It’s not really a Christmas tradition in the realms of It’s a Wonderful Life or Miracle at 34th Street, but it’s one of those nice movies to watch once whenever it happens to be on. Featuring heavy-lidded Bette Davis as Apple Annie, Frank Capra’s Pocketful of Miracles is probably one of my favourite Cinderella stories.
It’s so endearing!
The thing I like so much about this is that it’s not about some chick trying to find a man, but about an old lady who just wants to be the best mum for her daughter. Granted, it all starts with boldfaced lies about how Annie is an elderly dowager with a judge for a husband, but trust Bette Davis to make you understand why she does it.
Glenn Ford is no dead weight either, as the unwilling fairy godfather, Dave the Dude. He and Hope Lange as (Queenie Martin) start out as kind of douches, but later on you see that they’re actually really good people. There’s no crazy twist or M Night Shamalan shit. Shit just gets carried away, as most shit does, and soon there are reporters tied up in secret rooms and a party of fake socialite guests.
But who else do they go through all this trouble for, but the cute little Ann Margret? I’d do anything for that face!
And don’t even get me started on how cute Hope Lange is:
It has a nice consistent humour that is not disgusting, but a little bit more wholesome, as far as funny, crotchety men are concerned. You’ve got stars like the Judge, Hudgins, Joy Boy (who later becomes our good friend with the wonky eye, COLUMBO) and “Joon-ya”.
The whole movie is just about protecting the ones you love, and how surprising it is sometimes when you have a little faith in people. I feel like I have to sum something up here, but to put it simply, I like movies like this. The writing is good, the characters are warm and delightful, and it isn’t a formulaic romantic comedy.
Oh, and I found this as a side note:
According to the Bette Davis biography, ‘Fasten Your Seatbelts’, the actress was furious when she read a Glenn Ford interview in which the actor claimed to have gotten her the part because of the boost she had given him years before in A Stolen Life. Davis is quoted as saying, “Who is that son of a bitch that he should say he helped me have a comeback! That shitheel wouldn’t have helped me out of a sewer!” —via IMDB