POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES [1961 / 2020] [Blu-ray] [UK Release] Frank Capra's Wild and Wonderful Miracle! You Have To See It To Believe It!
Superbly directed by Frank Capra, this remake of his earlier film ‘Lady for a Day’ [1933] is pure Hollywood magic – an unforgettable combination of comedy, whimsy and romance that was nominated for three Oscars®.
For years Apple Annie [Bette Davis], a poor Broadway fruit seller, has maintained to her daughter that she is a wealthy New York socialite. But, with a reunion and society wedding on the horizon, Annie's fabricated lifestyle risks being revealed. To maintain the ruse, local gangster Dave the Dude [Glenn Ford] engages a colourful crop of 42nd Street characters to help imitate high society. But will Apple Annie be able to maintain the masquerade?
Nominated for three Academy Awards® and the last film by Frank Capra directed for ‘POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES’ and is a charming urban fairy tale, featuring stand out performances from Bette Davis, Glenn Ford, Hope Lange and Peter Falk.
FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominations: 1962 Academy Awards®: Nominated: Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Peter Falk. Nominated: Best Costume Design in Color for Edith Head and Walter Plunkett. Nominated: Best Music for an Original Song for Jimmy Van Heusen (music) and Sammy Cahn (lyrics) for the song "Pocketful of Miracles." 1962 Golden Globes: Win: Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical for Glenn Ford. Win: Most Promising Female Newcomer for Ann-Margret. Nominated: Best Motion Picture in a Comedy. Nominated: Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical for Bette Davis. 1962 American Cinema Editors: Nominated: Eddie Award for Best Edited Feature Film for Frank P. Keller. 1962 Directors Guild of America: Nominated: DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures for Frank Capra. 1962 Laurel Awards: Nominated: Golden Laurel Award for Top Song for Jimmy Van Heusen (music) and Sammy Cahn (lyrics) for the song "Pocketful of Miracles."
FILM FACT No.2: The film ‘POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES’ proved to be the final project for both Capra and veteran actor Thomas Mitchell but also featured the film debut of Ann-Margret. Because of Glenn Ford's involvement with the financing of the film, Frank Capra refused to intervene in any of the disagreements between the two stars, but Frank Capra suffered blinding and frequently incapacitating headaches as a result of the stress. Ann Margret was paid $1,500 a week. Filming was completed in late June 1961, and Frank Capra painfully struggled to get through the post-production period. Upon its completion, Frank Capra professed to prefer the remake to the original, although most critics, and in later years film historians and movie buffs, disagreed with his assessment. Exhibitors protested Bette Davis's star billing as they considered it would negatively impact the box office performance and, despite the appearance of Glenn Ford, the film failed at the box office.
Cast: Glenn Ford, Bette Davis, Hope Lange, Arthur O'Connell, Peter Falk, Thomas Mitchell, Edward Everett Horton, Mickey Shaughnessy, David Brian, Sheldon Leonard, Peter Mann, Ann-Margret, Barton MacLane, John Litel, Jerome Cowan, Jay Novello, Frank Ferguson, Willis Bouchey, Fritz Feld, Ellen Corby, Gavin Gordon, Benny Rubin, Jack Elam, Mike Mazurki, Hayden Rorke, Doodles Weaver, Abdullah Abbas (uncredited), Don Ames (uncredited), Sam Bagley (uncredited), Benjie Bancroft (uncredited), Herman Belmonte (uncredited), Phil Bloom (uncredited), Willie Bloom (uncredited), Nina Borget (uncredited), Betty Bronson (uncredited), Ralph Brooks (uncredited), Paul E. Burns (uncredited), Mushy Callahan (uncredited), George Calliga (uncredited), James J. Casino (uncredited), Marc Cavell (uncredited), Albert Cavens (uncredited), Noble 'Kid' Chissell (uncredited), Charles Cirillo (uncredited), Michael Cirillo (uncredited), Bing Conley (uncredited), Paul Cristo (uncredited), Jacqueline deWit (uncredited), Alphonso DuBois (uncredited), Josip Elic (uncredited), Joe Evans (uncredited), Tom Fadden (uncredited), Bess Flowers (uncredited), Peter Ford (uncredited), Eddie Foster (uncredited), Byron Foulger (uncredited), Joseph Glick (uncredited), Jack Gordon (uncredited), James Griffith (uncredited), Chuck Hamilton (uncredited), Peter Hansen (uncredited), Sam Harris (uncredited), Stuart Holmes (uncredited), Chester Jones (uncredited), Richard Karlan (uncredited), Kenner G. Kemp (uncredited), Robert Locke Lorraine (uncredited), Bert Madrid (uncredited), Mike Mahoney (uncredited), Kermit Maynard (uncredited), Joe McTurk (uncredited), William Meader (uncredited), Paul Micale (uncredited), Jim Michael (uncredited), Steve Mitchell (uncredited), Ralph Montgomery (uncredited), Kate Murtagh (uncredited), George Nardelli (uncredited), Billy Nelson (uncredited), Paul Newlan (uncredited), Daniel Nunez (uncredited), Norman Papson (uncredited), Charles Perry (uncredited), 'Snub' Pollard (uncredited), Amanda Randolph (uncredited), Fred Rapport (uncredited), Paul Ravel (uncredited), Leoda Richards (uncredited), Clark Ross (uncredited), Michael Ross (uncredited), Angelo Rossitto (uncredited), William F. Sauls (uncredited), Phil Schumacher (uncredited), Vito Scotti (uncredited), Scott Seaton (uncredited), Jack Shea (uncredited), Stephen Soldi (uncredited), Edgar Stehli (uncredited), Bert Stevens (uncredited), George E. Stone (uncredited), Charles Sullivan (uncredited), Ed Sullivan (uncredited), Harry Swoger (uncredited), Hal Taggart (uncredited), Kelly Thordsen (uncredited), Arthur Tovey (uncredited), Romo Vincent (uncredited), Sailor Vincent (uncredited), Elaine Walker (uncredited), Dick Wessel (uncredited), Grace Lee Whitney (uncredited), Chalky Williams (uncredited) and Harry Wilson (uncredited)
