list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around Lady for a Day on Spout Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC Spout RSS http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg http://www.spout.com/ 136 30 http://www.spout.com/films/Lady_for_a_Day/19512/default.aspx Title: Lady for a Day
Year: 1933
Director: Frank Capra
Plot: 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
Times Tagged: 4
Number of Lists: 5
Number of blog posts: 2
SpoutRating: 3
]]>Wed, 19 Nov 2008 18:01:04 GMTLady for a Day1933Frank Capra<a href="/players/P____60867/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>May Robson</a> 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 (<a href="/players/P____55102/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Jean Parker</a>), 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 (<a href="/players/P____53064/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Barry Norton</a>), 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 (<a href="/players/P____76363/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Warren William</a>), who considers Annie his good-luck charm. With the help of his nightclub-thrush girlfriend Missouri Martin (<a href="/players/P____22769/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Glenda Farrell</a>), 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 (<a href="/players/P____38049/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Guy Kibbee</a>) as Annie's well-connected husband. Lady for a Day is the film with which <a href="/players/P____84082/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Frank Capra</a> 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 <a href=/films/17510/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'>It Happened One Night</a>. Lady for a Day was remade by Capra as 1961's <a href=/films/26946/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'>Pocketful of Miracles</a>, with <a href="/players/P____17295/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Bette Davis</a> as Apple Annie. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide4Slightly Tagged (1-5)523http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t139485jff9.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Lady_for_a_Day/19512/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/11/19/37441.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 11/19/2008 1:01:04 PM
Body: Unemployment is about to get even worse now that Citigroup has announced it will cut 52,000 jobs early next year. And falsely reported news of a killing in Santa Clara, California (the shooter was fired, not laid off) only adds to the bleak atmosphere surrounding the already upsetting job market. But while desperate times may lead to desperate measures, it’s vital for us to remember what we learned from the films of the 1930s, when the Great Depression caused a nearly 25% rate of unemployment (we’re currently at 6.5%). Hopeful stories of upward mobility and implausible solutions were popular at the time, though many of them had downsides or inspired the desire for unlikely prospects. Still, there was some guidance to be found buried within the fantasies of Hollywood, and SpoutBlog has compiled this handy list to help you make the right choices during your current or imminent joblessness. Film: Little Caesar (1931) Tip: Dancing is ultimately more lucrative than crime. We learned over and over from films in the 1930s that crime doesn’t pay, and with Little Caesar we learned the additional tip that if you’re going to be a cocky, power-hungry little jerk with leadership goals, you better have the balls to back up your bite. However, the best advice acquired from Francis Edward Faragoh and Robert N. Lee’s Oscar-nominated screenplay is that life as a dancer is a much better career path than that of a gangster. Sure, there may be a few dangers if your gig is at a mob-run club or if your former best friend is your boss’ rival, a la the conflict between Joe (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) and Rico (Edward G. Robinson) in Mervyn LeRoy’s film. But unlike your old buddy, who will literally die in a gutter, you might find wealth, stardom and love. Worst-case scenario, you don’t become rich and famous but you get a job teaching little kids at a dance studio in suburbia. Whereas there’s no such thing as a crime studio. Film: Trouble in Paradise (1932) Tip: Falling for your mark, and/or your boss, is fine as long as you get a bonus out of it and then return to your true love It’s clear from the start that fellow pickpockets Gaston (Herbert Marshall) and Lily (Miriam Hopkins) are made for each other. Yet when the duo acquire jobs working for the wealthy perfumer Madame Colet (Kay Francis) in a scheme to con her out of her money, Gaston goes and complicates things by developing feelings for his new employer/mark. Fortunately, after dipping his hands into both her purses (oh the innuendo!), he comes away with the jackpot and is able to fall back into place with his equal. Getting a job where you’re partially a gigolo can be rewarding in terms of special perks, both sexual and financial, but ultimately a relationship between employee and employer is difficult, especially if there’s a real class clash involved. So get in quick, get out on top and find a nice girl with whom you’ve got more in common. Film: King Kong (1933) Tip: If you’re cast in a film, make sure it’s a local production. Tons of unemployed people turn to showbiz as a solution to their situation, and a quick glance on Craigslist reveals plenty of calls for film and TV extras. But be wary, because