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Lady for a Day (1933)
10 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
One of Capra's very best, 26 dicembre 2002
Author: Kalaman da Ottawa
This sublime, charming fairy tale, about an old apple seller (the lovely May Robson) who is helped by a gangster named Dave the Dude (Warren William) and his buddies in order to make her rich and respectable for her returning daughter and in-law from Spain, is conceivably Capra's freshest, most underrated classic, perhaps with the exception of "The Bitter Tea of General Yen", which was also released in 1933. While "Bitter Tea" was a commercial flop, "Lady For a Day" proved to be Capra's first big success with the Depression-era audiences and a sign of things to come. A must-see!
9 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Depression-Era Fairy Tale, 17 gennaio 2003
Author: Schlockmeister da Midnight Movie Land
This movie must have played very well to depression-era audiences. The story of an apple seller who has been lying to her daughter who has done well for herself in Europe is sweet, heart touching and funny.
Great, quotable lines in the script, well written. The outdoors night photography is luminous, everything seems to glow, a scene in an outdoor garden with the daughter and her fiancee kissing behind a glass water fountain is beautiful to this day.
The ideas of friends and strangers coming to a needy person's aid prefigures such later Capra classics as "It's A Wonderful Life". In fact, they would make an excellent double feature together.
In our cynical times, movies like this can be seen as hokey, in fact the name Capra was frequently turned into Capra-corn, even in his day. But the fact that his movies are still treasured and enjoyed today shows that goodness is still an enduring quality and that being drawn to goodness and fairy tales like this gives us hope that those feelings are still in us.
Recommended highly.
9 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
"Ask them if they believe in fairy tales.", 5 luglio 2002
Author: William Lebegge da Paris, France
Almost 70 years on, this film is as fresh as ever, with brilliant performances, great dialogue, and an irresistible story, even if you don't believe in fairy tales. Watch out for the butler's line, addressing Happy MacGuire, who talks in the not-so-grammatically-correct mob-lingo of the 1930s: "If I had a choice of weapon with you, Sir, I'd choose grammar." Definitely a must see!
8 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
I may have to change my mind about Capra!, 23 febbraio 2005
Author: Ursula 2.7T da my sofa
*** This comment may contain spoilers ***
I'm no Capra fan, but here's a second movie of his (along with "The Miracle Woman") that I just loved. Maybe his pre-Codes are better than his other movies? I may have to change my mind about Capra, or at least see some more of his pre-Code movies; they're terrific!
This movie was sweet and touching, without being sickening sweet or melodramatic. This movie also has lots of humor and some great dialogue. This 72-yr-old movie holds up extremely well. I was utterly charmed by this movie.
The story revolves around an elderly woman, Apple Annie, who is quite poor. She sells apples for a living and sends all her money to her daughter, Louise, who lives in Spain. Annie is ashamed of her lifestyle, and she leads her daughter to believe she's a high-society lady by writing letters on the stationery of a posh hotel. Annie even has a friend on the inside of the hotel who passes Louise's letters that are sent to the hotel to Annie.
One of Apple Annie's clients is "Dave the Dude", the head of a local mob. Before he does any business dealings, Dave always buys an apple from Annie for good luck.
Well, not to spoil the movie too much, let me just say that Annie finds out her daughter is coming to town (New York) and she panics. Her panhandler friends talk Dave into setting Annie up in a suite at the posh hotel so that she can continue the pretense for her daughter's sake. Dave gets most of his mobster and street friends involved in one way or another -- the potential is here for great sappiness, but amazingly the story unfolds with just pure sweetness and lots of humor that has held up very well over the past 3/4-century.
The performances by the lead actors were terrific. May Robson as Annie was wonderful; she gave a tender, subtle performance as the mother who loved her daughter so much, yet was so ashamed of the way she (Annie) lived. Warren William was terrific as Dave the Dude - I think his was probably the toughest role to play as he had to be a "bad guy" mob head as well as a softie who went out of his way to make Annie a lady for a day. Guy Kibbee as Annie's husband was superb, a common pool hustler who played an upper-crust gentleman. The rest of the cast were pretty good too ... I especially enjoyed the actor who played the dry and sardonic "Happy"; he had some of the best lines in the show.
