DAILY DIRT: ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ actress believed in Santa

Santa receives 32,000 letters a day at this time of the year … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 801 of The Daily Dirt.

1. Another day in December, another day closer to Christmas. Let the celebration continue! 

Today the Daily Dirt crew would like to share three items tied to the holiday season that you may not be aware of, but we found to be quite interesting:

From a child’s point of view: Actress Natalie Wood, who was 8-years-old at time she appeared in the 1947 holiday film “Miracle on 34th Street,” still believed in Santa Claus at the time.

Years later, in her autobiography, Wood wrote how she believed Edmund Gwenn, the actor who played Santa in the film, was the real deal.

“I had never seen him without his beard because he used to come in early in the morning and spend several hours putting on this wonderful beard and mustache,” she explained. “And at the end of the shoot, when we had a set party, I saw this strange man, without the beard, and I just couldn’t get it together.”

Another little-known fact about this marvelous movie is when it was first released in Europe it carried the title of “The Big Heart”. By the time it reached the United States, it had become “Miracle on 34th Street”. The last was led by Maureen O’Hara and John Payne.

Marketing gimmick: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is as much a part of Christmas as presents, carols and “It’s A Wonderful Life”. But did you know Rudolph did not make his first appearance until 1939 as part of a giveaway coloring book from Montgomery Ward, the one-time department store giant?

They still believe: During the months of November and December, Santa receives about 32,000 letters — each day. That’s according to the Exeter Santa Survey, which says 85 percent of all kids 8-under believe in Mr. Claus.

2. There has been much wailing and gnashing of teeth since Michigan, Washington, Texas and Alabama were named as the four semifinalist for this season’s College Football Playoff field.

If you’re one of those sobbing, stop it. Just stop it.

The CFP committee got it right, or at least as close as it could with the silly four-team format that is (finally) in its final year of existence. (For those who missed it, next year’s field will be expanded to 12 teams.)

Most of the aforementioned wailing seemed to be coming from Florida State and Georgia backers. And we’ll get to you a minute.

First of all, only four schools could be selected. Who would you have left out?

Michigan and Washington were undefeated conference champs. They were no-brainers. The Big Ten and Pac-12 were both strong conferences. There is no argument here.

Texas and Alabama were also conference champs, but each had a loss. But both are on late-season rolls. Which of those schools would you have left out to include Florida State and/or Georgia?

Granted, Florida State finished 13-0, but was not impressive, largely because it was down to a third-string quarterback. Defense may win championships, but offense sells tickets and impresses voters — and Florida State’s offense was miserable. 

The Seminoles would likely have been embarrassed if they had been selected for a semifinal berth. And yes, that’s a shame, because FSU was on an historic run until those quarterback injuries, but I think if any unbiased fan ranked the top 10 college teams right NOW the Seminoles would be fortunate to sneak into the top 10. That’s life, and life isn’t always fair.

Georgia is the school I feel sorriest for, because until losing 27-24 to Alabama in the SEC title game, when was the last time the Bulldogs had lost a game? I think it was something like the 1950s. But to include Georgia in this year’s lineup, who would you omit? Unfortunately, Georgia lost its only game of the season at the worst possible time.

Look at the bright side. A year from now we won’t have this problem.

3. This week’s best of “Found on Facebook”:

• “How much space should you allow fungi? As mushroom as possible.”
• “My car is making a terrible noise. ‘Take out the Taylor Swift CD,’ my friend said.”
• “Things to do in Chicago: 1. Leave.”
• “So apparently RSVP-ing to a wedding invitation with ‘Maybe next time” was not the best response.”
• “Education is important, but tacos are importanter.”

Steve Thought O’ The Day — If you’re looking to attend an NFL game this year, prepare to pay up. According to an analysis by TicketSmarter, the cost of an average ticket has jumped by more than $100 dollars — from $235 in 2022 to $377 in 2023.