Pocketful of Miracles (1961)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Frank Capra

Writers:

Hal Kanter (screenplay) and
Harry Tugend (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

25 December 1961 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

Boozy, brassy Apple Annie, a beggar with a basket of apples, is as much as part of downtown New York as old Broadway itself...

Plot Keywords:

Apple | Luck | Daughter | Dude | Mother

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

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
Jay Novello	...	Cortego
Frank Ferguson	...	Newspaper Editor
Willis Bouchey	...	Newspaper Editor
Fritz Feld	...	Pierre
Ellen Corby	...	Soho Sal
Gavin Gordon	...	Mr. Cole
Benny Rubin	...	Flyaway
Jack Elam	...	Cheesecake
Mike Mazurki	...	Big Mike
Hayden Rorke	...	Police Captain Moore
Doodles Weaver	...	Pool Player
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Betty Bronson	...	Mayor's Wife (uncredited)
Paul E. Burns	...	Mallethead (uncredited)
Marc Cavell	...	Young Reporter (uncredited)
Jacqueline deWit	...	Louise (uncredited)
Josip Elic	...	Darcey Henchman (uncredited)
Tom Fadden	...	Herbie - Hotel Employee (uncredited)
Bernard Fein	...	Darcey's Henchman (uncredited)
Bess Flowers	...	Pedestrian Entering Queenie Martin's Club (uncredited)
Peter Ford	...	Elevator Operator (uncredited)
Eddie Foster	...	Man in Pool Hall (uncredited)
Byron Foulger	...	Lloyd (uncredited)
James Griffith	...	Briscoe (uncredited)
Chuck Hamilton	...	Truck-Driving Hood (uncredited)
Peter Hansen	...	Governor's Aide (uncredited)
Stuart Holmes	...	Bald Patron at Queenie Martin's (uncredited)
Richard Karlan	...	Detective (uncredited)
Kenner G. Kemp	...	Dock Extra (uncredited)
Kermit Maynard	...	Newspaper Editor (uncredited)
Joe McTurk	...	Powder (uncredited)
Paul Micale	...	(uncredited)
Billy Nelson	...	Hood (uncredited)
Paul Newlan	...	Hood (uncredited)
'Snub' Pollard	...	Knuckles (uncredited)
Amanda Randolph	...	Annie's Neighbor (uncredited)
Angelo Rossitto	...	Angie (uncredited)
Michael Ross	...	Detective #1 (uncredited)
William F. Sauls	...	Smiley (uncredited)
Edgar Stehli	...	Gloomy (uncredited)
Bert Stevens	...	Dock Extra (uncredited)
George E. Stone	...	Shimkey (uncredited)
Harry Swoger	...	(uncredited)
Hal Taggart	...	Man Who Helps Annie (uncredited)
Kelly Thordsen	...	The Weasel (uncredited)
Romo Vincent	...	Brisbane (uncredited)
Sailor Vincent	...	Pool Hall Extra (uncredited)
Dick Wessel	...	Governor of Florida (uncredited)
Grace Lee Whitney	...	Queenie's 'Broad' in Black Dress (uncredited)
Harry Wilson	...	Slop - Pretends to be Governor of Utah (uncredited)

Directed by
Frank Capra

Writing credits
Hal Kanter		(screenplay) and
Harry Tugend		(screenplay)
Robert Riskin		earlier screenplay and
Damon Runyon		story
Jimmy Cannon		dialogue (uncredited)

Produced by
Frank Capra	....	producer
Glenn Ford	....	associate producer
Joseph Sistrom	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Walter Scharf		(music scored by)

Cinematography by
Robert J. Bronner		(director of photography) (as Robert Bronner)

Film Editing by
Frank P. Keller

Art Direction by
Roland Anderson
Hal Pereira

Set Decoration by
Sam Comer
Ray Moyer

Costume Design by
Edith Head		(costumes)
Walter Plunkett		(costumes: men's)

Makeup Department
Nellie Manley	....	hairstyle supervisor
Wally Westmore	....	makeup supervisor

Production Management
C. Kenneth Deland	....	unit production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Arthur S. Black Jr.	....	assistant director
Ralph Axness	....	second assistant director (uncredited)
Frank Capra Jr.	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Gene Lauritzen	....	construction coordinator (uncredited)

Sound Department
Charles Grenzbach	....	sound recordist
Hugo Grenzbach	....	sound recordist
Hugo Grenzbach	....	recording director (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Farciot Edouart	....	process photography

Editorial Department
Nick Archer	....	assistant film editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Walter Scharf	....	music conductor
Gil Grau	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Nick Castle	....	choreographer

Production Companies

• Franton Productions

Distributors

• United Artists (1961) (USA) (theatrical)
• United Artists (1962) (France) (theatrical)
• United Artists Europa (1961) (Spain) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1964) (USA) (TV) (original airing) (pan/scan)
• Key Video (199?) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• Image Entertainment (1991) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1991) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Continental Home Vídeo (2002) (Brazil) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• Dear-Warner Home Video (????) (Italy) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2004) (France) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Paramount Studios  filming location

Runtime:

136 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | American Sign Language | Spanish

Colour:

Colour (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:G | Finland:K-12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:U | USA:Approved (PCA #20029) | West Germany:6 | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Franton Productions

Trivia:

Steve McQueen was once considered for playing Dave the Dude.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In photo that looks like one of Ann-Margret's publicity glossies of the era, Apple Annie's daughter wears her hair in style from late Fifties-early Sixties - not in a short bob that a fashionable young woman would wear in 1931.

Quotes:

Butler: Nobody arrives first, sir. They all arrive last.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Killing Floor (2007)

Soundtrack:

March

Pocketful of Wonderful Miracles ****

Glenn Ford and the late Hope Lange in a comedy with Bette Davis taking a supporting role. Interesting enough, this crowd pleaser works quite well.

Dave The Dude (Ford) is a gangster on the verge of making a big deal. Dave is superstitious. He always must get an apple from that vagrant-looking Davis.

Davis, as Apple Annie, was phenomenal in this film. She acts just like an old broken down bag-lady. She does it with a finesse. (Is it really possible to have a refined bag-lady, you bet it is.)

Anyway, it appears that Davis has a daughter living abroad all these years. Ann-Margret is she and the latter thinks that her mother is high society. Trouble now is that Ann is getting engaged to a count and they're coming to New York to look mom over. Dave and his girlfriend, Lange, fix up Davis to make her look like a dowager. They even provide a husband for her-Thomas Mitchell!

As if this isn't funny enough, we have Peter Falk, in a truly worthy Oscar nominated supporting performance, as Dave's sidekick who can't fathom what is going on.

Edward Everett Horton is the butler who can't take bad endings. Fortunately, for him, the film has anything but that kind of ending. It's up-beat down to the last laugh.

When "the kids" sail away, Apple Annie resorts to her old ways by even announcing that her prices have gone up to her faithful friends.

A romp and memorable film.