Miracle on 34th Street (the 1947 version) has always been one of my favorite movies. It’s a great courtroom drama and a lovely Christmas story. But it’s also a feminist movie. We might not see it from the vantage point of 2015, but the character of Doris Walker was way ahead of her time. Played by the late Maureen O’Hara, she was a confident, professional, single mom -in 1947.
Could another actress have played Doris Walker besides the Queen of Technicolor? Sure. But they might not have had the same power and presence as this tall, brassy dame. Maureen O’Hara brought serious confidence and grace to an atypical character in the Golden Age of Hollywood, one whose impression and influence will last long after her passing.
Uproxx breaks down the many ways that Doris was ahead of her time, and how Miracle on 34th Street was really about her. Of course, the other characters were perfect, too.