"Lady for a Day" was released one year before Frank Capra would direct his first true classic, the romantic screwball comedy and Best Picture winner "It Happened One Night". This is a giant leap from a gangster-picture-with-a-heart to a movie that touched the hearts of millions of Americans in the midst of the Great Depression; still, hints of the spirit coined now as 'Capraesque" can be detected even in his earlier works; and one might regard "Lady for a Day" as a Frank Capra's last warm-up before entering the Big league.
Now, a bit of context, I saw the film after watching the 1961 remake "Pocketful of Miracles", the experience was a tad disappointing (from a Capra fan's perspective) and so I wanted to check how the original stood out. It certainly was a better experience in the sense that the film went straight to the matter and had set up all the majors protagonists in less than ten minutes, Warren Williams as Dave the Dude, Ned Sparks as his deadpan snarker partner with a fitting nickname Happy, and of course, May Robson as street peddler Apple Annie.
I thought the casting was uneven in the remake, I'm not sure I'm a fan of Williams as he doesn't exactly radiates the same charisma as a Cagney or a Robinson or a Muni; in fact, he's one little measure less caricatural than Sparks who at least can get away with it, that's the attitude that immortalized and made him a darling for the Looney Tunes. But there is May Robson, the film's heart and she was a better Annie than Bette Davis. Don't take my word for it, even Capra said it was more acceptable for audiences to accept down-on-their-luck characters when they're unfamiliar with their faces.
Indeed, when we see Davis as the street peddler, we know it's a matter of time before the relooking does justice to her status as a Hollywood icon, when she makes her entrance as Lady Manville, we don't see the transformation of Apple Annie, but just Bette Davis. May Robson, the earliest-born Oscar-nominated actress, was a relatively unknown figure but her homely grandmotherly look feels irresistibly authentic. And her transformation doesn't make her beautiful but just like a dignified wealthy woman like Margaret Dumont. It's even more striking a surprise because she still maintains her genuine sweetness.
And when's frantically writing a latter to her daughter in Spain, listening to classic music and pretending to be a rich lady leaving in a prestigious hotel, we're simply watching one of the earliest Capraesque characters, not a beggar but a woman who places her individuality beneath the moral comfort of her daughter thus guiding her life with the torch of self-sacrifice. Capra has always been found on people who acted for their fellow brothers without ever compromising themselves, and if it wasn't for Apple Annie, we wouldn't have Mr. Smith, Mr Deeds and George Bailey. Granted there's no ideology in Capra; just matters of simple belief, the point isn't to judge Annie for the way she tricks her daughter but the noble motive behind.
And so it comes down to the 'prince and pauper' trick combined with Damon Runyon's play and a clever rewriting from Robert Riskin, making people believe that she's rich and welcome her daughter, her fiancé and her future father-in-law, the Count of Spain. Dave the Dude also owes something to Annie, believing her apples brought him luck for business and his superstition, as ludicrous as it is, is a welcomed sign of sentimentalism that prompts him to help Annie, by any means; hiring a pool hustler to pretend to be her husband (Guy Kibbee), silencing some noisy reporters and hiring a bunch of goods and dolls to act like mundane figures, all monitored by the muscleman Shakespeare (Nat Pendleton) and Glenda Farrell as his moll.
Now, I'm realizing I couldn't memorize all the names and had to check IMDb's front page, which says something about the film's unintentional weaknesses, there aren't many stars and that makes it twice dated since we don't have many Capra regulars. And so what sticks is all these Capra touches that made his reputation, the way his movies always revolve in the real world, with cops, commissioners, mayors, governors, reporters, and every one forming a spiderweb of political relationships that would make the ordeal of little people easily unnoticed. Even the beloved classic "It's a Wonderful Life" dealt with loans, banking etc. The practical aspect allowed the film to delve into familiar territories and made the so-called Capra corn immune from accusations of fairy tales.
Unlike its successor, the film never lingers on these details, goes right to the point, never preparing the audiences to the resolution that comes at the last minute and that has no other explanation than the inner generosity of people and the desire to help a poor woman, or the central point of Capra's philosophy; good people always get their break and are rewarded by their efforts, it might have the touch of the miracle but from Capra's perspective, this is the America he believes in. As unrealistic as it is, Capra never cares for realism but rather the plausibility of an inspiring act that would inspire audiences, let alone audiences of the Great Depression. No one would help an Apple Annie like that but how about after seeing the film?
