John Payne and Colleen Gray star in “Kansas City Confidential”

Kansas City Confidential (1952) is an American film noir directed by Phil Karlson and starring John Payne, Coleen Gray, and Preston Foster.

A ruthless ex-cop named Mr. Big (Foster) is planning an armored car heist. Part of the plan is to use a florist delivery truck, similar to the one real-life delivery man Joe Rolfe (Payne) drives.

The robbery goes as planned, and Rolfe is arrested instead of the robbers. The police are convinced that he is the mastermind of the heist and try to beat a confession out of him.

Rolfe is eventually released when his alibi checks out and the real robbery vehicle is found. However, the damage has been done. Rolfe loses his job and reputation and is determined to fight to get it back.

Phil Karlson (1908 – 1982) was a Chicago-born and raised American film director specializing in B pictures at various studios. Karlson was the original choice to direct Dr. No (1962), but his salary requirements were too high. He made a series of successful films noir with actor John Payne in the 1950s. He directed Elvis Presley in Kid Galahad (1962), one of the biggest box office successes of that year. Later in his career, he directed Dean Martin in two films in the Matt Helm series, The Silencers (1966) and The Wrecking Crew (1968). He had a huge success in 1973 with Walking Tall. Its success made him a very rich man since he owned a percentage of the film. Other films directed by Karslon include Hornet’s Nest (1970) starring Rock Hudson, and Ben (1972).

John Payne (1912 – 1989) was an American film actor. He made his film debut in Dodsworth (1936). He had roles at various studios but found stardom at 20^th Century-Fox. At Fox, he had major roles in Tin Pan Ally (1940), Sun Valley Serenade (1941), The Dolly Sisters (1945), The Razor’s Edge (1946), and perhaps his most famous role as Fred Gayley in Miracle on 34^th Street (1947). Payne wasn’t happy with the roles he was being offered at Fox, so he broke his contract, which had four more years to go. As an independent freelance actor, Payne then specialized in westerns and films noir. During this period, he starred in Kansas City Confidential (1952), 99 River Street (1953), and Santa Fe Passage (1955). From 1957 to 1959, he starred as Vint Bonner in the western TV series The Restless Gun. Payne’s final role was in an episode of Columbo in 1975.

Colleen Gray (1922 – 2015) was an American actress who was under contract to 20th Century-Fox in the 1940s. She was in the film noir, Kiss of Death (1947) with Victor Mature and Richard Widmark. She also had a role in Red River (1948) with John Wayne. In the 1950s, she started working in television, guest-starring in many popular shows of that period.

John Payne and Coleen Gray

Kansas City Confidential trivia

• John Payne broke some of Jack Elam’s ribs in a fight scene.
• Quentin Tarantino said that Reservoir Dogs was inspired by this film.
• The $1.2 million stolen from the bank is the equivalent of $12 million today.
• Coleen Gray and John Payne became romantically involved during the filming.
• None of the film was shot in Kansas City. All shots of Kansas City are stock footage.

 

Click HERE to watch the movie on YouTube.

Click HERE to join the discussion on July 7, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an email invitation with a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

Discussion questions

1. As caper movies go, where do you think it ranks?
2. Director Quentin Tarantino said this film inspired Reservoir Dogs. Did this film remind you of any other caper films you’ve seen?
3. Do you think the heist was believable?
4. Did the budding romance between Rolfe and Helen add or detract from the film?

Maureen O'Hara and John Payne experience the "Miracle on 34th Street"

Miracle on 34th Street (1947) is a comedy-drama directed by George Seaton and starring Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, and Edmund Gwenn. Others in the cast include Natalie Wood, Gene Lockhart, Porter Hall, Jerome Cowan, William Frawley, Theresa Harris, Jack Albertson, and in her screen debut, Thelma Ritter.

Doris Walker (O’Hara) is an executive with Macy’s Department Store in New York City. She’s also a divorced single mom raising her daughter Susan (Wood). Due to her disappointment with marriage, she’s raised Susan not to believe in fairy tales and Santa Claus.

When Doris hires a man named Kris Kringle to play Santa Claus in the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, things get interesting. Kris doesn’t just play Santa Claus, he believes he is Santa Claus!

Fred Gailey, a lawyer who lives in the same apartment building as Doris and Susan. He befriended Susan in an effort to meet Doris. His plan works and he and Doris begin a relationship. Things get complicated when the two clash on whether or not Susan should be exposed to the “myth” of Santa Claus.