if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. And be suspicious of “directors” who approach you on the street offering you the role of a lifetime. It’s possible the guy’s a real Hollywood player like Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong), but it’s also possible that the gig will bring you to a remote island where you’ll attract the largest stalker ever imagined. In the end, you might actually become a big star, just like Ann Darrow (Fay Wray), but by then many will have paid for your social status with their lives, and you’ll have to live with the guilt. So when answering ads looking for actors, don’t get on any boats headed to far off places. Stick to locally shot films, on which you’re likely to experience fewer dangers and meet fewer giant apes. Film: Lady for a Day (1933) Tip: Don’t lie to your family about being underemployed, because you’ll just wind up more depressed. Apple Annie (May Robson) ends up getting away with her masquerade, in which she convinces her daughter that she’s a well-to-do socialite rather than a poor fruit peddler, but at what cost? Now she’s lied to her child and, worse, given herself a taste of the good life, a high from which she must come down. And with that perspective in mind she’s surely going to hate her true social place even more. So if you’re underemployed, don’t lie about it, not even to your parents. Best circumstance, they help you out a little with your finances. Worst circumstance, you feel even more depressed about your situation and you take your own life — whether literally or, like Annie, figuratively. Plus, if your parents do end up finding out the truth, they’ll be more disappointed with you than they would have been if told the truth all along. Film: Triumph of the Will (1935) Tip: Don’t work for a mad, genocidal dictator unless you want the association to follow you to your grave. Leni Riefenstahl may have denied having full allegiance to Hitler and the Nazis, but she’ll forever be known as the director who helped propagandize the party right up until the beginning of World War II. And to many that makes her one of the bad guys. Whether she’s truly guilty by association, her kind of situation is constantly a topic of ethical debate. Maybe working for later-exposed criminals will keep you from getting elected one day. Maybe working for evil emperors will get you blown up while doing contract work on a giant space station. Either way, it’s best to do as much of a background check on your potential bosses as they’re doing on you. Film: Modern Times (1936) Tip: Don’t be a slave to the machines, or one day they’ll enslave you. That sounds like advice to be gotten from The Matrix, but that film’s dystopia is precisely the kind of future Chaplin was warning about. So much of the imagery in this film consists of workers depending on machines, either to help do the job or feed them, and workers being trapped in machines, figuratively enslaved by them. If you end up getting a job on the internet, and that’s more and more likely to be your best shot at employment these days, you’ll understand Chaplin’s fears better than he could ever have imagined. Film: Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) Tip: Breaking into a rich man’s home will likely get you a job. It’s thanks to a desperate little farmer that the newly rich Deeds (Gary Cooper) decides to divvy up his millions and donate plots of land to the poor. And the gun-wielding intruder doesn’t get thrown in jail; he becomes one of the many who are eligible for some of that free acreage. Hollywood pipe dream, sure, but the concept also seemed to work outside of American cinema. In Renoir’s The Rules of the Game, a man (Julien Carette) is caught trespassing on a wealthy estate and he’s offered a job. However, it may not be necessary to actually commit the crime of breaking and entering to get the attention of potential beneficiaries and employers. In Renoir’s Boudu Saved From Drowning the titular bum is merely witnessed attempting suicide in the Seine (though in Paul Mazursky’s ‘80s remake, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, the bum is also an intruder). And in My Man Godfrey the titular bum is plucked out of the trash and eventually brought home and employed as a butler. Which brings up the next tip. Film: My Man Godfrey (1936) Tip: If forced to become a servant, don’t steal the boss’ daughter’s necklace, pawn it and then gamble with the money made in order to further improve your situation, because only William Powell is good enough to get away with it. You are not as smooth as William Powell; it’s just not possible. So, while he (and his character, Godfrey) is able to come out of this film on top, in the same situation you would more than likely end up back on the garbage heap (without a nightclub built on the spot, that is). Firstly, he’s able to charm the socialite Irene (Carole Lombard) enough to escape homelessness, acquire a position as her family’s butler and eventually win her heart. Secondly, when Irene’s bitter sister, Cornelia (Gail Patrick), attempts to frame him as a necklace nabber, he beats her at her game and follows through to win out even more. What he does with the jewelry, though, would still get most people arrested, even if the ends do justify the means. Never do as Powell does, because nobody can pull off anything as well as he can. Film: You Can’t Take it With You (1938) Tip: Taking up seemingly utopian residence in a commune full of oddballs will likely get you thrown in jail. Grandpa Vanderhof (Lionel Barrymore) wasn’t claiming to be prophet nor did he (as far as we know) have a harem of young wives stored away somewhere in his house, but