With its tiny imperfections, theirs is a sensitive chord in the film that predicts the masterpieces to come, the spirit is there already and May Robson had the merit to be one of the earlier Capra protagonists before his cast would always include big names.
But this was an apple the Sicilian-born director gave to cinema and it sure brought him good luck.
Now, a bit of context, I saw the film after watching the 1961 remake "Pocketful of Miracles", the experience was a tad disappointing (from a Capra fan's perspective) and so I wanted to check how the original stood out. It certainly was a better experience in the sense that the film went straight to the matter and had set up all the majors protagonists in less than ten minutes, Warren Williams as Dave the Dude, Ned Sparks as his deadpan snarker partner with a fitting nickname Happy, and of course, May Robson as street peddler Apple Annie.
I thought the casting was uneven in the remake, I'm not sure I'm a fan of Williams as he doesn't exactly radiates the same charisma as a Cagney or a Robinson or a Muni; in fact, he's one little measure less caricatural than Sparks who at least can get away with it, that's the attitude that immortalized and made him a darling for the Looney Tunes. But there is May Robson, the film's heart and she was a better Annie than Bette Davis. Don't take my word for it, even Capra said it was more acceptable for audiences to accept down-on-their-luck characters when they're unfamiliar with their faces.
Indeed, when we see Davis as the street peddler, we know it's a matter of time before the relooking does justice to her status as a Hollywood icon, when she makes her entrance as Lady Manville, we don't see the transformation of Apple Annie, but just Bette Davis. May Robson, the earliest-born Oscar-nominated actress, was a relatively unknown figure but her homely grandmotherly look feels irresistibly authentic. And her transformation doesn't make her beautiful but just like a dignified wealthy woman like Margaret Dumont. It's even more striking a surprise because she still maintains her genuine sweetness.
And when's frantically writing a latter to her daughter in Spain, listening to classic music and pretending to be a rich lady leaving in a prestigious hotel, we're simply watching one of the earliest Capraesque characters, not a beggar but a woman who places her individuality beneath the moral comfort of her daughter thus guiding her life with the torch of self-sacrifice. Capra has always been found on people who acted for their fellow brothers without ever compromising themselves, and if it wasn't for Apple Annie, we wouldn't have Mr. Smith, Mr Deeds and George Bailey. Granted there's no ideology in Capra; just matters of simple belief, the point isn't to judge Annie for the way she tricks her daughter but the noble motive behind.
And so it comes down to the 'prince and pauper' trick combined with Damon Runyon's play and a clever rewriting from Robert Riskin, making people believe that she's rich and welcome her daughter, her fiancé and her future father-in-law, the Count of Spain. Dave the Dude also owes something to Annie, believing her apples brought him luck for business and his superstition, as ludicrous as it is, is a welcomed sign of sentimentalism that prompts him to help Annie, by any means; hiring a pool hustler to pretend to be her husband (Guy Kibbee), silencing some noisy reporters and hiring a bunch of goods and dolls to act like mundane figures, all monitored by the muscleman Shakespeare (Nat Pendleton) and Glenda Farrell as his moll.
Now, I'm realizing I couldn't memorize all the names and had to check IMDb's front page, which says something about the film's unintentional weaknesses, there aren't many stars and that makes it twice dated since we don't have many Capra regulars. And so what sticks is all these Capra touches that made his reputation, the way his movies always revolve in the real world, with cops, commissioners, mayors, governors, reporters, and every one forming a spiderweb of political relationships that would make the ordeal of little people easily unnoticed. Even the beloved classic "It's a Wonderful Life" dealt with loans, banking etc. The practical aspect allowed the film to delve into familiar territories and made the so-called Capra corn immune from accusations of fairy tales.
Unlike its successor, the film never lingers on these details, goes right to the point, never preparing the audiences to the resolution that comes at the last minute and that has no other explanation than the inner generosity of people and the desire to help a poor woman, or the central point of Capra's philosophy; good people always get their break and are rewarded by their efforts, it might have the touch of the miracle but from Capra's perspective, this is the America he believes in. As unrealistic as it is, Capra never cares for realism but rather the plausibility of an inspiring act that would inspire audiences, let alone audiences of the Great Depression. No one would help an Apple Annie like that but how about after seeing the film?
With its tiny imperfections, theirs is a sensitive chord in the film that predicts the masterpieces to come, the spirit is there already and May Robson had the merit to be one of the earlier Capra protagonists before his cast would always include big names.
But this was an apple the Sicilian-born director gave to cinema and it sure brought him good luck.