Product Description

Superbly directed by the peerless Frank Capra, this remake of Lady For A Day is pure Hollywood magican unforgettable combination of comedy, whimsy and romance that was nominated* for three OscarsÂ(r)! Impoverished Broadway peddler Apple Annie (Bette Davis) has a problem. Her daughter, Louise (Ann-Margret), educated abroad since infancy, is coming for a visit and bringing her wealthy fiancÃ(c) with her. The problem is that Louise has believed all her life that Annie's a wealthydowager, and the poor old woman doesn't know what to do! Enter Dave the Dude (Glenn Ford)a big-hearted racketeerwho enlists the aid of his colorful mob of hooligans in a wild and crazy schemeto pass Annie off as a high-society grande dame so Louise can marry her fairy-tale prince and everyone can live happily ever after! *1961: Supporting Actor (Peter Falk), Song, Costume Design

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12999 in DVD
• Released on: 2001-09-18
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Letterboxed, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, Spanish
• Subtitled in: Spanish, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 136 minutes

Customer Reviews

This film has aged quite well.
Capra didn't have kind words to say about this, his last feature film. Blinding headaches, a star/producer out of control, his memoirs reflect an experience which soured him on directing completely. Given that, and the lukewarm box office, Pocketful of Miracles has always been considered the ugly stepchild of the Capra cannon, especially when compared to his first version, Lady For A Day. But what a pleasure this film is, almost 40 years later. If you are familiar with Capra's films, you'll recognize many of the supporting actors, three from It's A Wonderful Life, such as Ellen Corby (Grandma on The Waltons,) who played one of George Bailey's depositors, Sheldon Leonard (in a cameo as Darcey the mob boss) who played bartender Nick @ Martini's and Thomas Mitchell who was George's Uncle Billy (also Scarlett's father Gerald O' Hara in Gone with the Wind.) Capra's wove the fabric of life into his films with his supproting cast, and he does much the same here. Peter Falk is great as Junior, deservedly winning an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Also look for the fabulous Edward Everett Horton as the butler. While Bette Davis is given little to do in the second half, and while Glenn Ford and Hope Lange tend to the hammy, it is still Capra and there are many pleasures to be had. You may even find a tear in your eye at the end, for there is plenty of Capra corn. Indulge and enjoy! They truly don't make 'em like this anymore.

Capra revists his "Lady"
POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES is a perfectly-acceptable update of LADY FOR A DAY. Frank Capra revisits the material with an amazing cast headed by Glenn Ford and Bette Davis (playing against her usual screen persona) as `Apple Annie' herself.

The story concerns the colourful apple-seller Annie, who has managed to send her daughter Louise (Ann-Margret in her movie debut) to an expensive overseas boarding school. Now the time has come that Louise is to be married (to a member of the Spanish nobility, no less) so Annie turns to her oldest customer `Dave the Dude' (Glenn Ford) to help her out. Dave turns Annie into the worldly and rich Mrs Worthington-Manville, so that Louise will not be ashamed of the poor apple-seller that her mother really is.

Bette Davis and Glenn Ford are marvellous as Annie and Dave. The entire cavalcade of Damon Runyon characters is perfectly-realised: Hope Lange as Queenie Martin, Peter Falk as Joy Boy and Mickey Shaughnessy as Junior all add great dimensions to their well-defined characters. Also featuring Arthur O'Connell, Thomas Mitchell, Sheldon Leonard and Peter Mann.

The DVD presents the film in 4:3 ratio letterbox.

Charming, tender, funny, and very touching!
"Pocketful of Miracles" was Frank Capra's last motion picture he directed. For a last picture for him, I think it is quite a masterpiece. This is a remake of the 1933 movie "Lady For A Day" which Capra directed then. Bette Davis is wonderful as Apple Annie, a boozy street peddlar whose best customer is gangster leader Dave the Dude (Glenn Ford) who thinks her apples bring him luck. His flashy girlfriend Queenie Martin (Hope Lange) thinks otherwise, and the Dude can't keep her out of his hair. Peter Falk plays on his sidekicks named Joy Boy, and Mickey Shaugnessey (Elvis' costar in "Jailhouse Rock") plays the Dude's other sidekick and chauffeur Junior. They all help Apple Annie a.k.a. Mrs. E. Worthington Manville prepare for her daughter (Ann-Margret) to come from Spain to visit with a Spanish count (Arthur O'Connell) and his son (Peter Mann). They announce that she will marry the count's son, and will give a reception. The Dude, Queenie, Joy Boy, Junior, and Apple Annie's temporary "husband" Judge Blake painstakingly round up the gang members of the dude and Queenie's chorus girls to try to impersonate officials and attend the reception. Meanwhile, the police, the comissioner, the governor, and mayor are hot on the job to track down missing reporters kinapped by the Dude. (We all know even though their tied up, Dude's still kind-hearted underneath). They're in a jam, when Queenie's nightclub is surrounded by cops. Dude makes a deal with the comissioner. What ends up happening is, the governor and mayor get word and the people at the coincidental party for the mayor show up miraculously for Annie's reception. At the end, it shows, Louise (Ann-Margret), the count and son Carlos leaving to go back to Spain where the two will get married. This is a real fanciful scene there. It's a real great classic everyone will enjoy.