Kris Kringle suspects that Susan doesn’t believe in Santa Claus and he makes it his mission to make her think otherwise.

Wilk Kris be successful? And is there really a Santa Claus and is his name Kris Kringle?

Edmund Gwenn and Natalie Wood

George Seaton (1911 - 1979) was an American director, screenwriter, and producer. Seaton started out as an actor and played the Lone Ranger o the radio. He got a job as a contract writer at M-G-M in 1933. His first credited script was for the Marx Brothers' comedy A Day at the Races (1937). Unhappy with only working on comedies, Seaton moved to Columbia in 1940. In the early 1940s, he went to 20^th Century-Fox where he achieved his greatest success as a writer and director. At Fox, he wrote the scripts for That Night in Rio (1941), Moon Over Miami (1941), and The Song of Bernadette (1943). He made his directorial debut with Diamond Horseshoe (1945) starring Betty Grable. He wrote and directed Junior Miss (1945) starring Peggy Ann Garner. Seaton wrote and directed the classic Miracle on 34^th Street. He won an Academy Award for his screenplay. Other films directed by Seaton include Apartment for Peggy (1948), The Country Girl (1954), Teacher’s Pet (1958), The Counterfeit Traitor (1962), 36 Hours (1964), What’s So Bad About Feeling Good (1968), and Airport (1970), the biggest hit of Seaton’s career.

Maureen O’Hara (1920 - 2015) was an Irish-American actress and singer. In her native Ireland, O’Hara trained with the Abbey Theatre at age 14. She screen-tested for the role of Mary Yellan in Jamaica Inn at age 19. Director Hitchcock wasn't impressed with O’Hara’s test but Laughton persuaded him to cast her. After finishing the film, O’Hara moved to Hollywood where she was signed to a contract at RKO. In 1941 she starred in How Green Was My Valley, her first collaboration with director John Ford. She starred alongside Tyrone Power in The Black Swan (1942), The Spanish Main (1945) with Paul Henreid, and Sinbad the Sailor (1947) with Douglas Fairbanks Jr. That same year she starred in the Christmas classic Miracle on 34th Street with John Payne, Edmund Gwenn, and a young Natalie Wood. Other popular films include The Quiet Man (1952), The Parent Trap (1961), and McLintock! (1963). 

John Payne (1912 – 1989) was an American film actor. He made his film debut in Dodsworth (1936). He had roles are various studios but found stardom at 20^th Century-Fox. At Fox, he had major roles in Tin Pan Ally (1940), Sun Valley Serenade (1941), The Dolly Sisters (1945), The Razor’s Edge (1946), and perhaps his most famous role as Fred Gayley in Miracle on 34^th Street (1947). Payne wasn’t happy with the roles he was being offered at Fox so he broke his contract which had four more years to go. As an independent freelance actor, Payne then specialized in westerns and films noir. During this period, he starred in Kansas City Confidential (1952), 99 River Street (1953), and Santa Fe Passage (1955). From 1957 to 1959, he starred as Vint Bonner in the western TV series, The Restless Gun. Payne’s final role was in an episode of Columbo in 1975.

Edmund Gwenn (1877 – 1959) was an English stage and film actor. He is best remembered for his role as Kris Kringle in Miracle on 34^th Street (1947) for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Gwenn made his Hollywood film debut in Sylvia Scarlett (1935) and went on to have a long career in that town. He was a member of what was known as the British Colony—British ex-pats who were working in Hollywood. So of his other films include Pride and Prejudice (1940), Foreign Correspondent (1940), Lassie Come Home (1943), The Keys of the Kingdom (1944), Undercurrent (1946), Apartment for Peggy (1948), and Mister 880 (1950). The actor Cecil Kellaway was Gwenn’s cousin.

Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, and Edmund Gwenn

Miracle on 34th Street trivia

• The team at Twentieth-Century Fox filmed the actual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1946.
• Edmund Gwenn actually played Santa Claus in that 1946 parade!
• Both Macy's and Gimbel's gave their permission to have their names used in the movie...after they saw the completed film!
• Gwenn gained 30 pounds to play Kris.
• This as Thelma Ritter's film debut; she was soon under contract with Fox and was nominated six times for Best Supporting Actress Oscars. She never won.
• The marketers at Fox didn't promote the film as a Christmas movie and came up with a crazy trailer that doesn't mention Christmas at all. (see trailer below)
• Miracle on 34th Street was released in theaters on June 11, 1947.
• The movie grossed four times its production cost.

