoration” he can’t help but notice discrepancies in the window decorator’s faulty arrangement of these very same figures, which are clearly depicted in a number of shots for this scene. With suggestions like “You’re making a mistake! You’ve got Cupid where Vixen should be!” he is dismissed as a lunatic by the beleaguered decorator, just as he will come to be treated throughout the story, until it becomes clear that he is indeed the one true Santa Claus. The figures and the sleigh are all in an extraordinary state of preservation considering their construction media, with the only noticeable loss being a tiny stanchion on the inside of the sleigh, presumably for reins (which do not appear in the film shots, and likely never existed). Attention to detail in the construction and decoration is exquisite, combined with the timeless popularity of the film make this one of the finest screen-used film props in our experience. Overall, Excellent. Acquired by Victor Leontovich, who worked for 20th Century-Fox in the 1940s.