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, RoviReview
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, RoviCast
- Warren William - Dave the Dude
- May Robson - Apple Annie
- Guy Kibbee - Judge Blake
- Glenda Farrell - Missouri Martin
- Ned Sparks - Happy McGuire
Credit
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 by Choice (1934 Film), Lady at Midnight (1948 Film) | |
| Lady for a Night (1941 Film), Lady from Chungking (1943 Film) |
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