To watch the film on YouTube, click the link below.

To join the discussion on December 19, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time, click here. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation and a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

Discussion questions

1. The film is an acknowledged holiday classic. Is it one of your favorites?
2. Does this film hold up in the 21st century?
3. What did you think of the relationship between Maureen O'Hara and John Payne? Did they have screen chemistry?
4. This movie put a young Natalie Wood on the map. After this performance, every studio in Hollywood wanted her in one of their movies. What did you think of her performance?
5. If you saw Edmund Gwenn, would you believe he was Santa Claus?
6. Do you have a favorite scene or piece of dialogue?

The original trailer for Miracle on 34th Street, featuring several movie stars on the Fox lot

Chicago Film Club Field Trip: "Miracle on 34th Street" December 20 at AMC East

Where: AMC East 21, 322 East Illinois, Chicago, IL
When: December 20, 2015
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Hosted by Stephen Reginald


Run Time: 1 hour 50 minutes (approximate)

Special Fathom Feature: Enjoy a specially produced introduction from Turner Classic Movies that will give insight into this celebrated holiday classic.

Fathom Events, Turner Classic Movies and Twentieth Century Fox will be bringing holiday cheer to the big screen with Miracle on 34th Street (1947), back in cinemas nationwide on Sunday, December 20.

Miracle on 34th Street is an irresistible fable that has, for many years, become synonymous with celebrating Christmas. The holiday season is in full swing when a cultured gentleman with twinkling eyes, an ample belly, and a snowy beard (Edmund Gwenn) is hired as Macy’s department store Santa. He claims his name is Kris Kringle, and soon fills everyone with Christmas spirit...except for his boss, Doris Walker (Maureen O’Hara), who’s raising her daughter (Natalie Wood) to not believe in Santa. But when Kringle is declared insane, and put on trial, everyone’s faith is put to the test as young and old alike face the age-old question: Do you believe in Santa Claus?

To purchase tickets in advance, click here. Tickets will also be available at the box office on the day of screening.

Edmund Gwenn and Natalie Wood

Join the Chicago Film club; join the discussion
Once a month we screen a classic film and have a brief discussion afterward. For more information, including how to join (it’s free), click here. The Venue 1550 is easily accessible by the CTA. Please visit Transit Chicago for more information on transportation options.

I’ll be holding up a Meetup sign by the concessions on the top, theater, level. Let’s try and meet at 1:45 p.m.

"Miracle on 34th Street" Kicks off the Holiday Movie Season

Natalie Wood and Maureen O'Hara

Does Macy's tell Gimbels?
Miracle on 34th Street, starring Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Edmund Gwenn, and Natalie Wood is a true holiday classic. Released in 1947, the movie boasts some terrific location shots of New York City during the late 1940s, including interior and exteriors of the landmark Macy's department store located near Times Square.

On Location in New York City
Twentieth Century Fox film studios actually filmed the real Macy's Day Parade to lend authenticity to the production. O'Hara and Gwenn are right in the middle of all the action along the parade route which starts at 77th St. and Central Park West to Columbus Circle (59th St.), continues up Broadway to 34th St., turning at Macy's Herald Square, and ending at Seventh Ave. The Macy's Day Parade is a New York tradition that started in 1924.

Prince Charming was a rat!
The story centers around Doris Walker (O'Hara) as a busy Macy's executive and single mother trying to raise her young daughter, Susan (Wood). O'Hara believes in always being truthful with her daughter and considers myths like Santa Claus harmful. She thinks that filling up her daughter's head with a bunch of fairy stories paints an unrealistic portrait of life and leads to disappointment and heartache in adulthood. What Doris doesn't realize is that it's her own bitterness and disappointment that is driving most of her parenting decisions.

John Payne, Wood, and Edmund Gwenn

Enter an eager, young lawyer, Fred Gailey (Payne), who challenges Susan first and then Doris to believe in something bigger than themselves. When Fred finds himself proclaiming a kind, old gentleman (Gwenn) as the one and only Santa Claus in a New York City courtroom, the city and its colorful inhabitants get swept up in the spectacle.

Honored Classic
Winner of three Academy Awards, including one for Best Writing, Screenplay (George Seaton), Best Writing, Original Story (Valentine Davies), and Best Supporting Actor (Gwenn), Miracle on 34th Street is a classic for all seasons.