these days a freewheeling place like his might attract the attention of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms or some other government agency assigned to shutting down cults and terrorist organizations. Even then his home was suspected of being a den for treasonous plots, leading to an FBI raid and mass arrest. So, while it may seem like a dream come true to be wooed in by a jolly old man promising free living and the chance to be a toymaker, there’s actually no such thing as Santa Claus, and that man is probably doing something illegal to accommodate such a lifestyle. Film: The Grapes of Wrath (1939) Tip: Don’t settle for wages lower than is standard for the work. If you’re really hungry and desperate for work, you might think about taking only 25 cents an hour for a job you used to do for 30 cents. This happens often with competitive fields, whether it is migrant farming or blogging, but it only lowers your worth and it encourages your employers to keep decreasing the wages as long as someone is willing to settle. Eventually, either your fellow workers or the previous, underbid employees are going to be provoked by the situation and then there’s the chance of violence and further oppression. Plus, then you might be out of the job anyway. Potentially on the run, like Tom Joad (Henry Fonda), too. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Wed, 19 Nov 2008 18:01:04 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com11/19/2008 1:01:04 PMUnemployment is about to get even worse now that Citigroup has announced it will cut 52,000 jobs early next year. And falsely reported news of a killing in Santa Clara, California (the shooter was fired, not laid off) only adds to the bleak atmosphere surrounding the already upsetting job market. But while desperate times may lead to desperate measures, it’s vital for us to remember what we learned from the films of the 1930s, when the Great Depression caused a nearly 25% rate of unemployment (we’re currently at 6.5%). Hopeful stories of upward mobility and implausible solutions were popular at the time, though many of them had downsides or inspired the desire for unlikely prospects. Still, there was some guidance to be found buried within the fantasies of Hollywood, and SpoutBlog has compiled this handy list to help you make the right choices during your current or imminent joblessness. Film: Little Caesar (1931) Tip: Dancing is ultimately more lucrative than crime. We learned over and over from films in the 1930s that crime doesn’t pay, and with Little Caesar we learned the additional tip that if you’re going to be a cocky, power-hungry little jerk with leadership goals, you better have the balls to back up your bite. However, the best advice acquired from Francis Edward Faragoh and Robert N. Lee’s Oscar-nominated screenplay is that life as a dancer is a much better career path than that of a gangster. Sure, there may be a few dangers if your gig is at a mob-run club or if your former best friend is your boss’ rival, a la the conflict between Joe (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) and Rico (Edward G. Robinson) in Mervyn LeRoy’s film. But unlike your old buddy, who will literally die in a gutter, you might find wealth, stardom and love. Worst-case scenario, you don’t become rich and famous but you get a job teaching little kids at a dance studio in suburbia. Whereas there’s no such thing as a crime studio. Film: Trouble in Paradise (1932) Tip: Falling for your mark, and/or your boss, is fine as long as you get a bonus out of it and then return to your true love It’s clear from the start that fellow pickpockets Gaston (Herbert Marshall) and Lily (Miriam Hopkins) are made for each other. Yet when the duo acquire jobs working for the wealthy perfumer Madame Colet (Kay Francis) in a scheme to con her out of her money, Gaston goes and complicates things by developing feelings for his new employer/mark. Fortunately, after dipping his hands into both her purses (oh the innuendo!), he comes away with the jackpot and is able to fall back into place with his equal. Getting a job where you’re partially a gigolo can be rewarding in terms of special perks, both sexual and financial, but ultimately a relationship between employee and employer is difficult, especially if there’s a real class clash involved. So get in quick, get out on top and find a nice girl with whom you’ve got more in common. Film: King Kong (1933) Tip: If you’re cast in a film, make sure it’s a local production. Tons of unemployed people turn to showbiz as a solution to their situation, and a quick glance on Craigslist reveals plenty of calls for film and TV extras. But be wary, because if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. And be suspicious of “directors” who approach you on the street offering you the role of a lifetime. It’s possible the guy’s a real Hollywood player like Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong), but it’s also possible that the gig will bring you to a remote island where you’ll attract the largest stalker ever imagined. In the end, you might actually become a big star, just like Ann Darrow (Fay Wray), but by then many will have paid for your social status with their lives, and you’ll have to live with the guilt. So when answering ads looking for actors, don’t get on any boats headed to far off places. Stick to locally shot films, on which you’re likely to experience fewer dangers and meet fewer giant apes. Film: Lady for a Day (1933) Tip: Don’t lie to your family about being underemployed, because you’ll just wind up more depressed. Apple Annie (May Robson) ends up getting away with her masquerade, in