Director: Frank Capra
Producers: Frank Capra, Glenn Ford and Joseph Sistrom
Screenplay: Hal Kanter (screenplay), Harry Tugend (screenplay), Robert Riskin (based on a screenplay), Damon Runyon (story) and Jimmy Cannon (dialogue) (uncredited)
Composer: Walter Scharf (music score)
Cinematography: Robert J. Bronner (Director of Photography)
Costume Design: Edith Head (costumes) and Walter Plunkett (costumes: men)
Image Resolution: 1080p (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 (Panavision)
Audio: English: 2.0 LPCM Stereo Audio
Subtitles: English SDH
Running Time: 137 minutes
Region: Region B/2
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer / United Artists / British Film Institute
Andrew's Blu-ray Review: Legendary director Frank Capra, whose films include ‘It Happened One Night’ [1934] and ‘It's a Wonderful Life’ [1946], championed the dreams of the "little person." ‘POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES’ [1961] was the last feature film he ever made, but it is no exception to the pervading sense of optimism and sentiment that were his signature. It was a remake of one of his earlier film ‘Lady for a Day’ [1933], which itself was based on the Damon Runyon short story Madame La Gimp. ‘POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES’ is set in the early thirties, and tells the heart-warming story of "Apple Annie" [Bette Davis], a boozy New York bag lady who is transformed into high society by gangster Dave the Dude [Glenn Ford] to impress her long-lost daughter Louise [Ann-Margret].
Apple Annie peddles apples that supposedly bring good luck to the buyer and Apple Annie’s best customer is Dave the Dude a big-time racketeer trying to clinch a deal with a mobster from Chicago that will make him king of the New York underworld. Meanwhile Apple Annie gets a letter from her daughter, who was raised and educated in Spain and stating that she will be arriving for a visit along with the very rich Count Alfonso Romero [Arthur O'Connell] and his handsome son Carlos Romero [Peter Mann], to whom Louise is engaged to. The only problem is that Louise thinks her mother is a wealthy dowager. In order to keep his luck from failing, and because of his big-heart, Dave the Dude concocts a scheme to pass Apple Annie off as a grand dame of New York high society.
The plot works in the talented hands of the brilliant cast. Bette Davis has one of her most famous make-overs, from boozy-old-broad to elegant lady. Although Bette Davis clearly has more fun in the scenes before the change, but Glenn Ford also shines as the ambitious Dave the Dude and Hope Lange as Elizabeth (Queenie) Martin is good as his ex-chorus- girl moll who pines for a traditional home life in Silver Springs, Maryland. Peter Falk received a supporting actor Oscar nomination for his hilarious portrayal of the Dave the Dude's right-hand man, as Joy Boy. Veteran character actor Edward Everett Horton steals nearly every scene he appears in as Hudgins, as the butler at the fancy hotel suite where Apple Annie stays after her transformation. Thomas Mitchell (in his last screen role) is perfect as Judge Henry G. Blake, an old conman and pool shark with a florid tongue and gracious manners, chosen to play Annie Apple's husband. Ann-Margret (in her film debut) rounds out the cast as the beautiful Louise.
Ann-Margret, who made her screen debut in ‘POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES’ at 20 years of age, recalled a more pleasant experience with Bette Davis in her 1994 autobiography "My Story" where Ann-Margret says, "It was quite something to be getting my screen baptism playing opposite this film legend," she wrote. "It would've been intimidating had she not been such a generous, patient teacher! I now know how difficult she was sometimes said to be," she continued, "but to me, she was wonderful." As an example, Ann-Margret described how Bette Davis stopped the action when Frank Capra was filming her first close-up. Bette Davis wanted her own hair and makeup people to work their magic on the redheaded ingénue so she would look her very best.
A big push from the studio hailed the 1961 Christmas release of ‘POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES,’ followed by many positive reviews. There was special praise for Bette Davis's return to the screen in a fine and often moving performance. Frank Capra, who had suffered such blinding headaches throughout the filming that he hid from the cast and crew, stopped making feature films after ‘POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES.’ When asked why, he said simply, "Because I did it all. Now let the younger ones do it." The film's box office profits fell short of expectations, but its warm sentiment won many fans. It garnered Academy Award® nominations. According to Frank Capra, Peter Falk was the only main actor in ‘POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES’ who didn't cause any trouble during the shoot and Frank Capra called him "a joy."
POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES MUSIC TRACK LIST
POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES (1961) (Music by Jimmy Van Heusen) (Lyrics by Sammy Cahn) [Sung off-screen by an unidentified choir during the opening credits]
DECK THE HALLS (uncredited) (Traditional Welsh melody) [In the score during the opening credits]
GOD REST YE MERRY, GENTLEMEN (uncredited) (Traditional) [In the score during the opening credits]
GOOD KING WENCESLAS (Traditional) [In the score during the opening credits]
JINGLE BELLS (1857) (uncredited) (Written by James Pierpont) [In the score during the opening credits] [Later sung a cappella a bit by Edward Everett Horton]
A HOT TIME IN THE OLD TOWN (1896) (uncredited) (Music by Theodore A. Metz) [Played in Queenie's Club]
Bridal Chorus (Here Comes the Bride) (1850) (uncredited) from "Lohengrin" (Music by Richard Wagner) [Hummed a bit by Glenn Ford]
Arabian Dance (1892) (uncredited) from "The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a" (Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky) [Played on a record and danced a bit by Bette Davis]
None But the Lonely Heart (Nur Wer die Sehnsucht Kennt) (1880) (uncredited) (Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky) [In the score when Dave the Dude finds Apple Annie drunk]
March (1892) (uncredited) from "The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a" (Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky) [In the score when Annie Apple is beautified and meets the Judge]
THE MAN ON THE FLYING TRAPEZE (1867) (uncredited) (Music by Gaston Lyle) [Played at the pier]
MY BONNIE (Lies Over the Ocean) (1881) (uncredited) (Music by H.J. Fuller) [Played at the pier]
THE RIDDLE SONG (I Gave My Love a Cherry) (uncredited) (Traditional) (New Lyrics by Frank Capra) [Sung a cappella by Ann-Margret]
String Quintet In E, Op. 13 No. 5: Minuet (uncredited) (Music by Luigi Boccherini) [Played by the band rehearsing at the reception] [Reprised by them when guests arrive]
An der schönen, blauen Donau (On the Beautiful Blue Danube), Op.314 (1867) (uncredited) (Music by Johann Strauss) [Played by the band rehearsing at the reception]
POLLY WOLLY DOODLE (uncredited) (Traditional) [Sung by Apple Annie's gang of beggars in the cab]
JARABE TAPATIO (Mexican Hat Dance) (uncredited) (Traditional) [Played at the pier]
AULD LANG SYNE (uncredited) (Traditional Scottish 17th century music) [Played at the pier at the end]
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Blu-ray Image Quality – Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, United Artists and British Film Institute have come together to present us the film ‘POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES’ with a brand new upgraded 1080p Technicolor image that was supplied by Metro-Goldwyn Mayer and is enhanced with a viewing experience of 2.35:1 (Panavision) aspect ratio. Excellent contrast and clarity produce a pleasing picture that features just enough grain to maintain the appearance of celluloid, and the source material sports a clean, crisp look that belies the film's advanced age. Black levels are rich and deep, whites are well defined yet never bloom, and costume textures are nicely rendered. Bold colours often flood the screen, with beautifully saturated primaries (especially reds) possessing plenty of pop, but flesh tones tend to stray from the norm just a tad. Close-ups highlight fine facial details well and also, unfortunately, spotlighting Bette Davis' yellowed teeth, and shadow detail is quite good, and background elements are easy to discern. No crush, noise, or banding creeps into the picture, and any digital enhancements have been applied with a judicious hand. So all in all, the British Film Institute have done a really sterling work on the quality of the print, and fans of the film will be quite pleased with this 5 star winning effort.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, United Artists and British Film Institute brings us this film ‘POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES’ with just one standard 2.0 LPCM Stereo Audio. Atmospherics, like the hustle and bustle of Broadway and driving rain in the opening scene, come across very well, and the dialogue accents is very clear and you can also hear all the actors dialogue really well, you can also hear the shattering bric-a-brac and machine gun fire, are crisp and distinct. The music score of 10-time Oscar nominee Walter Scharf fills the room that adds symphonic atmosphere to the film, which all helps to really enjoy this last Frank Capra film.
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Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Audio Commentary with American Filmmaker and Film Historian Jim Hemphill: This audio commentary was recorded in July 2020 and here Jim Hemphill introduces himself, and welcomes us to hear his audio commentary for the film ‘POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES,’ who Jim Hemphill has been studying, thinking and writing about the work of director Frank Capra for around 30 years. Here Jim Hemphill talks about the film in-depth that was released in December 1961, and was as we know the last film of Frank Capra after nearly 40 years as a director of films. Frank Capra’s first film he directed was a 1922 silent film entitled ‘Fultah Fisher's Boarding House’ and is based on a poem by Rudyard Kipling, and the film is about prostitute living at a boarding house who provokes a fight that leads to the death of a sailor. ‘POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES’ was the first and last film to be produced by the Franton Productions, an independent company co-owned by Frank Capra Productions and Gwyllyn Samuel Newton "Glenn" Ford aka the actor Glenn Ford the star of the film, but it was not a harmonious collaboration, especially from Frank Capra’s point of view, because Frank Capra was supposed to have an equal say on how the film should be made, and of course there was no equal terms on how the film should be shot, because Glenn Ford had more clout at the time, especially with his higher salary than Frank Capra, and an arrangement for Glenn Ford with a deal with the William Morris Agency which is a private American holding company for talent and media agency and another party, which would serve as an ice breaker in any disputes between Glenn Ford and Frank Capra, but of course it did not work out in Frank Capra’s favour. Before the film ‘POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES’ there was the film ‘A Hole In The Head’ that again was directed by Frank Capra and had a similar set up like the film ‘POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES,’ especially it had a collaboration between frank Sinatra and Frank Capra and was distributed by United Artists. Frank Capra had been associated with Columbia Pictures for most of his career, and certainly when it came to his classic films such as ‘It’s A Wonderful Life,’ although this was not with Columbia Pictures, but Jim Hemphill feels that film is not on par like with is other films like ‘It Happened One Night’ and ‘Mr. Smith Goes To Washington.’ Later on in his years, Frank Capra never had a stable home to make films of his choice, and the film industry was changing, despite Frank Capra was an independent filmmaker, and not a particulate happy one, and lost a lot of enthusiasm just after the Second World War for a variety of complicated reasons, and for his last film ‘POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES,’ he had to be dragged back to the United Artist’s studio. Jim Hemphill also says that ‘POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES’ had a very poor reputation when first reviewed by the critics and that feels that the film does not deserve such negative criticism, and despite not being up there with other previous Frank Capra classic films, especially having wonderful character actors in those films, and Frank Capra always had a great ensemble of actors in them, and also liked a lot of stock company of actors in his films, as he found he always got wonderful performances out of them, especially with ‘POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES,’ and especially having Peter Falk and Ann-Margret, and Frank Capra really liked Peter Falk as he never causes any problems and was very professional in learning his lines. But ‘POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES’ was a troubled production and also caused a lot of headaches for Frank Capra and especially through the whole of the shooting schedule. Again Glenn Ford cause lots of serious problems, especially what he had written in his contract and demanding stuff like having his own publicist team, his own make-up artist and wardrobe people, his own secretary and chauffeur, tailor made clothes, and asking for scenes he appeared in changed, and Frank Capra agreed to keep Glenn Ford happy, but Glenn Ford still dragged his heels on finally signing the contract if he did not get all what he wanted to add to his contract, which was needed to happen before United Artists gave the green light to start filming, and on top of all that Glenn Ford argued with Frank Capra who he wanted to appear in the film and for a short victory for Frank Capra he got the actress Shirley Jones for Queenie Martin signed up, but once again Glenn Ford demanded his girlfriend Hope Lang to play the role of Queenie Martin and again Glenn Ford refused to sign his contract if Hope Lang did not appear in the film, and of course he got his way. By the end of filming ‘POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES’ director Frank Capra’s spirit was broken and was also emotionally drained, and reluctantly was willing to concede to Glenn Ford’s over the top demands, whereas 20 years earlier Frank Capra would of stood his ground. Jim Hemphill talks in-depth about Hope Lang and why Frank Capra did not want her to appear in the film, because she was tied up emotionally and romantically with Glenn Ford, who chased Hope Lang and had to get a divorce from his wife of a very long marriage. Also Glenn Ford was very angry when he read in Frank Capra’s autobiography “The Name Above the Title: An Autobiography” that was originally published in 1971, where Frank Capra stated his anger towards Glenn Ford for all of his demands and outbursts and wanted to know why Frank Capra could not of stated Frank Capra’s negative anger comments towards Glenn Ford to his face while filming ‘POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES.’ Jim Hemphill also says that ‘POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES’ was a remake of the early Frank Capra black-and-white film ‘Lady For A Day’ which he directed in 1933 and was a massive box office success. At the start of his working life Frank Capra transpired and inspired his talents at college at the California Institute of Technology, and made money, playing banjo at nightclubs as well as playing a guitar in a brothel in down town Los Angeles, the whore house had a nightclub down in the basement and the rooms above where men could go and have sex with the prostitutes, but he also played a piano to entertain the customers in the nightclub area where he made a one dollar a night and obviously Frank Capra had show business in his makeup from his early days, and in taking odd jobs now and again to make more money. Frank Capra also worked at the campus laundry facility, waiting tables, and cleaning engines at a local power plant. Then Frank Capra studied chemical engineering and graduated in the spring of 1918 and Frank Capra later wrote that his college education had "changed his whole viewpoint on life from the viewpoint of an alley rat to the viewpoint of a cultured person.” Frank Capra states in his autobiography that he was heavily influenced by his favourite teacher Rob Wagner who taught at the Manual Arts High School and was at the secondary public school in Los Angeles, California, who enamoured and entranced by films and ultimately became a director of comic shorts with Hal Roach and Max Sennett and Rob Wagner helped Frank Capra to get jobs in the film industry, especially as a gag writer. Then Frank Capra got a job as a gofer at the Hazard's Pavilion Philharmonic Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, and also appeared in a few plays. Frank Capra did not do very well in his academia for a variety reasons, but mainly due to the emotional fall out with the death of his Father, due to his Father was cut in half through a gruesome farming accident. Frank Capra had a fairly active love life in his junior and senior college days, and was definitely interested in all aspects on the film industry, and he wrote a paper called “A Truest On Moving Pictures” for his English class and asked Rob Wagner on how to get into the filmmaking business, and Rob Wagner’s amusing advice was to forget about the movies and stick with engineering because the movie business was not a good option or a place to be in, despite this, Frank Capra decided that was not going to be his future career option, was commissioned in the United States Army as a second lieutenant, having completed campus ROTC. In the Army, he taught mathematics to artillerymen at Fort Point, San Francisco for the First World War. In the army, Frank Capra contracted Spanish flu and was medically discharged to return home to live with his mother and was of course very disappointed to not to serve out his time in the army. So Frank Capra started to look round for some kind of work. After recovering at home, Frank Capra eventually moved out and spent the next few years living in flophouses in San Francisco and hopping freight trains, wandering the Western United States. To support himself, he took odd jobs on farms, playing poker, and selling local oil well stocks, as a movie extra, especially in a black-and-white cowboy film entitled ‘The Outcasts of Poker Flat’ in 1919 and was directed by John Ford, and sadly Frank Capra could not interact with John Ford while shooting the film, but after filming had stopped, eventually became a good friend to John Ford. Later on Frank Capra had to take a few non related film work because of ill health and had to go a few years and setbacks to start doing what he wanted to for the rest of his years to direct films, but first of all he had to be a tutor for a wealthy family and that of course was a good experience and eventually influenced his sardonic view of life in America with his films in presenting the rich in films like ‘Ladies of Leisure’ [1930], ‘Platinum Blonde’ [1931] and ‘It Happened One Night’ [1934] which helped him secure some financial success. But before that, Frank Capra wrote several story and movie treatments, and basically began wanted to break in as