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Directed by George Seaton, Miracle on 34th Street (1947) begins when Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) is persuaded by Doris Walker (Maureen O'Hara), the special events director at Macy's department store in New York City, to play Santa Claus in their Thanksgiving Day Parade. He does such a good job that he is hired to as the store Santa during the holiday season. While he is successful, Doris learns that he has been directing clients to other stores and claiming that he is Santa Claus. Meanwhile, Doris's neighbour and friend, attorney Fred Gailey (John Payne), takes her skeptical young daughter, Susan (Natalie Wood), to see Santa at the store. Doris has raised Susan not to believe in fairy tales, but her lack of faith is shaken when she sees Kris conversing in Dutch with an orphan girl from the Netherlands who does not know English. Although Doris asks him to stop telling people that he is not really Santa Claus, Kris continues insisting that he is. Worried that he is delusi...

Theatrical release poster Directed by George Seaton, The Country Girl (1954) begins in a Broadway theater, where stage director Bernie Dodd (William Holden) convinces his reluctant producer, Phil Cook (Anthony Ross), to cast Frank Elgin (Bing Crosby) in their new musical show. Once a successful male lead, Frank now has a reputation as a troublesome alcoholic and lives in a rundown apartment with his wife Georgie (Grace Kelly), a dowdy but still youthful «country girl» who seems to have lost all her promise in life. Frank is hesitant about Bernie's offer at first, not entirely certain that he can handle the work, but Georgie advises him to take the role and do his «level best.» Frank eventually agrees, figuring that he can quit the show if things go wrong. During rehearsals, Frank has trouble concentrating and fears he will not be able to learn his lines in time for the Boston try-out. When Bernie asks him if he is having problems at home, Frank confesses that Georgie has ...