LADY FOR A DAY (DVD) DOLBY DIGITAL MONO DVD

Lady for a Day
May Robson plays Apple Annie, a slatternly Broadway apple peddler. Annie has a curious setup whereby she is able to finagle other street merchants and beggars to pony up part of their weekly earnings to her--yet she never seems to spend any of the money on herself. This is because Annie has a daughter named Louise (Jean Parker), who has been supported in luxury all her life by her mother. Louise has no idea who Annie really is; so far as she knows, her mother is Mrs. E. Worthington Manville, a Manhattan society matron. When Louise sends Annie a letter telling her that she's become engaged to a young Spanish nobleman named Carlos (Barry Norton), Annie is aghast: once Louise brings her fiance to New York, the jig will be up. Coming to the rescue is high-rolling gambler Dave the Dude (Warren William), who considers Annie his good-luck charm. With the help of his nightclub-thrush girlfriend Missouri Martin (Glenda Farrell), Dave arranges a huge society reception for Louise -- and a complete fashion makeover for Annie. To do this, a few strong-arm methods are required, notably the kidnaping of several society reporters; also, it's necessary to pass off down-and-out Judge Blake (Guy Kibbee) as Annie's well-connected husband. Lady for a Day is the film with which Frank Capra hoped to enter the Big Leagues by taking home a shelf-full of Academy Awards. His subsequent embarrassment at the 1934 Oscar ceremonies has now passed into Hollywood legend, but he made up for this debacle with his Oscars sweep for It Happened One Night. Lady for a Day was remade by Capra as 1961's Pocketful of Miracles, with Bette Davis as Apple Annie. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cast Warren William as Dave the Dude May Robson as Apple Annie Guy Kibbee as Judge Blake Glenda Farrell as Missouri Martin Ned Sparks as Happy McGuire Jean Parker as Louise Walter Connolly as Count Romero Nat Pendleton as Shakespeare Robert E. O'Connor as The Inspector Wallis Clark as The Commissioner Hobart Bosworth as The Governor

Crew Stephen Goosson - Art Director Robert Kalloch - Costume Designer C.C. Coleman - First Assistant Director Frank Capra - Director Gene Havlick - Editor Mischa Bakaleinikoff - Musical Direction/Supervision Joseph Walker - Cinematographer Harry Cohn - Producer Edward Bernds - Sound Mixer Robert Riskin - Screenwriter Damon Runyon - Short Story Author

Lady for a Day
Lady for a Day is a top-grade example of the sort of optimistic, rags-to-riches entertainment popular during the Depression of the 1930s. As in many Depression-era comedies, European aristocracy is the main target of barbs. Director Frank Capra is too patriotic to take many pot-shots at the American rich, though his vindication of the common man seemed to be just what the public wanted. The acting is crisp, particularly May Robson in the central role of Apple Annie. Hollywood would continue to retell this sort of story; indeed, Capra's last film, 1961's Pocketful of Miracles, was a direct remake of Lady. Perhaps the strangest remake was Jackie Chan's 1989 martial-arts comedy, Qiji. ~ Richard Gilliam, All Movie Guide
 

Frank Capra: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Director (nominated) May Robson: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Actress (nominated) Robert Riskin: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Adapted Screenplay (nominated)

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Picture (nominated)

General Specifications: Language Options: Subtitle Options: Sound Processing: 1: PCM mono Additional Features: Introduction and commentary by Frank Capra Jr. MPAA Rating: NR DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: Content Length: 92 min   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- 0. Scene Selections 1. Introduction by Frank Capra,Jr. [:58] 2. Apple Annie [2:31] 3. Dave the Dude [4:06] 4. Hotel Mayberry [6:58] 5. The Letter [7:02] 6. The Dude wants his apple! [6:23] 7. Rodney Kent's Apartment [4:00] 8. Presenting Mrs. E. Worthington Manville! [3:01] 9. Judge Blake [4:12] 10. Stop the Press! [12:33] 11. A Mother's Assurance [2:35] 12. The Spanish Consul [1:36] 13. Missing Reporters [2:51] 14. The Rehearsal [7:01] 15. Day of the Reception [2:03] 16. The Dowry [3:43] 17. Trouble with Cops [11:25] 18. Two Miracles [7:42] 19. Bon Voyage [1:16]