which she convinces her daughter that she’s a well-to-do socialite rather than a poor fruit peddler, but at what cost? Now she’s lied to her child and, worse, given herself a taste of the good life, a high from which she must come down. And with that perspective in mind she’s surely going to hate her true social place even more. So if you’re underemployed, don’t lie about it, not even to your parents. Best circumstance, they help you out a little with your finances. Worst circumstance, you feel even more depressed about your situation and you take your own life — whether literally or, like Annie, figuratively. Plus, if your parents do end up finding out the truth, they’ll be more disappointed with you than they would have been if told the truth all along. Film: Triumph of the Will (1935) Tip: Don’t work for a mad, genocidal dictator unless you want the association to follow you to your grave. Leni Riefenstahl may have denied having full allegiance to Hitler and the Nazis, but she’ll forever be known as the director who helped propagandize the party right up until the beginning of World War II. And to many that makes her one of the bad guys. Whether she’s truly guilty by association, her kind of situation is constantly a topic of ethical debate. Maybe working for later-exposed criminals will keep you from getting elected one day. Maybe working for evil emperors will get you blown up while doing contract work on a giant space station. Either way, it’s best to do as much of a background check on your potential bosses as they’re doing on you. Film: Modern Times (1936) Tip: Don’t be a slave to the machines, or one day they’ll enslave you. That sounds like advice to be gotten from The Matrix, but that film’s dystopia is precisely the kind of future Chaplin was warning about. So much of the imagery in this film consists of workers depending on machines, either to help do the job or feed them, and workers being trapped in machines, figuratively enslaved by them. If you end up getting a job on the internet, and that’s more and more likely to be your best shot at employment these days, you’ll understand Chaplin’s fears better than he could ever have imagined. Film: Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) Tip: Breaking into a rich man’s home will likely get you a job. It’s thanks to a desperate little farmer that the newly rich Deeds (Gary Cooper) decides to divvy up his millions and donate plots of land to the poor. And the gun-wielding intruder doesn’t get thrown in jail; he becomes one of the many who are eligible for some of that free acreage. Hollywood pipe dream, sure, but the concept also seemed to work outside of American cinema. In Renoir’s The Rules of the Game, a man (Julien Carette) is caught trespassing on a wealthy estate and he’s offered a job. However, it may not be necessary to actually commit the crime of breaking and entering to get the attention of potential beneficiaries and employers. In Renoir’s Boudu Saved From Drowning the titular bum is merely witnessed attempting suicide in the Seine (though in Paul Mazursky’s ‘80s remake, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, the bum is also an intruder). And in My Man Godfrey the titular bum is plucked out of the trash and eventually brought home and employed as a butler. Which brings up the next tip. Film: My Man Godfrey (1936) Tip: If forced to become a servant, don’t steal the boss’ daughter’s necklace, pawn it and then gamble with the money made in order to further improve your situation, because only William Powell is good enough to get away with it. You are not as smooth as William Powell; it’s just not possible. So, while he (and his character, Godfrey) is able to come out of this film on top, in the same situation you would more than likely end up back on the garbage heap (without a nightclub built on the spot, that is). Firstly, he’s able to charm the socialite Irene (Carole Lombard) enough to escape homelessness, acquire a position as her family’s butler and eventually win her heart. Secondly, when Irene’s bitter sister, Cornelia (Gail Patrick), attempts to frame him as a necklace nabber, he beats her at her game and follows through to win out even more. What he does with the jewelry, though, would still get most people arrested, even if the ends do justify the means. Never do as Powell does, because nobody can pull off anything as well as he can. Film: You Can’t Take it With You (1938) Tip: Taking up seemingly utopian residence in a commune full of oddballs will likely get you thrown in jail. Grandpa Vanderhof (Lionel Barrymore) wasn’t claiming to be prophet nor did he (as far as we know) have a harem of young wives stored away somewhere in his house, but these days a freewheeling place like his might attract the attention of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms or some other government agency assigned to shutting down cults and terrorist organizations. Even then his home was suspected of being a den for treasonous plots, leading to an FBI raid and mass arrest. So, while it may seem like a dream come true to be wooed in by a jolly old man promising free living and the chance to be a toymaker, there’s actually no such thing as Santa Claus, and that man is probably doing something illegal to accommodate such a lifestyle. Film: The Grapes of Wrath (1939) Tip: Don’t settle for wages lower than is standard for the work. If you’re really hungry and desperate for work, you might think about taking only 25 cents an hour for a job you used to do for 30 cents. This happens often with competitive fields, whether it is migrant farming or blogging, but it only lowers your worth and it encourages your employers to keep decreasing the wages as long as someone is willing to settle. Eventually, either your fellow workers or the previous, underbid employees are going to be provoked by the situation and then there’s the chance of violence and further oppression. Plus, then you might be out of the job anyway. Potentially on the run, like Tom Joad (Henry Fonda), too. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/cinemarian/archive/2008/5/12/28799.aspx Post By: CinemaRian