So, in conclusion, snappy dialogue, nice mix of drama and humor, and just the right amount of sweetness make for a wonderful pre-Code movie. If you enjoy old movies, this is a movie that you definitely won't be sorry you watched. Highly recommended.
7 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
Great early Capra, 28 luglio 2004
Author: dfree30684 da United States
this is the film that precedes IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT for the team of Frank Capra (director) and Robert Riskin (screenwriter). Sadly it's not regarded as one of his beloved classics...it deserves to be. William Warren is the perfect Dave the Dude, who's heart of gold aids the distressed aged damsel (May Robson...the titled LADY FOR A DAY). Most of it's innocent charm and humor haven't faded over the 71 years since it's release. Speaking of 70's...at 74 May Robson was the oldest actress to receive a Best Actress nomination.
the scene near the end; where she's received by the real mayor of New York and his party guests at her phony party (meant to show off her "society" friends to her daughter, and future inlaws) is priceless. Miss Robson's quiet, teary eyed smile will still bring the viewer to near tears today. Also, Guy Kibbie, and Ned Sparks provide reliable comic support. a must see for all Capra fans.
8 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Charming !, 1 gennaio 2000
Author: Mario Bergeron da Cap-de-la-Madeleine, Canada
This is the first step by Capra to celebrity. It's a warm and charming comedy, a kind of fairy tale set in the early 1930's, with all the tips that made gangster movies of that time so precious. There are the nicknames (Happy McGuire, who don't smile), the words (a kisser is a woman's lips) and even the music (Hear Ned Sparks whistle The Prisonner's Song when there are cops around The Dude night club.) All the actors are great, but May Robson gives a great emotional performance. Even if this movie is very representative of the 1930's, it stills
sounds very fresh today. Please, don't look at the version that Capra will made in the early 1960's, with Bette Davis. This is the real thing!
5 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Original as usual, better than color remake., 26 agosto 2001
Author: denscul da virginia
Glenn Ford and Betty Davis in color fall short competing with the BW original version with lesser known but more convincing actors. Lets face facts. Glenn Ford never played a convincing bad guy/bad boy. On the other hand little known Warren William had to convince the viewers that he wasn't a bad guy all the time. Dave the Dude is basically a bad guy with a touch of good. Even his act of kindness to Annie is self serving. This movie is a perfect example that technical advances don't make a better story, lesser known actors can play the role better, and age can define whether any work of art can stand up to the ultimate critic - Time. Different audiences, tastes, standards and means of portraying the play, are the ultimate judge regarding the worth of the production.
3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Solid performances, solid script, some beautiful touches, 26 febbraio 2006
Author: diana-2 da United States
Others have said it all! However, check out the beautiful love scene photographed through a glass fountain. Absolutely GORGEOUS! Solid performances from the stars right down to the supporting actors. I think we hardly ever see great supporting actors like these any more.
Frank Capra wrote about this movie in his autobiography, apparently one of his first hits, using the recipe of lesser-known actors, a great scriptwriter, and a low budget. He relies heavily on the great supporting actors available to him and gave them all a Runyon-esquire quality which never fails to please. They are all just great! Check this movie out! It gets better every time I see it!
4 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Pierre, 24 gennaio 2003
Author: daryl42 da California
All the women are going into the bedroom to fix up the bag lady, hairdressers, manicurists, etc. One man is with the bunch. As he goes in, the head guy says "Hey, he can't go in there." The moll says "Oh, he's OK". The guys looks over, shrugs and says, the word dripping from his lips "Pierre". One of the funniest scenes in movies and one of my favorite one line deliveries.
Otherwise, a funny, sweet film. Seems more naive than the remake which makes it work better.
4 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
A wonderful heartwarming comedy., 29 giugno 1999
Author: Eunice Muir (eunice@n-jcenter.com) da Lake Helen, Florida
Why this movie is not being shown every year alternating with "It's a Wonderful Life" I do not know. This 66 year-old masterpiece is hilariously funny and amazingly fresh for such an old film. None of the usual overacting and bawling to the back of the gallery that is usually found in movies of that period. I liked it more than the remake, "Pocket Full of Miracles." Most interesting was the character of Maguire (of the sore feet). He was a predecessor of the almost obnoxious Captain Luther of the Barney Miller TV series.
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