Pocketful of Miracles | Glenn Ford, Bette Davis

Pocketful of Miracles | Glenn Ford, Bette Davis | Capra revists his "Lady"

DVDs:

Pocketful of Miracles

	Pocketful of Miracles Glenn Ford, Bette Davis MGM (Video & DVD), 2001 average customer review:based on 41 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Apple Annie

I think that this was one of Betty Davis's greatest films of all. I enjoyed the entire film, yet I did expect for the truth of the plot of the story to be revealed to the daughter of Apple Annie. I suggest this movie to all who enjoy classic movies with famous actresses such as Betty Davis.

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.

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Miracle team of Damon Runyon and Frank Capra

The mixture of Frank Capra and Damon Runyon in one movie is wonderful. Although not spiked with the usual multitude of colorful Runyan gangster names such as Nicely Nicely Johnson, Angie the Ox or Liverlips Louie; this is none the less Runyon/Capra-esque through and through. They're all here, the hoods and dolls and someone who is down on their luck or at their ropes end ala "It's a wonderful Life".

Betty Davis' turn as Apple Annie is a joy to watch as she holds her meager, hopeless life together by selling apples and sending that money that she doesn't buy booze with (along with money collected from her various vagrant "Godparents" on the street ) to her illegitimate daughter in Europe who thinks her mother is well-off.

Glenn Ford (not one of my favorite people, but I give credit where it's due) does a great job as "Dave the Dude" Annie's number one customer who believe her apples bring him luck in his shady dealings. Annie literally falls apart on the streets when her daughter announces in a letter that she is on her way to visit her with her fiancee and his father the Count in tow. What starts for Dave as one little favor by putting Annie up in a Ritzy hotel to keep his lucky apple supply going snowballs into a full time care taking job for "The Dude". Peter Falk (Best actor in a supporting role Oscar winner for this movie) is a true riot in this as Dave's second in command who wants no part of this fairy tale and wants Dave to stick to the business of being a mob boss.

Although Ann Margaret in her first role is a bit too exuberant for me in some scenes, her freshness overshadows that little flaw and seems appropriate for the most part. However, it's Bette Davis' transformation that I got a kick out of from her usually composed, strong and stately portrayals to down and dirty street hag that showed a different dimension of Ms. Davis that I had not seen from her before. (Not being an expert on her films I'm not sure if she's done that character type before).

For some reason I always include this in my Christmas films when I'm decorating. I think it's The Nutcracker score playing when Annie is transformed or it might just be the fairytale/miracle making/"Cinderella"/"It's a Wonderful Life" all rolled into one thing...I don't know. But, if you want to cry like a big ol' baby just like at the end of "It's a wonderful life" then buy it.

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Where is Peter Mann?

This is the film that Bette Davis talks about in her autobiography. She felt that Glenn Ford was throwing his weight around and had arranged an enormous "star" trailer for Hope Lange, who was playing his girlfriend and whom, Davis suspected, actually was his girlfriend in real life. By giving Hope Lange a bigger trailer than he gave Bette Davis, Glenn Ford was telling Davis what she had always known to be true, that in Hollywood, talent takes a back seat to youth and beauty. And also that Hollywood was run by men whose brains are all between their legs. Animosity sprung forth on the set like a geyser which when once tapped cannot be contained. For Ann-Margret, whose first movie this was, it was all pretty much above her head, and her performance is honest and true, filled with her trademark effervescence and joie de vivre.

Indeed Hope Lange, an underrated actress who lacked the necessary oomph to fulfill the studio's vision of her as the "new Grace Kelly" still manages to give a very funny account of herself as Queenie, the sort of part they used to give to Jean Harlow or Mae West. For Glenn Ford on the other hand, this is not his finest hour.

They should have a special edition of this DVD with a commentary track. Why not? Ann-Margret alone would have plenty of tales to tell about the making of this movie, and how about adding Peter Falk and Glenn Ford to the commentary as well. Still alive at age 89, Glenn Ford would be a splendid addition to the mix. Plus, Frank Capra Jr is always amusing when it comes to delivering anecdotes about his father's illustrious career. And maybe they could dig up Peter Mann, who plays Carlos, Ann-Margret's love interest in this film. If they could only find him, it would produce a shock wave in the video world unequalled since Tom Weaver located Donnie Dunegan and interviewed him for VIDEO WATCHDOG.

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