Pocketful of Miracles

A New York bootlegger (Glenn Ford) helps turn a destitute apple vendor (Bette Davis) into a lady for a day.

Pocketful of Miracles is notable as the final film of both director Frank Capra and perennial character actor Thomas Mitchell. They went out on a pretty good note, as the film is a fun little fairy tale with some good laughs and a great “Capraesque” ending.

Glenn Ford is surprisingly good as Dave the Dude, a role Capra originally envisioned for the likes of Dean Martin or Frank Sinatra. It’s a complex part, requiring him to be a bootlegging tough guy in some scenes, and a superstitious pushover in others, but Ford nails it.

For her part, Bette Davis’s pulls off yet another dual role with her typical ease, transforming from the unruly Apple Annie to a high-class lady of society yet retaining just enough of the original character to make the transformation seem genuine.

The supporting cast, with one exception is also great. The aforementioned Thomas Mitchell makes his final film appearance as a pool-shark judge who poses as Davis’ husband, and Peter Falk nearly steals the film as Ford’s exasperated crony. Capra alumni Sheldon Leonard also has a memorable turn as a Capone-esque gangster.

The weak link is Ann-Margret, who plays Davis’ daughter. She’s flat and uninspiring, and her accent is all wrong for a child who’s supposedly lived her entire life in Barcelona.

Still, that casting flub and a few slow spots are the only weaknesses in an otherwise good film that marked the last chapter in the career of two Hollywood legends.