Pocketful of Miracles

"You have to see it to belove it!"

1961 2h 16m EN

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 189

ComedyDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“You have to see it to belove it!”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Glenn Ford
Dave 'The Dude' Conway
Bette Davis
Apple Annie
Hope Lange
Elizabeth '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

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Frank Capra
Writers: Damon Runyon, Robert Riskin, Harry Tugend
Languages: English, Spanish
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $2.9M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

65 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Frank Capra, shot by Robert J. Bronner. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Jimmy Van Heusen. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Frank P. Keller shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Glenn Ford and Bette Davis and Hope Lange carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "You have to see it to belove it!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Frank Capra directs. Robert J. Bronner behind the camera. Jimmy Van Heusen scores. Frank P. Keller cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $2.9M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
265 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.
4Directed by Frank Capra, shot by Robert J. Bronner. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Jimmy Van Heusen. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Frank P. Keller shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Glenn Ford and Bette Davis and Hope Lange carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "You have to see it to belove it!".
9IMDB entry: tt0055312 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 18 themes, including "new york city", "prohibition era", "gangster", "deception".

The technical file

Cinematography: Robert J. Bronner
Original score: Jimmy Van Heusen
Editing: Frank P. Keller
Costume design: Edith Head
Makeup / hair: Nellie Manley
Runtime: 136 min · 2h 16m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $2,900,000
Box office: $5,000,000
Return: 172% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Pocketful of Miracles (1961)

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Frank Capra

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-01-09
★ 6/10
The start of this film reminded me of the lady who sold bird seed in "Mary Poppins" - the down-at-heel but kind hearted "Annie" (Bette Davis) who scrapes a living together thanks largely to the generosity of local gangster "Dude" (Glenn Ford). What nobody else knows, however, is that she secretly has a daughter living in Spain who thinks her mother is wealthy, living in a suite at a fancy hotel. When "Louise" (Ann-Margret) writes to say that she will soon visit with her fiancée - A Spanish aristocrat; this throws quite a spanner in the works for "Annie". Luckily, "Dude" is determined to rope in his contacts to try to help her impersonate the grand role she has represented herself as having - despite trying to get a the biggest deal of his own over the line. This causes no end of chagrin for the undoubted star of the picture - Peter Falk. He is the right hand man who gradually watches the planning and organising of this charade subsume everything else, and it's slowly driving him nuts. To be honest, the central portion of this comedy also drove me a bit nuts too. It borders too closely on the farcical, with Ford trying far too hard and seeing only fleeting appearances from the increasingly sidelined Davis. It steadies itself better for the last twenty minutes or so, but is really just too long with the joke too thinly spread and the slapstick humour all a bit too in-your-face for me. The writing is generally good, though, with some fine quips - especially from Falk, and the film looks great whilst taking a gentle swing at the political class as they all flock to the side of this minor Count from Spain. I did quite enjoy it, but sadly it isn't one of Frank Capra's more focussed efforts, nor is it one of his more poignant or amusing stories.

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