a screen writer and in 1920 Frank Capra fell in with an independent producer, who setup a shop in Reno, Nevada and they at least make one film entitled ‘The Pulse of Life’ was a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Rex Ingram and was shown in the cinemas for nearly a week, then suddenly vanished into obscurity. Eventually Frank Capra parted that company with his notorious producer and moved back to Los Angeles and got a job working for the (CBC) Film Sales Corporation that was a subsidiary to the Columbia Pictures Industries and that is how Frank Capra first encountered the future Columbia Pictures chief Harry Cohen, and with that company Frank Capra worked in various departments like editing and some directional duties and mainly worked on a series of newsreel films that shows stars and directors at work, and this was a good gig for Frank Capra, and gave him double amount of film experiences, showing stars and directors the craft of their work. Then Frank Capra moved to California for a while, and had to do jobs outside the film industry to make ends meet, where he was a salesman and at one point sold worthless shares in a mining company to gullible farmers, and a great hypocritical shock from a director who made films and championing in showing how the poor and the working class people of America in his films. But eventually Frank Capra got the chance to direct his first film fictional film ‘Fultah Fisher's Boarding House’ in a 1922 American silent film, which was a one reel based on a poem by Rudyard Kipling, and was a box office hit and also got good reviews, and eventually did a few more film shorts for screenwriter and producer Walter Montague, but eventually decided to part company and had a hard job finding work, but eventually got a job as an assistant in a laboratory and was very hard gruelling work for very poor wages and taught Frank Capra a lot about his future films to come and how to communicate his ideas towards his cameramen he worked with and other key workers and of course the actors in his films, but at the same time moonlighted as an editor on educational films and also industrial films and with these jobs gained a great deal of editing experience, which helped him a long way to finding his skills as a director. Eventually Frank Capra made his way back into the film industry, working in a variety of positions like a gag writer, editor, and Frank Capra later became a gag writer for Hal Roach's ‘Our Gang’ series, which when shown on American Television was renamed ‘Little Rascals’ and was twice hired as a writer for slapstick comedy director, Mack Sennett, in 1918 and 1924. Under Mack Sennett, Frank Capra wrote scripts for comedian Harry Langdon. According to Frank Capra, it was he who invented Harry Langdon's character, the innocent fool living in a "naughty world" and also wrote for Will Rogers, who was a very big star at the time for the Hal Roach Studios at the time. Eventually Frank and Harry Langdon later had a falling out, and Frank Capra was fired. During the following years, Frank Capra got the last laugh because Harry Langdon's films went into decline without Frank Capra's assistance. After splitting with Harry Langdon, Frank Capra directed a picture for First National, ‘For the Love of Mike’ [1927] and was a silent comedy about three bickering godfathers, a German, a Jew, and an Irishman, starring a budding actress, Claudette Colbert and the movie was considered a failure. Eventually Frank Capra’s career bounced back big time because in 1927 Frank Capra returned to Harry Cohn's studio, now named Columbia Pictures, which was then producing short films and two-reel comedies for "fillers" to play between main features. Columbia Pictures was one of many start-up studios on "Poverty Row" in Los Angeles. Like the others, Columbia was unable to compete with larger studios, which often had their own production facilities, distribution, and theaters and Harry Cohn rehired Frank Capra in 1928 on very low wages which he did not mind as it helped him to produce new, full-length feature films, to compete with the major studios. Frank Capra would eventually direct 20 films for Harry Cohn's studio, including all of his classics. The only thing was that Frank Capra and Harry Cohen were always at odds with each other, but this made for a great team effort and they were a perfect match, and in doing so Frank Capra was able to direct films at lightning speed, In 1928 Columbia Pictures released 8 films by Frank Capra, which really pleased Frank Capra and Harry Cohen and despite the constant clashes between both of them, Frank Capra had total freedom in directing films. One of the most important directed film for Frank Capra was ‘Submarine’ in 1928 and was a big action film and had a huge budget at the time of $150,000 for Columbia Pictures and was the first sound film for Frank Capra which only had composed music and sound effects, that was added after the film had been edited and was a box office smash hit. Because of Frank Capra's engineering education, adapted more easily to the new sound technology than most directors and welcomed the transition to sound, recalling, "I wasn't at home in silent films." Most studios were unwilling to invest at the time in the new sound technology, assuming it was a passing fad. Many in Hollywood considered sound a threat to the industry and hoped it would pass quickly; and when Frank Capra saw Al Jolson singing in ‘The Jazz Singer’ in 1927, considered the first talkie, Frank Capra recalled his reaction: “It was an absolute shock to hear this man open his mouth and a song come out of it. It was one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences.” Other films that Frank Capra really made his mark for Columbia Pictures was of course ‘Ladies of Leisure’ where Barbara Stanwyck was spectacular as a party girl who falls in love with a society man who was nearly destroyed by hypercritical small minded people, and again established Barbara Stanwyck was a star ascending to better films in the future. In 1930 Frank Capra was starting to make his mark in directing films and a very nice bank balance, but now and again there were a few near miss fire films like the Barbara Stanwyck ‘The Miracle Woman’ which was a 1931 black-and-white film and was a total box office failure, but this made Frank Capra to make much better films onwards, because as with any film it is a big learning curve especially with the film industry that at times can be very fickle. Jim Hemphill compared ‘Lady For A Day’ and ‘POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES,’ where ‘Lady For A Day’ was a box office success, but ‘POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES’ was not, and possibly this was due to the fact that it was a period piece and set in the 1920s, whereas ‘Lady For A Day’ was filmed in black-and-white and seemed to connect more with audiences at the time of its release and also with problems that were happening in America at the time. Another reason why Jim Hemphill thinks the black-and-white films for Columbia Pictures was because Harry Cohen always wanted a tight budget on financing films and did not like directors doing too many takes of the same scene and were of a certain length, especially 40 minutes less than the running time of ‘POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES,’ so making Frank Capra sure of directing his