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Pocketful Of Miracles Details

1961 Certificate U
  • Rated:
  • 60
  • from 283 members

Annie (Bette Davis), an ageing apple-seller, passes herself off as a woman of wealth in order to impress her daughter's fiance. Young Louise (Ann-Margret) has just returned from years in Spain and hopes to marry into the well to-do family of a Count. Assisting Annie in her comic charade is a motley group of small-time-gangsters .. Read more

Starring Bette Davis, Bette Davis, Glenn Ford, Hope Lange
Director Frank Capra
Genres Drama

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Pocketful Of Miracles

Annie (Bette Davis), an ageing apple-seller, passes herself off as a woman of wealth in order to impress her daughter's fiance. Young Louise (Ann-Margret) has just returned from years in Spain and hopes to marry into the well to-do family of a Count. Assisting Annie in her comic charade is a motley group of small-time-gangsters who love Annie and would do anything to help her. Director Frank Capra re-made his own LADY FOR A DAY for this, his final film.

Starring Bette Davis, Bette Davis, Glenn Ford, Hope Lange, Arthur O'Connell, Peter Falk, Thomas Mitchell
Director Frank Capra
Studio MGM ENTERTAINMENT
Run time DVD: 2 hrs 15 mins
Certificate Certificate U
Genres Drama
Language DVD: English
Released DVD: 03 May 2004
Production year: 1961
Format DVD

  • Critics' reviews (2) of Pocketful Of Miracles

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  • 2 stars out of 5

    Frank Capra's remake of his 1933 comedy Lady for a Day is a disappointing end to his distinguished career. Damon Runyon's yarn worked during the Depression, but here this tale of class envy and economic inequality now seems dated. It has its sentimental moments, but it's too long, and Bette Davis is badly miscast as the apple-seller transformed into a wealthy socialite by a superstitious gangster (Glenn Ford) and his gang of hoodlums.

    • Radio Times
    • Posted 29 Jan 2006

  • Boring, overlong remake of Lady for a Day, showing that Capra's touch simply doesn't work on the wide screen, that his themes are dated anyway, and that all the fine character actors in Hollywood are a liability unless you find them something to do

    • Halliwell's Film Guide
    • Posted 02 Mar 2006

  • Most helpful member's review of Pocketful Of Miracles

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  • 3 out of 3 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 2 stars

    Capra's last gasp

    The formerly Great Frank Capra had, by the 1960s (in fact much, much earlier) run out of creative steam and ideas. This is the second occasion when he remade one of his own early films (after 'Riding High' (1950), a remake of his 'Broadway Bill' from 1934) and the difference between the two films (Lady for a Day (1933) was the first version) is Huge!

    Despite an impressive cast which includes the late great Glenn Ford, a pre-Baby Jane Bette Davies as well as Jack Elam, Thomas Mitchell and a show stealing performance from Peter Falk, Pocketful of Miracles is almost painfully phony. For one thing 'Lady for a Day' is very much a Prohibition story, ie. a comment on the current situation in the time it was made (1933). 'Miracles' is a 'period drama' that just doesn't convince as such. Another great problem is that Glenn Ford is simply miscast as The Dude (apparently Capra wanted but couldn't get Sinatra or Kirk Doulgas, either of which would have been more suitable).

    So, if you want a really good film try 'Lady for a Day' instead.

    One more: the second remake of the 'Lady for a Day' story comes from - wait for it - no other than Jackie Chan (!) and is called 'Miracles'...

    Go figure

      • Magnus Stanke from London
      • Posted 04 Dec 2006 15:12

  • Most recent members' review of Pocketful Of Miracles

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  • 0 out of 2 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 2 stars

    Moments of Magic

    I first saw this film as a kid, many years ago...and loved it. Viewing it again 17 years later, it left me with mixed feelings.

    Davis is her usual brilliant self; and the story of 'Apple Annie' is rather sweet, sad and interesting. However, it gets lost with the other story which rans parallel. Gangsters running New York, with a very young looking 'Columbo' (can't remember his name).

    Anyway, worth it for Davis.

      • A customer from London
      • Posted 24 Aug 2005 12:33

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Rating breakdown

283 Member ratings
  • 100
22
  • 90
16
  • 80
33
  • 70
40
  • 60
53
  • 50
37
  • 40
31
  • 30
20
  • 20
21
  • 10
10

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      • Annie (Bette Davis), an ageing apple-seller, passes herself off as a woman of wealth in order to impress her daughter's fiance. Young Louise (Ann-Margret) has just returned from years in Spain and ...