A Pocket Full of Miracles

Another Sunday afternoon, another classic movie.  Especially since we are all still recovering from my sons 18th birthday party last night!

This one was not quite 50s, filmed in 1961 and set in the 20s, but some of the dresses are still 50s fo r some reason.  A Pocket Full of Miracles, is an American comedy starring Glen Ford, Bette Davis, Hope Lange, Peter Falk and introducing Ann Margaret yes she gets to sing a little).  The screen play title was ‘Lady for a Day’, which I think sounds much better and less cutesy.

Dave “the Dude” (Glenn Ford) is a successful, superstitious New York City boot-legger come gangster who buys apples from street peddler Apple Annie (Bette Davis) to bring him good luck. He believes that everything good that has happened to him, including meeting his soon to be wife, Queenie Martin (Hope Lange), is due to these daily apples.

 

Trailer provided by Video Detective

Annie has a 20 year old daughter named Louise (Ann-Margret), who was sent to a school in Europe as a child.  Annie has been pretending that the luxurious hotel where Dave lives is her home address for correspondence with Louise, and so Louise believes her mother to be wealthy socialite Mrs. E. Worthington Manville.  As she is to be married, to royalty no less, Louise decides to visit her mother and bring her fiancé Carlos and his father, Count Alfonso Romero (Arthur O'Connell), to America to meet her.

Annie collapses with shock, and her friends of the street go to Dave to ask him to help.  Dave has an absent friend with a penthouse, and  Queenie takes on the task of transforming the derelict Annie into a lady. Dave arranges for pool hustler "Judge" Henry G. Blake to pose as Annie's husband, the dignified E. Worthington Manville.

While an important appointment Dave has with another powerful gangster keeps getting postponed, his right-hand man Joy Boy (Peter Falk) becomes increasingly exasperated. They have fun trying to keep the press at bay, and lock them up for a night.  Meanwhile the count wants a party to meet the friends of the parents of the bride. Dave manages to stage a lavish reception of ‘friends’ – criminal associates, bouncers and dancing girls from the club.  Judge warns the count that the guests may seem childish and tongue-tied in his presence, as they are not used to royalty,  and then proceeds to beat him in pool – with the cost of the wedding as stakes. 

Meanwhile the police have surrounded Dave’s club and the ‘friends’, who are practicing their lines and dancing, cannot leave. It looks like the ruse is about to end, and Annie will be found out when no one attends her party.  Dave goes to the police commissioner, and ends up cutting a deal, giving him the missing reporters and a Chicago gangster.  The party is a huge success, with New York's mayor and governor turning up as guests, much to the surprise of Annie and Queenie.

Louise, and her impressed future husband and father-in-law return to Europe, seen back to the boat by all the honoured guests, none the wiser about her Annie's real identity.  Dave tells Queenie that he will move to that little town in Maryland that she dreams of and give up the gangster life.  Annie goes back to her life of hustling on the streets,and all is well.

Peter Falk, who sadly died last month, was nominated for an Academy Award for best supporting actor in this role, and I thought he did a fantastic job –  although very similar to his character in Colombo in some ways.  Interestingly Hope Lange and Arthur O'Connell had co-starred together previously with Marilyn Monroe in Bus Stop in 1956. Bette Davis was 57 in this movie, and unusually for an American actress, she looked every inch her age (and then some) for the start of the movie. Of course then she has her make over and looks her classy self again.  What ever her appearance, she really was the most wonderful actress.

Here is poster of Bette for the movie, and my favourite photo of her from 1932.

   

And, for a little bit of 50s, an ad for shampoo!xxxxx

School holidays, A Novel, Tea & Coffee

Today is the last day of the winter school holidays.  I have been playing stay at home mum for the last two weeks, and even though the children have not been at school for six hours a day, I have enjoyed it.  I have also enjoyed getting up that little bit later on these cold winter mornings – cold for us here in Queensland, but warm compared to most of Australia. 

I have had time to make breakfast each morning, either porridge, eggs on toast (boiled or poached) or pancakes.  Sometimes the whole three meals a day plus afternoon and morning tea gets a bit much, but at least the children are old enough to help.  We have been drinking our morning tea on the deck in the sun from our lovely old tea cups – so refined!

I am getting a bit sick of asking the children to tidy their rooms.  They would rather be outside on their scooters or bikes in the sun, or playing board-games or cards when it gets too warm.  The computer has featured a bit – the eldest is home from uni and is often glued to his laptop - but at least he lets the others join in occasionally.  I am planning on taking a day off this week to clean and straighten out the house – it’s hard to keep up housework then they are home all day.

The postal van has just arrived with a package for me.  “Oh, some books I bought off ebay,” I say.  “Are those 1950s books?” asks Miss Six.  “Well…..,” and of course they are.

The first is a 1952 first UK edition of James Jones first novel,”From here to eternity”, written in 1950 and made into a movie in 1953 starring Frank Sinatra, Burt Lancaster and Debra Kerr (remember the beach scene?) among others ($5.99).  It’s catch cry is ‘The book that swept America’, and hopefully it will sweep me away too!

   

The second is Good Housekeeping's  1950s ‘Practical Picture Cookery’ ($7.99). I cannot wait to get started on some of the recipes, but  here is a snippet on making tea and coffee which I just love!

  

So now I really need to find a tea-cosy to keep my tea warm while it draws – I knew I was doing something wrong!  I did find and old Pyrex percolator at the thrift shop the other day ($2), and although I think it is 70s rather than 50s (it has a plastic insert) it does a good job.  My husband still prefers his Alessi espresso pot (vintage 80s – an engagement present) but I find it too strong unless I add lots of hot water.

Enjoy a cuppa and have a lovely 50s day!

Harriet Craig

 

I’ve just watched ‘Harriet Craig’ (Columbia, 1950) with my girls. Now she is the sort of 1950s wife I don’t want to be. Joan Crawford plays Harriet, the childless wife, looking very glamourous at age 45.

She’s a neurotic perfectionist who makes life miserable for everyone around her, especially her servants and her husband Walter (Wendell Corey). When he gets a work assignment to Japan, she sabotages the plans by telling his boss that he has drinking and gambling problems. She sacks the cook over a broken coffee cup and makes the housekeeper, who has been with her husband since before their marriages, quit. She also keeps his best friend away from the house, and when her young cousin Clare (K. T. Stevens) falls in love Harriet puts an end to the romance.

Eventually, Walter realises Harriet’s true nature. He goes next door to help the neighbours son fix his radio, and the neighbour comments how messy their house is compared to his. “Yes”, he says, “that’s one thing you can say about it, it ‘s never messy.” He returns home and lies on the couch smoking, spying Harriet’s priceless Ming vase. Harriet refuses to come downstairs and talk to him, so he throws the vase against the wall, smashing it. Harriet reveals that she is actually able to have children, and is not barren as she has let her husband believe, and also gives an indication of why she is so unable to love. Finally Walter walks out, leaving Harriet to her one true love — her perfect house.

I love this dress though! Not a good photo, but it is fitted at the waist with a full calf-length skirt in shimmery silk.

And here’s a happier photo of Joan with one of her five adopted children.

Have a happy 50s day!