films on time and under budget and were all a box office success with cinema audiences especially America, so what Frank Capra did when he was not quite happy with a scene he shot, he would keep the camera rolling for a second take and would be recorded as a one take shot. Whenever a Frank Capra film was in colour, he would always insist on hiring cinematographer Robert J. Bronner who was an expert in this field and because he had worked with the likes of Vincent Minnelli several times because Robert J. Bronner was an expert on working in films of colour and especially filming in Technicolor and Anamorphic, in either CinemaScope and Panavision and that is why when you see a film by cinematographer Robert J. Bronner it is top notch and stands the test of times. Jim Hemphill now casts his eye over the stalwart actor Edward Everett Horton who played Huggins the Butler and appeared in some other frank Capra films, who was a great comic actor and appeared in ‘Lost Horizon,’ ‘Arsenic and Old Lace’ and also appeared in a couple of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers films and sadly passed away at the age of 84 in 1970 and his last film was ‘Cold Turkey.’ The film that reunited Frank Capra and Barbara Stanwyck for the last time, where Barbara Stanwyck plays a reporter who invents a common man for a newspaper story and has to ghost write a column for that man and it starred Gary Cooper as a drifter and helps to dupe the public, and most of the characters in the film are very unscrupulous, unsavoury or wilfully ignorant and prone to mob rule mentality, which suited Frank Capra as he enjoyed these types of film genres, but Frank Capra made a fatal mistake as he tacked on at the end of the film a happy ending that did not really work and that film was ‘Meet John Doe’ [1941] and did not do very well at the box office and what was surprising about Frank Capra was that he was a staunch Republican, which is totally opposite to his films in portraying people in America. The US Government at the time accused Frank Capra at the time as a subversive, but he was the total opposite and was 100% right wing, who named names at the notorious 1938 House Un-American Activities Committee accusing the Hollywood Ten of alleged disloyalty and subversive activities on the part of private citizens, public employees, and those organizations suspected of having fascist or communist ties. As time went on Frank Capra stopped making any films and was nearly forgotten about, but a new generation of college students and young filmmakers who suddenly discovered his films, who were also at the time anti-war and civil rights supporters and they thought Frank Capra was on the same level as them, and it really rejuvenated his reputation. Frank Capra found out that Adolph Hitler was a massive fan of his films and one of them was ‘It Happened One Night’ and of course he was totally horrifies and repulsed by this information. In the Second World War Frank Capra worked on War Documentaries in America that were supposed to be uplifting spirits especially for American servicemen, but because of the style of content the documentaries it had the opposite effect on morale and because of the very nasty negative comments went back to directing films. When Ann-Margret brought out her 1994 autobiography entitled “Ann-Margret: My Story” commented about Bette Davis and wrote “It was quite something to be given my screen baptism playing opposite this movie legend Bette Davis, it would have been intimidating had she had not been such a generous patient teacher, I was now know how difficult she was sometimes said to be, but not to me, she was wonderful.” When they wanted to do a close up of Ann-Margret, Bette Davis stepped in to stop the filming of Ann-Margret, so her own hair and make-up people could make her look glamorous for the camera. Unfortunately once again, Glenn Ford was again not very popular on the film set and Bette Davis did not get along with this actor at all, because he treated Bette Davis appalling throughout the shoot. When the US Government accused Frank Capra of being a communist, because he directed a pro-Russian propaganda film, as part of his work with the US Government during the Second World War, and the accusation was conveniently over looked by the fact that the Soviet Union was out ally in the Second World War to defeat the Nazi domination and Frank Capra made the film because of his civic duty in being an America proud citizen and his patriotism. Jim Hemphill feels that the commonly held views by dedicated CineFiles is that ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ was Frank Capra’s last great film and Jim Hemphill shares that belief himself, and finds more value in some of his later films like ‘POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES’ and the CineFiles basically dismiss all of Frank Capra’s post ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ output was terrible. When they had the 1948 film premiere of the film ‘State of the Union’ in Washington DC, which did very well commercially, the Washington DC elite really like the film and reacted more positively than to the film ‘Mr. Smith Goes To Washington’ because in the film ‘State of the Union’ the politicians did not feel threatened. Another Frank Capra film the critics hated was ‘A Hole In The Head’ that was a box office success and starred Frank Sinatra whose character could not get his act together with his life and his family and Jim Hemphill loved that film, like me also, because Jim Hemphill feels it is a very underrated film and there is a lot of comic energy throughout the film, and it was a very personal project for Frank Capra, because at the time he felt very insecure and the anguish search for the big score, because he was at the time feeling a failure, and the message is sadly the futility of dreams. When ‘POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES’ had its first audience preview, Frank Capra sat in the bar getting drunk, while his underlings monitored the audiences reaction to the film, and Frank Capra was totally shocked when they reported back, that with two other previews, the audience loved the film, but when ‘POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES’ was released in the cinemas across America Christmas 1961 the audiences seem to be reluctant to turn up to view the film, and Frank Capra blamed the box office performance due to the lack of publicity towards the film, and started to feel there was some kind of lack of integrity creeping in to his directing films, as well as his courage of his convictions and Frank Capra thought somehow the fact that he had sold out, and had seeped into the celluloid itself and sensed the audience were put off for some unknown reason and started to doubt if he was any good as a director. Frank Capra tried to do really weird advertising campaigns in the newspapers to encourage people to go and see the film, but sadly the massive newspaper advertising campaign feel like a lead balloon and was a complete disaster and that personally was it for Frank Capra and especially Hollywood. But Frank Capra made a final effort with a Short/Documentary entitled ‘Rendezvous in Space’ and was a 1964 documentary film about the future of space exploration, directed by Frank Capra. It is notable for being the final film that Frank Capra directed. The film was funded by Martin