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As “Miracle on 34th Street” progresses, we learn that Kris Kringle has ended up moving in to share an apartment with Fred Gailey who, as noted, shares a building with the woman of his dreams, Doris Walker. This plot line seems to make sense, as Fred’s casual, outgoing personality establishes him as someone likely to be fine with having a somewhat eccentric, total stranger as a roommate.
But what has viewers of the Christmas classic a bit flummoxed has to do with the sleeping arrangements in Fred’s apartment bedroom. When the prospect of sharing his digs with Kringle arises, Fred says no problem because he lives on his own and has twin beds. Contemporary viewers would be excused for wondering why an ostensibly successful, big-city lawyer doesn’t trick out his lair with more sophisticated interior decorating sensibilities. But, as anyone who’s watched movies or TV from the decades around the conservatively minded mid-twentieth century can tell you, this isn’t an uncommon setup for the period.Â
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As noted on RawStory.com, twin beds seen during this era implied that no immoral shenanigans involving people sleeping together would ever transpire in a TV or film set bedroom where the lines of propriety were so clearly drawn. So, while the classic ’40s version of “Miracle on 34th Street” may leave most viewers with warm and fuzzy Christmas-y feelings, Fred’s apartment may leave others scratching their heads.
