History Film / LadyForADay

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lady_for_a_day.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Mrs. E. Worthington Manville waits at the dock.]]

The film is about a poor woman called "Apple Annie", who sent her daughter, Louise, abroad, and sends most of the money she makes (both by selling apples or hustling) to help her daughter grow up well off. She also made her daughter think she was well-born and that Annie is living an upper class lifestyle.

Capra remade it in 1961 under the title ''Film/PocketfulOfMiracles'', starring Creator/BetteDavis.

--> '''Happy''' (after Dave recommends that ''he'' pose as Annie's husband): "That's a wonderful idea. There's just one thing stands in the way - I've got a wife that's very fussy. She don't like for me to go around marryin' people! I know how unreasonable that must sound to you, but she's very funny that way."
%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.
* HappyEnding: A surprisingly straight example. Just when the film seems like it is setting up a tearful confession from Annie, to be followed by her daughter's tearful forgiveness, the mayor and the governor and other big-wigs show up and save Annie's bacon. Significantly, the movie ends with Annie waving goodbye to her daughter from the dock, and does not show her returning to her life on the streets.

--> '''Shakespeare''': "A fella told me it was hard luck being superstitious."

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: When Missouri brings her "team" in to give Apple Annie a makeover, Dude objects when he sees a man among them, until Missouri tells him to cool it because the man, named Pierre, is "different", and after a moment, Dude gets it, and says, "Oh...Pierre." Of course, even in the pre-Code era, filmmakers weren't allowed to do anything other than imply characters like Pierre were gay.

* DeadpanSnarker: Happy McGuire excels in rattling off sarcastic comebacks.

* DespairEventHorizon: Annie's reaction to her daughter coming home, and worried that her daughter will be humiliated and ruined.

''Lady for a Day'' is an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nominated film from 1933, directed by Creator/FrankCapra, based on the short story "Madame La Gimp" by Creator/DamonRunyon. Capra remade it in 1961 under the title ''Pocketful of Miracles'', starring Creator/BetteDavis.

The remake, ''Pocketful of Miracles'' (1961), was the last film for both director Capra and veteran character actor Thomas Mitchell, and was also the film debut of Ann-Margaret. This version adds a few subplots, such as the renamed Queenie Martin's efforts to get Dave the Dude to marry her, and Dave's negotiations with Steve Darcy (a mobster from Chicago).

* AdaptationExpansion: ''Pocketful of Miracles'' goes into a lot more detail about the mobster's backstory. It also shows the first meeting between Dave and his girlfriend (called Queenie in this version).
* AmbiguouslyGay: Pierre in both the original and the remake. He is one of the crew of makeup artists, etc. that Missouri/Queenie Martin brings in to give Apple Annie a complete makeover. They all head into the bedroom and the dialogue goes something like this:
-->'''Dave the Dude:''' Wait a minute, he can't go in there.
-->'''Missouri:''' It's all right, Dude, it's all right.
-->'''Dave the Dude:''' Pierre.
* DeadpanSnarker: Joy Boy, one of Dave's henchmen in ''Pocketful of Miracles'', is the narrator, and pretty snarky. Then there's Annie herself, who is rather sparkler than she was in the 1933 version. Bette Davis gets a nickel for an apple and says "A nickel! Thank you, Mr. Rockefeller!"

* HollywoodCostuming: ''Pocketful of Miracles'' had a few nods to 1930s clothing, but the overall look (especially the women's formal dresses at the end) owed more to the time it was made.

* MockMillionaire: Mr. and Mrs. E. Worthington Manville, with Annie's husband being played by pool hustler Henry Blake (Guy Kibbee in the original, Thomas Mitchell in the remake).
* PrettyInMink: ''Lady for a Day'' and ''Pocketful of Miracles'' had loads of furs. In both, Louise has a white ermine shoulder cape.

* DeadpanSnarker: Joy Boy, one of Dave's henchmen in ''Pocketful of Miracles'', is the narrator, and pretty snarky.

But then her daughter is engaged to a Spanish count, who wishes to meet her. The truth would ruin the match and humiliate everyone. Fortunately, a mobster, Dave the Dude, has been buying her apples for years, as a good luck charm. He agrees to help her out in return. Unfortunately, maintaining the charade is not so simple.

