A New York gangster and his girlfriend attempt to turn street beggar Apple Annie into a society lady when the peddler learns her daughter is marrying royalty.A New York gangster and his girlfriend attempt to turn street beggar Apple Annie into a society lady when the peddler learns her daughter is marrying royalty.A New York gangster and his girlfriend attempt to turn street beggar Apple Annie into a society lady when the peddler learns her daughter is marrying royalty.
- Nominated for 3 Oscars
- 2 wins & 8 nominations total
Barton MacLane
- Police Commissioner
- (as Barton Maclane)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaFrank Capra wrote in his autobiography that the production was "shaped in the fires of discord and filmed in an atmosphere of pain, strain, and loathing."
- Goofs1950s-era taxis and other vehicles appear in rear projection footage of city streets seen in the rear window of Dave's limousine.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Hollywood: The Great Stars (1963)
- SoundtracksPocketful of Miracles
(1961)
Music by Jimmy Van Heusen (as James Van Heusen)
Lyrics by Sammy Cahn
Sung offscreen by an unidentified choir during the opening credits
Featured review
Frank Capra's swan song is much better than its reputation
Production hell has made POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES a bit infamous, but divorced from that drama, the film is a charming Christmas fairytale. Not on par with IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE to be sure, but still a fun trifle.
Bette Davis is Apple Annie, a drunk fruit seller who tricks her convent-bred daughter into thinking she's a society matron. The daughter is in Spain, so this is a simple enough plan-- until the daughter gets engaged to a count who wants to meet his future mother-in-law. Things look bleak for Annie, but she has a fairy godmother in the form of bootlegger Dave the Dude (Glenn Ford), a criminal who attributes his success to his continued purchase of Annie's apples. With the help of his showgirl moll, Dave manages a My Fair Lady style transformation for the old woman, but will they all be able to keep up the charade?
The story is a sweet-tempered farce that never gets too sugary. It lacks the grit that keeps WONDERFUL LIFE so real for many generations of film fans, but it was never trying to be as poignant-- this is pure Mother Goose fare. All the actors are good, though Peter Falk steals the show as Dave's exasperated right-hand man. In terms of pacing, the movie is a bit long in the tooth for what it is, but it never becomes dull. If you're looking for a lesser-known Christmas film this season, you can hardly go wrong with POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES.
Bette Davis is Apple Annie, a drunk fruit seller who tricks her convent-bred daughter into thinking she's a society matron. The daughter is in Spain, so this is a simple enough plan-- until the daughter gets engaged to a count who wants to meet his future mother-in-law. Things look bleak for Annie, but she has a fairy godmother in the form of bootlegger Dave the Dude (Glenn Ford), a criminal who attributes his success to his continued purchase of Annie's apples. With the help of his showgirl moll, Dave manages a My Fair Lady style transformation for the old woman, but will they all be able to keep up the charade?
The story is a sweet-tempered farce that never gets too sugary. It lacks the grit that keeps WONDERFUL LIFE so real for many generations of film fans, but it was never trying to be as poignant-- this is pure Mother Goose fare. All the actors are good, though Peter Falk steals the show as Dave's exasperated right-hand man. In terms of pacing, the movie is a bit long in the tooth for what it is, but it never becomes dull. If you're looking for a lesser-known Christmas film this season, you can hardly go wrong with POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES.
helpful•30
- MissSimonetta
- Nov 13, 2022
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Pregršt čuda
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $2,900,000 (estimated)
- Gross worldwide
- $4,982
- Runtime2 hours 16 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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