Post To: CinemaRian Blog
Post Date: 5/12/2008 11:19:57 PM
Body: Lady for a Day could be the archetypal Capra film. It features a sentimental and improbable story, but is presented in such a believable way that you buy and care about what happens to characters. The plot summary that follows sounds terrible, but the movie really works. Apple Annie (May Robson) is a near elderly woman who wanders the streets of New York at the height of the depression selling apples, just a step above homeless. For years, she has upheld an elaborate ruse: she sent her daughter (Jean Arthur) away to Spain as a child to be raised in convent, and has written her for years, claiming to be a rich socialite. Now however, she is engaged to be married to Carlos (Barry Norton) the son of a Spanish Count (Walter Connolly), and would like to come visit her mother in New York. Oh no! Feeling sorry for her, Dave the Dude (William Warren) a local gangster, pays to buy her some rich clothes and put her up in a hotel, and finds a pool shark (Capra regular Guy Kibbee) to play her husband. The plan becomes so elaborate that he puts the singer at his nightclub (Glenda Farrell) in charge of rehersing Annie's street urchin friends and the rest of his gang to act like snooty rich people. Do you think that they can pull it off and impress the Count enough to allow the marriage? In virtually any other director's hands this would be an insipid and saccharine bit of manipulative treackle. But Capra makes us really like the characters. Towards the end of the film, I felt genuine suspense as to what was going to happen, more suspense than I have ever felt even in a Hitchcock film. Part of what makes the film so successful is that Capra gives us some bitter to go with the street -Dave the Dude is clearly a ruthless gangster, and he commits some rather brutal crimes to maintain the charade. But the movie's real standout is Robson-there are not many good parts for women of her age, but this one is meaty and she sinks her teeth into it. The actress has such an expressive face and screen presence that you can't help but feel sorry for her. There are some who will argue that Lady for a Day is completely unrealistic, and there are right, but it doesn't matter. The movie feels realistic, and is made me feel good after watching it. So many great directors are filled with angst and cynicism, it's sometimes nice to watch films by a Capra or a Spielberg and be told that the human experience is not completely lost and miserable. Lady for a Day (1933)
]]>Tue, 13 May 2008 03:19:57 GMTCinemaRianCinemaRian Blog5/12/2008 11:19:57 PMLady for a Day could be the archetypal Capra film. It features a sentimental and improbable story, but is presented in such a believable way that you buy and care about what happens to characters. The plot summary that follows sounds terrible, but the movie really works. Apple Annie (May Robson) is a near elderly woman who wanders the streets of New York at the height of the depression selling apples, just a step above homeless. For years, she has upheld an elaborate ruse: she sent her daughter (Jean Arthur) away to Spain as a child to be raised in convent, and has written her for years, claiming to be a rich socialite. Now however, she is engaged to be married to Carlos (Barry Norton) the son of a Spanish Count (Walter Connolly), and would like to come visit her mother in New York. Oh no! Feeling sorry for her, Dave the Dude (William Warren) a local gangster, pays to buy her some rich clothes and put her up in a hotel, and finds a pool shark (Capra regular Guy Kibbee) to play her husband. The plan becomes so elaborate that he puts the singer at his nightclub (Glenda Farrell) in charge of rehersing Annie's street urchin friends and the rest of his gang to act like snooty rich people. Do you think that they can pull it off and impress the Count enough to allow the marriage? In virtually any other director's hands this would be an insipid and saccharine bit of manipulative treackle. But Capra makes us really like the characters. Towards the end of the film, I felt genuine suspense as to what was going to happen, more suspense than I have ever felt even in a Hitchcock film. Part of what makes the film so successful is that Capra gives us some bitter to go with the street -Dave the Dude is clearly a ruthless gangster, and he commits some rather brutal crimes to maintain the charade. But the movie's real standout is Robson-there are not many good parts for women of her age, but this one is meaty and she sinks her teeth into it. The actress has such an expressive face and screen presence that you can't help but feel sorry for her. There are some who will argue that Lady for a Day is completely unrealistic, and there are right, but it doesn't matter. The movie feels realistic, and is made me feel good after watching it. So many great directors are filled with angst and cynicism, it's sometimes nice to watch films by a Capra or a Spielberg and be told that the human experience is not completely lost and miserable. Lady for a Day (1933) http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/Classic/MemberTagFilms.aspxClassic
Number of films tagged: 816

