Miracle On 34th Street (1994) - In the scene, a young Deaf girl is brought to sit on the lap of Kriss Kringle at the fictional Cole's department store. Kringle (Richard Attenborough), who hasn't been told of the child's disability, asks her what she would like for Christmas.
After her mother informs him that her child is Deaf and that all she wanted was to sit on Santa's lap, Kringle summons his seasonal powers and begins a sign-language (American Sign Language) conversation.
The stoic girl is transformed on camera with a delighted, surprised smile, signing back her answers, much to the tearful surprise of her mother and more than a few audience members.
As it happens, there is something even more touching about the scene: It is acted by 5-year-old Sami Krieger, the second of three Deaf children born to Jay and Linda Krieger, both of whom are also Deaf.
In the living room of their modest duplex in Hanover Park, a middle-class suburb of Chicago, Sami fidgets in her father's lap, grappling with a temporary case of acute shyness, while her sisters Amanda, 6, and Wanda, 1, look on.
Jay Krieger, with the help of a sign-language interpreter, says of making the film, "The experience was wonderful, really great. The (John) Hughes (production) people treated Sami like royalty, giving her a trailer with a star that had her name on it, which made her feel special," he says.... Read The Full Story.
Related Signing Santa:
Signing Santa Brightens Deaf Girl's Holiday
Signing Santa To Make Girl's Wish Come True
Miracle on 34th Street Deaf Girl & Santa Scene
KODA Girl In Kindergarten Holiday Concert
Interview With KODA Girl And Deaf Parents
