Pocketful of Miracles (1961)

First, don't make the mistake I did.  I saw Pocketful of Miracles after the original Lady for a Day. You'll enjoy Pocketful much more, if you reverse the order. 

That out of the way,  this isn't a bad movie.  But its not particularly good either.  Bette Davis, Glenn Ford and Hope Lange are miscast - but adequate, Peter Falk is always a delight, and you have a ton of great supporting characters. But it drags on too long (137 minutes!) and the wide-screen technicolor further drains any life from the proceedings.  Sidenote: Wilder was smart to film "Some like it Hot" and "The Apartment"  in B&W. 

One feels sorry for Capra.  All the people he wanted to cast turned it down, (like Sinatra and Helen Hayes) so he was forced to make do. Glenn Ford did an excellent job playing a gangster in Mr. Soft Touch but it was different kind of role from Dave the Dude.  In Pocketful he's on the dull side. Bette Davis, whatever her greatness, was NEVER sweet and lovable. And while Hope Lange is lovable ,  she's just wrong for her part. 

Lady for a Day vs. Pocketful of Miracles 

Capra made Lady for a Day at the height of the Depression only a few years after Damon Runyon had written the original story. Dispite being a fairy-tale in many respects, there's a realness and contemporary energy to it.  The cast fit their roles, and the movies zips along without a dull moment.  Here, in Pocketful we have a technicolor period piece full of stars.  Made in 1961, the class issues seem irrelevant, and the movie just plods along.  Its 41 minutes longer than Lady for a Day despite having thes same plot!