Capricious, winsome, whimsical, and all together delightful! Superbly directed by the peerless Frank Capra (It’s a Wonderful Life), this remake of Lady For A Day is pure Hollywood magic – an unforgettable combination of comedy, whimsy and romance that was nominated for three Oscars including Supporting Actor (Peter Falk, TV’s Columbo). Impoverished Broadway peddler “Apple Annie” (Bette Davis, All About Eve) has a problem, her daughter Louise (Ann-Margret, Tommy), 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 women doesn’t know what to do. Enter “Dave the Dude” (Glenn Ford, 3:10 to Yuma), a kindhearted racketeer who enlists the aid to pass Annie off as a high-society granddame so Louise can marry her fairy-tale prince and everyone can live happily ever after! This Christmas classic was the final film in Frank Capra’s glorious career.
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. – Hal Erickson, Rovi
Pocketful of Miracles is a Christmas movie in the sense that it takes place during the Holiday season, with Christmas music, Santa Claus, etc. in the background, especially The Nutcracker Suite is used very effectively in some of Bette Davis’s scenes. – Amazon reviewer
Starring Glenn Ford, Bette Davis, Hope Lange, Peter Falk, Ann-Margret, Thomas Mitchell, Edward Everett Horton and Barton MacLane.
Note: In 1960, Capra bought the screen rights from Columbia and the director made a deal with United Artists, where it was decided to film the story as a period piece set in the 1930s. This is a remake of the 1933 movie “[Lady For A Day](http://amzn.to/1TMkIhn)” which Capra also directed.