Pocketful of Miracles ( 1961 )

Pocketful of Miracles ( 1961 ) (Blu-Ray) (*)

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Screened, competed or awarded at:
Golden Globes
Oscar Academy Awards
Other Film Festival Awards

Language Selections:
English ( Mono )
Spanish ( Mono )
Spanish ( Subtitles )

Product Origin/Format:
Spain ( Blu-Ray/Region A/B/C )

Running Time:
130 min

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen (1.78:1)

Special Features:
Interactive Menu
Scene Access

Movie filmed in 1961 and produced in:
United States ( USA, Canada )

Directed By:
Frank Capra

Written By:
Hal Kanter
Harry Tugend

Actors:
Glenn Ford ..... Dave the Dude
Bette Davis ..... Apple Annie
Hope Lange ..... Queenie Martin
Arthur O'Connell ..... Count Alfonso Romero
Peter Falk ..... Joy Boy
Thomas Mitchell ..... Judge Henry G. Blake
Edward Everett Horton ..... Hudgins
Mickey Shaughnessy ..... Junior
David Brian ..... Governor
Sheldon Leonard ..... Steve Darcey
Peter Mann ..... Carlos Romero
Ann-Margret ..... Louise
Barton MacLane ..... Police Commissioner (as Barton Maclane)
John Litel ..... Police Inspector McCrary
Jerome Cowan ..... Mayor

Synopsis:

Director Frank Capra's last feature film, Pocketful of Miracles is a Technicolor remake of his 1933 film Lady for a Day. A barely recognizable Bette Davis plays Apple Annie, the besotted, unkempt, rag-clad street vendor who controls the activities of all the beggars on Broadway. Apple Annie is the pet of Dave the Dude (Glenn Ford), a tough but basically kind-hearted gangster who believes that Annie's apples bring him luck. One morning, Annie fails to show up at her usual corner. That's because she is sitting disconsolate in her squalid shack, contemplating suicide. The reason: Annie has received a letter from her daughter Louise (Ann-Margret, in her screen debut). Annie has been supporting Louise's high-priced European education, leading the girl to believe that she, Annie, is a high-society dowager. Now Louise is returning home with her wealthy fiance Carlos Romero (Peter Mann) in tow, and it looks as though Annie's cover will be blown to bits. Partly out of sympathy, but mostly because of his superstitious belief in the power of Annie's apples, Dave the Dude arranges with his Broadway cohorts to 'doll up' Annie so that she can pass as a woman of means, then stage-manages a huge, expensive reception for Louise and her beau. The complications that ensued in the original 1933 version of Lady for a Day exercise their prerogative once more, with a few added plot twists to pad out Glenn Ford's screen time. Cutting through the sentimental goo like a machete is Peter Falk, who is hilarious as Dave the Dude's sarcastic bodyguard. Evidently, Falk was one of the few actors on the set of Pocketful of Miracles with which Capra remained sympatico throughout shooting. In his autobiography (a not altogether reliable tome), Capra insisted that Pocketful of Miracles was ruined by Glenn Ford's autocratic and self-serving on-set behavior, and by Ford's demand that his current lady friend Hope Lange be (mis)cast as brash nightclub chirp Queenie Martin. As usual, Capra was not telling the whole story: at 63, he was beginning to lose his grip on his movie-making skills, allowing every scene to run well past its value and concentrating on cute isolated 'bits' rather than the story at hand. Way too long at 136 minutes (Lady for a Day ran but 90), Pocketful of Miracles still has a lot going for it, especially the glowing performance of Bette Davis and the basic, foolproof Damon Runyon story on which it is based. While it disappointed at the box office, Miracles has since its release become a Christmastime TV perennial, seldom failing to draw big ratings numbers.

A Pocket Full of Miracles is the story of Apple Annie (Bette Davis), a poor, alcoholic who sells apples on the streets of New York during prohibition. Annie has a secret. Her daughter (Ann-Margret), born out of wedlock, has been raised in a Spanish convent. She and Annie only know each other through the letters they write, which has allowed Annie to embellish her existence over the years.When Annies daughter writes to her announcing her engagement to the son of a Spanish count and their impending visit, Annie realizes her daughter's future will be ruined if they discover her true identity. Annie turns to a bootlegging mobster (Glenn Ford) for help. Joining forces with assorted low-lifes, they turn Annie into a New York socialite worthy of audience with a count.The imposters almost get tripped up when their party is threatened by a police raid, but alas all turns out well. Just when Annie is about to confess to her true identity, the mobsters show with none other than the mayor and governor in tow a true miracle.

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 fiancé with her. The problem is that Louise has believed all her life that Annie's a wealthy dowager, and the poor old woman doesn't know what to do! Enter 'Dave The Dude' (Glenn Ford) - a big-hearted racketeer - who enlists aid to pass Annie off as a high-society grande dame so Louise can marry her fairy-tale prince and everyone can live happily ever after!

This product was added to our catalog on Friday 18 January, 2019.