Marietta and was shown at the Hall of Science Pavilion of the 1964 – 1965 New York World's Fair. After that, Frank Capra decided to pursue other projects and especially another film, but sadly they were a failure, but despite these setbacks, Frank Capra did have a happy ending of sort, and especially at the time was feeling also very depressed, when he finally published his 1997 autobiography “Frank Capra, The Man Above The Title” and it was a surprising best seller, and enjoyed being the elder statesman, especially when it came to college students and young filmmakers who finally discovered the director Frank Capra and totally revered him. There were various honours bestowed upon Frank Capra, like the 1982 AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Frank Capra, which was a ceremony dedicated to him from his old friends and collaborators, and especially American actor, film director, and screenwriter John Cassavetes who worshipped Frank Capra. Another director that worshipped Frank Capra was American film director, producer and screenwriter Francis Ford Coppola who actually Frank Capra to serve as an executive producer for the film ‘TUCKER,’ but turned him down for a couple of reasons, because he hated the film ‘Apocalypse Now’ because he felt the film was un-American, and the other reason was that the premise of the film ‘TUCKER’ is that the Detroit car industry conspired to destroy maverick car builder Preston Tucker and that they also stole his innovative inventions , and was totally implausible to Frank Capra that this sort of thing would happen in America and again totally crazy that people would conspire against Preston Tucker and especially what was insinuated in the film ‘TUCKER.’ But despite this, Frank Capra was looked upon as a great visual auteur and knew where to position his camera to get the best shot, and especially regardless of the writer, regardless of the cinematographer or regardless of the producer, but it was all about the characters in his films and the view of American society, and the way he looked at the class system and power, and it is amazing how much suicide comes into his films, especially for a man who was such a popular entertainer. Jim Hemphill felt Frank Capra should have the last comment, with a quote from his very entertaining and timely fictional 1997 autobiography “Frank Capra, The Man Above The Title” where he says, “With the beginning of ‘Mr. Deeds Goes To Town,’ my films had to say something, whatever they said had to come from those idea inside me, that were hurting to come out. No more would I except scripts written on my accountability to juggle many balls in the air to make films entertaining. No more would I brag about my power to shoot a film to look funny, and from then on my scripts would take from six months to a year, write and rewrite and carefully to integrate ideas and entertainment into a meaningful tale.” Frank Capra also said, “That one should not make movies for the mass media or that I had a good message to tell, and if I could tell it with entertainment, and if I could do it with humour and wonderful comedy, I felt to myself I am on pretty safe ground, I think the results show I was on safe ground, and I believed in one man on film, I believe one man should make the film, and believe that director should be the man. I just couldn’t accept art as a committee, I could only accept art as an extension of an individual, and one man’s ideas should prevail.” As we get near to the end of the film, Jim Hemphill says that he really enjoyed watching ‘POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES’ again with us, and also talking about Frank Capra some more, and he hopes that this Blu-ray release may give this movie a little bit boost to restore it to its place in the pantheon of films, which again is not one of Frank Capra’s greatest movie necessary, but very satisfying one, which is also very beautifully handsomely mounted piece of entertainment. So I guess that is it from me, I am Jim Hemphill, and I hope you have enjoyed viewing this film together with me, as much as I have, I’ll catch you next time. So ends a really excellent insightful and entertaining audio commentary and especially from this very entertaining look at the film ‘POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES’ and especially the in-depth information about the brilliant director Frank Capra, that I know you will also find very interesting, so please give it a whirl, as you will definitely not be at all disappointed.
Theatrical Trailer [1961] [480i / 1080i] [1.78:1] [2:58] This is a very special theatrical trailer for the film ‘POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES’ where Ed Sullivan introduces the trailer with Broadway in the background, saying it is a street of dreams and a street of miracles, and this unique trailer promoting ‘POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES,’ where it informs us “Frank Capra – Who gave you ‘A Hole In The Head,’ now goes for the “The Whole Of Your Heart,” in ‘POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES.’ “It’s The Funniest Caper Frank Capra Pulled.”
Special Feature: Image Gallery [1961] [1080p] [1.78:1] [7:50] Here we get to view the ‘POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES’ Gallery, where you get to view images of Cinema Posters, Publicity Images, Hand Painted Lobby Cards, Black-and-White Publicity images of the cast and Black-and-White Lobby Cards. This was brought to you with thanks from Gareth Tennant, Frida Runnkvist and Demi Rodriguez. Stills courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Special Feature: A ‘POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES’ Shorts: Here we get to view a tangential dive into archive film, exploring some of the themes and iconography of ‘POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES’ featuring the following:
Street Scene – Men with Cart [1898] [480i] [1.37:1] [1:03] This charming piece of staged chaos has been very modestly named indeed: the stars aren't the men but the children. The film would be a candidate for an early example of the public wind-up film if it weren't so obvious that the aggrieved apple salesman is not only enjoying himself, but might even be a member of the filmmaking team. The children, on the other hand, jostle for position, perhaps hoping to see themselves on the screen later. The film has been tentatively attributed to Arthur Cheetham, the first producer-exhibitor in Wales.
Photography: Arthur Cheetham [uncomfirmed]
Music: “Maplestead Rag” by Paul Michael Harris and David Weston, Audio Network
* * * * *
The Beggar's Deceit [1900] [480i] [1.37:1] [0:53] This clever single-shot skit combines suspense and slapstick, as a copper slowly approaches a beggar who's coining it in on an upmarket pavement. When the long arm of the law finally catches up with him, he ditches the "cripple" sign that was drawing so much sympathy and cash from well-heeled passers-by, and legs it. He's remarkably quick on his feet, but his getaway seems assured when the bobby trips on the scamp's trolley. Depth of field does the storytelling work – it's simple but smart. You can also play it with an audio description, but we are not informed who the female is doing the audio description.
Director: Cecil M. Hepworth
Music: “Lightly Soiled Rag” by Chris Warner, Audio Network
Production Company: Hepworth & Co.