Number of people who tagged: 313

Number of times used: 1454

]]>Sat, 19 Dec 2009 23:30:46 GMT8163131454Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/romance/MemberTagFilms.aspxromance
Number of films tagged: 7163

Number of people who tagged: 169

Number of times used: 1005

]]>Sun, 20 Dec 2009 01:16:35 GMT71631691005Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/gangster/MemberTagFilms.aspxgangster
Number of films tagged: 4065

Number of people who tagged: 60

Number of times used: 145

]]>Mon, 17 Aug 2009 01:37:08 GMT406560145Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/deception/MemberTagFilms.aspxdeception
Number of films tagged: 1090

Number of people who tagged: 55

Number of times used: 123

]]>Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:18:11 GMT109055123Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/mother/MemberTagFilms.aspxmother
Number of films tagged: 2522

Number of people who tagged: 53

Number of times used: 152

]]>Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:51:56 GMT252253152Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/wedding/MemberTagFilms.aspxwedding
Number of films tagged: 853

Number of people who tagged: 44

Number of times used: 148

]]>Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:32:02 GMT85344148Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/gambling/MemberTagFilms.aspxgambling
Number of films tagged: 1082

Number of people who tagged: 38

Number of times used: 81

]]>Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:03:25 GMT10823881Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/forbiddenlove/MemberTagFilms.aspxforbiddenlove
Number of films tagged: 1151

Number of people who tagged: 18

Number of times used: 30

]]>Mon, 16 Mar 2009 13:03:45 GMT11511830Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/ragstoriches/MemberTagFilms.aspxragstoriches
Number of films tagged: 250

Number of people who tagged: 13

Number of times used: 18

]]>Mon, 18 May 2009 13:02:09 GMT2501318Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/roleswitching/MemberTagFilms.aspxroleswitching
Number of films tagged: 317

Number of people who tagged: 7

Number of times used: 15

]]>Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:02:27 GMT317715Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/apple/MemberTagFilms.aspxapple
Number of films tagged: 17

Number of people who tagged: 5

Number of times used: 7

]]>Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:01:50 GMT1757Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/Capra/MemberTagFilms.aspxCapra
Number of films tagged: 8

Number of people who tagged: 4

Number of times used: 10

]]>Tue, 14 Aug 2007 18:46:30 GMT8410Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/pygmalion/MemberTagFilms.aspxpygmalion
Number of films tagged: 35

Number of people who tagged: 3

Number of times used: 4

]]>Sat, 27 Sep 2008 04:17:18 GMT3534Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/socialclasses/MemberTagFilms.aspxsocialclasses
Number of films tagged: 89

Number of people who tagged: 1

Number of times used: 1

]]>Thu, 25 Sep 2008 13:01:35 GMT8911Tag