Lady for a Day

"Takes its place among the greatest pictures ever made!"

1933 1h 36m EN

👍

7.1

SOLID

★7.1TMDB · 98

ComedyDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Apple Annie is an aging New York City fruit seller whose daughter Louise has been raised in a Spanish convent since she was an infant. As she grows up, Louise is led to believe that her mother is a society matron called Mrs. E. Worthington Manville. Annie worries that her lie is in danger of being uncovered when she learns that Louise is sailing to New York with her new fiancé and his nobleman father.

“Takes its place among the greatest pictures ever made!”

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Cast

Warren William
Dave the Dude
May Robson
Apple Annie
Guy Kibbee
Judge Henry G. Blake
Glenda Farrell
Missouri Martin
Ned Sparks
Happy McGuire
Walter Connolly
Count Romero
Jean Parker
Louise
Nat Pendleton
Shakespeare

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Frank Capra
Writers: Robert Riskin, Damon Runyon
Languages: English
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

ERA

Did you know

93 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Howard Jackson. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Warren William and May Robson and Guy Kibbee carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Takes its place among the greatest pictures ever made!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0024240 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 98 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Frank Capra directs. Joseph Walker behind the camera. Howard Jackson scores. Gene Havlick cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

193 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Frank Capra, shot by Joseph Walker. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Howard Jackson. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Gene Havlick shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Warren William and May Robson and Guy Kibbee carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Takes its place among the greatest pictures ever made!".
7IMDB entry: tt0024240 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 98 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
9Classified under 19 themes, including "judge", "parent child relationship", "superstition", "transformation".
10Released under 13 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Joseph Walker
Original score: Howard Jackson
Editing: Gene Havlick
Costume design: Robert Kalloch
Runtime: 96 min · 1h 36m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Lady for a Day (1933)

Also by

Frank Capra

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-06-13
★ 7/10
This has shades of "My Fair Lady" about it - and Frank Capra has done quite well with a cast of lesser known actors to create quite an enjoyable comedy drama. May Robson steals the show as "Apple Annie", a lady who makes her living selling these fruit on Times Square. She is well known and well liked by her pals and all is going along nicely until her daughter writes to announce that she will be arriving from Spain with her new fiancée and his father - both are (minor) Spanish aristocracy who have been led to believe, as has her daughter, that "Annie" is rather closer to the top of New York society than she actually is! Luckily, up steps local crook "Dave the Dude" (Warren William) who has always had a fondness for the old girl, and on hearing of her impending predicament decides that he is going to help. The race is on now on to turn the rough around the edges woman into the epitome of culture and decorum - otherwise, no wedding! It's good fun to watch this - on one hand we have the story or rags to riches (for the day) Robson, and she is engaging and charming in an authentic manner; the other is the gangster whose behaviour is causing all sorts of consternation amongst his colleagues and rivals who are unsure just what is going on... Halliwell Hobbes is always reliable as the butler and Glenda Farrell has some good scenes as "Missouri", too. It has a pace all of it's own, and plenty of humour to keep the 90 minutes busy and enjoyable. Of course there is little jeopardy - and the fact that there isn't is actually one of the things that vindicates this actually rather joyous piece of cinema.

Production companies