The remake, ''Pocketful of Miracles'' (1961), was the last film for both director Capra and veteran character actor Thomas Mitchell, and was also the film debut of Ann-Margaret. This version adds a few subplots, such as Queenie Martin's efforts to get Dave the Dude to marry her, and Dave's negotiations with Steve Darcy (a mobster from Chicago).

In 2008, Akshay Kumar starred in ''Singh is Kinng,'' using the same story.

* AmbiguouslyGay: Pierre in both the original and the remake. He is one of the crew of makeup artists, etc. that Queenie Martin brings in to give Apple Annie a complete makeover. They all head into the bedroom and the dialogue goes something like this:
-->'''Dave the Dude:''' Hey, he can't go in there!
-->'''Missouri/Queenie:''' It's all right, trust me.
-->'''Dave the Dude:''' Oh...Pierre.

* DespairEventHorizon: Annie's reaction to her daughter coming home.

''Lady for a Day'' is an AcademyAward nominated film from 1933, directed by Creator/FrankCapra, based on the short story "Madame La Gimp" by Creator/DamonRunyon. Capra remade it in 1961 under the title ''Pocketful of Miracles'', starring Creator/BetteDavis.

* AdaptationExpansion: ''Miracles'' goes into a lot more detail about the mobster's backstory.

* SheCleansUpNicely: Apple Annie is older than the usual subject of this trope, but it applies.

The remake, ''Pocketful of Miracles'', was the last film for both director Capra and veteran character actor Thomas Mitchell, and was also the film debut of Ann-Margaret.

* AmbiguouslyGay: Pierre in ''Miracles''. He is one of the crew of makeup artists, etc. that Queenie Martin brings in to give Apple Annie a complete makeover. They all head into the bedroom and the dialogue goes something like this:

-->'''Queenie:''' It's all right, trust me.

* DeadpanSnarker: Joy Boy, one of Dave's henchmen in ''Miracles'', is the narrator, and pretty snarky.

* HollywoodCostuming: ''Miracles'' had contemporary clothing, not 1930s clothing.

* MaintainTheLie: An impressive amount of work goes into making Louise and Annie's in-laws think that Annie is Mrs. E. Worthington Manville, a wealthy society lady. Dave the Dude borrows a friend's apartment. The various thugs, lowlifes, and beggars that know Annie are dressed up as society folk. The ''mayor'' and the ''governor'' come to her daughter's reception. The police commissioner arranges a police escort to take Louise and Annie's in-laws to the port to board ship.
* MockMillionaire: Mr. and Mrs. E Worthington Manville, with Annie's husband being played by pool hustler Henry Blake (Guy Kibbee in the original, Thomas Mitchell in the remake).

''Lady for a Day'' is an AcademyAward nominated film from 1933, directed by Creator/FrankCapra, based on the short story "Madame La Gimp" by Creator/DamonRunyon. Capra remade it in 1961 under the title ''Pocketful of Miracles''.

''Lady for a Day'' is an AcademyAward nominated film directed by Creator/FrankCapra, based on the short story "Madame La Gimp" by Creator/DamonRunyon. Capra later remade it under the title ''Pocketful of Miracles''.

The remake, ''Pocketful of Miracles'', was the last film for both director Capra and veteran character actor Thomas Mitchell.

* JustInTime: Just as Annie [[spoiler:feels she has no choice but to confess her secret and ruin her daughter's marriage, the mayor shows up with guests to help keep up the charade for Annie]].
* MockMillionaire

* PrincessForADay
* ASimplePlan

The film is about a poor woman called "Apple Annie", who sent her daughter abroad, and sends most of the money she makes (by selling apples or hustling) to help her daughter grow up well. She also made her daughter think she was well-born and that Annie is living an upper class lifestyle.

But then her daughter is engaged to a Spanish count, who wishes to meet her. The truth would ruin the match and humiliate everyone. Fortunately, a mobster has been buying her apples for years, as a good luck charm. He agrees to help her out in return. Unfortunately, maintaining the charade is not so simple.

* PrettyInMink: ''Lady for a Day'' and ''Pocketful of Miracles'' had loads of furs, and in both, Annie's daughter has a white ermine shoulder cape.