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Cunard Mail Steamer Lucania Leaving for America (extract) [1901] [480i] [1.37:1] [2:37] The RMS Lucania was a luxurious jewel in the Cunard fleet, working the Liverpool-New York route from 1893 to 1909. This unusually complex film was shot on board the Lucania and its tender ship SS Skirmisher, and dockside at the Prince's Landing Stage. Among hectic scenes of passengers boarding, cargo loading and lifeboat drills are some striking and evocative shots of the crews posing for the camera. The Lucania left Liverpool for New York on Saturday 1st December 1901. Among the officers seen on deck is Captain McKay. Liverpool's Daily Post reported on notable saloon passengers including American jockey Johnny Reiff and his brother Lester; music hall star Eugene Stratton was there seeing off his niece. The Liverpool Mercury of 3rd December includes a review of a screening at the Prince of Wales Theatre featuring "a number of magnificent pictures" of the Lucania's departure. The ship would be scrapped in 1909 after a disastrous fire in her berth at Liverpool, while the humble SS Skirmisher soldiered on until 1946, making her probably the longest-serving Cunard vessel.
Music: “Skylark” by Patrick Hawes, Audio Network
Production Company: Mitchell and Kenyon
Commissioned and exhibited by Ralph Pringle
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American Liner "Lusitania" Entering New York Harbour [1911] [480i] [1.37:1] [0:30] The RMS Lusitania was one of the most luxurious liners of the age, and certainly the fastest plying the Atlantic (Liverpool – New York) route. Her capacity to attract celebrity passengers made her comings and goings extra newsworthy. This stunningly-photographed newsreel item captures her halfway through her all-too-short life: tragically, she would be sunk four years later by a German U-boat. The title announcing that the "Lusitania has entered our port", suggests that this newsreel item was intended for a local American audience.
Music: “Sea of Tranquillity” by Paul Mottram
Production Company: Pathé Frèes Cinema
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Fruitlands of Kent [1934] [1080i] [1.37:1] [11:39] As the orchards come alive with berries, cherries, apples and plums, a Kentish summer blossoms on film. The appealing images in this short film contrast markedly with the utilitarian narration, which takes us through eight months of fruit growing and harvesting, from March to September. Produced as a geography teaching aid, it explains the season's fieldwork, centred on picking by hand, in informative detail and outlines the roles of men and women within the process. Gaumont-British Instructional was the key producer of films aimed at the classrooms of the 1930s. The Regional Geography series was one of their major projects and was highly regarded by forward-thinking educationalists of the day. Like much of the company's work, ‘Fruitlands of Kent’ has a spartan soundtrack of dry, deliberately paced commentary, but applies it to beautifully crafted images that still feel fresh. Every shot here is staged and framed with remarkable care and precision – together they create an evocative impression of a long-gone summer.
Director: Mary Field
Photography: A. Frank Bundy and George W. Pocknall
Maps and models supplied by George Philip & Son Ltd.
Production Company: Gaumont-British Instructional
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Love on the Wing [1939] [1080i] [1.37:1] [4:00] By skipping the traditional trace and paint process of cell animation and drawing tiny characters directly onto a 35mm film strip, Glasgow-born animator Norman McLaren was able to unleash his unconscious onto the screen. Such freedom is visible in the film’s remarkable energy, but ultimately displeased its sponsor, the Postmaster General, who objected to what he perceived as "Freudian" imagery. This government film is a public record, preserved and presented by the BFI National Archive on behalf of The National Archives, home to more than 1,000 years of British history. This is presented in colour.
Directed and animated by Norman McLaren
Producer [uncredited]: Alberto Cavalcanti
Camera: Jonah Jones and Fred Gamage
Music: “Divertissement” by Jacques Ibert
Colour by Dufacolor
Recorded on RCA Ultra Violet
Production Company: GPO Film Unit
* * * * *
I Am a Reporter [1961] [480i] [1.37:1] [12:38] This charming documentary follows Hertford Mercury reporter Peter Gibbs on his daily hunt for a scoop. Failing to turn up anything sensational at the coroner's office, the hospital or the police station (Hertford is, after all, a "peaceful" town), Gibbs finds a 'human interest' story at Hertford North Station, where the steam engine to Finsbury Park is being replaced with an all-diesel service. Sponsored by the Central Office of Information, the film features beautiful shots of the county's administrative centres: Hertford Castle, County Hall and Parliament Square, as well as more parochial sites: the mobile library, football club, and the workshop of 72 year-old Vernon Hale, last of the county's wood-carvers. The highlight is probably the fundraiser at Hertfordshire and Essex General Hospital, where a judo exhibition is performed among traditional village-fete attractions.
Director: Fred Moore
Producer: Leon Clone
Associate Producer: Philip Aizlewood
Unit Manager: Victor Wark
Photography: Larry Pizer
Editor: Victor Procter
Sound System: RCA Sound System
Production Company: Basic Films
Sponsor: Central Office of Information
* * * * *
BONUS: FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Here we have a 34-page beautiful illustrated booklet with new essays and includes “A pocketful of trouble” by Leigh Singer. “Frank Capra: studio-system auteur” by Maura Spiegel. “Being Bette Davis” by Sarah Wood. Special features includes information as follows: Audio Commentary, A Pocketful of Archive Shorts [7 shorts], About the presentation and Acknowledgments. We get lots of black-and white publicity photographs from the film.
Finally, a ‘POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES’ often nails its serious, sentimental moments more expertly than it executes its comedy. Unfortunately, the film is mostly supposed to be a comedy, but director Frank Capra does his best to keep it real, juxtaposing plenty of honest emotion against the broad spectrum of comedy and colourful characters that fuel the film. In the end, sentiment prevails, but this heaping helping of Capra-corn wins us over despite our better judgment, thanks to a heartfelt portrayal from Bette Davis and a cornucopia of great supporting performances led by the Oscar-nominated Peter Falk. ‘POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES’ pales when compared to other Frank Capra's best works, but it's still worth a look for fans of this esteemed director, as well as Bette Davis, and warm-hearted period comedies. I am still glad I have this last ever Frank Capra film in my Blu-ray Collection. Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
