The Miracle Woman

Last updated

The Miracle Woman
The Miracle Woman 1931 Poster.jpg
theatrical release poster
Directed by Frank Capra
Written byDorothy Howell (continuity)
Screenplay by Jo Swerling
Based onBless You Sister
by John Meehan and Robert Riskin
Produced by Harry Cohn
Starring Barbara Stanwyck
Cinematography Joseph Walker
Edited byMaurice Wright
Production
company
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date
  • August 7, 1931 (1931-08-07)(US)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Miracle Woman is a 1931 American pre-Code romance film directed by Frank Capra and starring Barbara Stanwyck, David Manners, and Sam Hardy. Based on the play Bless You Sister by John Meehan and Robert Riskin, the film is about a preacher's daughter who becomes disillusioned by the mistreatment of her dying father by his church. Having grown cynical about religion, she teams up with a con man and performs fake miracles for profit. The love and trust of a blind man, however, restores her faith in God and her fellow man. The Miracle Woman was the second of five film collaborations between Capra and Stanwyck. Produced and distributed by Columbia Pictures, the film was reportedly inspired by the life of Aimee Semple McPherson. [1]

Contents

Plot

Florence Fallon is outraged when church elders, in order to make way for a younger preacher, fire her minister father after his many years of selfless service. Following her father's death, she tells the congregation what she thinks of their ingratitude and hypocrisy. Her bitter, impassioned speech impresses Bob Hornsby, who convinces her to become a phony evangelist so they can squeeze donations out of gullible believers. Promoted as Sister Fallon, Florence then travels about the country with Bob, who manages her "Temple of Happiness". Soon she attracts a devoted national following, but the religious sham comes tumbling down once she meets and falls in love with John Carson, a blind war veteran. When Florence is blackmailed by Bob, she tells John of her charade. John then puts a plan in motion to expose Hornsby and the organization.

Cast

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbara Stanwyck</span> American actress (1907–1990)

Barbara Stanwyck was an American actress, model and dancer. A stage, film, and television star, during her 60-year professional career she was known for her strong, realistic screen presence and versatility. She was a favorite of directors, including Cecil B. DeMille, Fritz Lang, and Frank Capra, and made 85 films in 38 years before turning to television.

<i>Mr. Deeds Goes to Town</i> 1936 film

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town is a 1936 American comedy-drama romance film directed by Frank Capra and starring Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur in her first featured role. Based on the 1935 short story "Opera Hat" by Clarence Budington Kelland, which appeared in serial form in The American Magazine, the screenplay was written by Robert Riskin in his fifth collaboration with Frank Capra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Manners</span> Canadian-born American actor (1900–1998)

David Joseph Manners was a Canadian-American actor who plays John Harker in Tod Browning's 1931 horror classic Dracula, which stars Bela Lugosi in the title role. The following year, Manners portrayed the archaeologist Frank Whemple in The Mummy, another pre-Code thriller by Universal Pictures.

<i>Pocketful of Miracles</i> 1961 American comedy film by Frank Capra

Pocketful of Miracles is a 1961 American comedy film starring Bette Davis and Glenn Ford, produced and directed by Frank Capra, filmed in Panavision. The screenplay, by Hal Kanter and Harry Tugend, was based on Robert Riskin's screenplay for the 1933 film Lady for a Day, which was adapted from the 1929 Damon Runyon short story "Madame La Gimp." That original 1933 film was also directed by Capra — one of two films that he originally directed and later remade, the other being Broadway Bill (1934) and its remake Riding High (1950).

<i>Meet John Doe</i> 1941 American comedy-drama film directed by Frank Capra

Meet John Doe is a 1941 American comedy-drama film directed and produced by Frank Capra, written by Robert Riskin, and starring Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck. The film is about a "grassroots" political campaign created unwittingly by a newspaper columnist with the involvement of a hired homeless man and pursued by the paper's wealthy owner. It became a box-office hit and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Story. It was ranked No. 49 in AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Cheers. In 1969, the film entered the public domain in the United States because the claimants did not renew its copyright registration in the 28th year after publication. It was the first of two features Capra made for Warner Brothers, after he left Columbia Pictures, the other being Arsenic and Old Lace (1944).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Riskin</span> American screenwriter and playwright (1897-1955)

Robert Riskin was an American Academy Award-winning screenwriter and playwright, best known for his collaborations with director-producer Frank Capra.

<i>The Bitter Tea of General Yen</i> 1933 film

The Bitter Tea of General Yen is a 1933 American pre-Code drama war film directed by Frank Capra and starring Barbara Stanwyck, and featuring Nils Asther and Walter Connolly. Based on the 1930 novel of the same name by Grace Zaring Stone, the film is about an American missionary in Shanghai during the Chinese Civil War who gets caught in a battle while trying to save a group of orphans. Knocked unconscious, she is saved by a Chinese general warlord who brings her to his palace. When the general falls in love with the naive young woman, she fights her attraction to the powerful general and resists his flirtation, yet remains at his side when his fortune turns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toshia Mori</span> Japanese actress

Toshia Mori was a Japanese actress who had a brief career in American films during the late 1920s and 1930s. Born as Toshiye Ichioka in Kyoto, Mori moved to the United States when she was 10.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hobart Bosworth</span> American film actor

Hobart Van Zandt Bosworth was an American film actor, director, writer, and producer.

<i>The Two Mrs. Carrolls</i> 1947 film by Peter Godfrey

The Two Mrs. Carrolls is a 1947 American mystery film directed by Peter Godfrey and starring Humphrey Bogart, Barbara Stanwyck, and Alexis Smith. It was produced by Mark Hellinger from a screenplay by Thomas Job, based on the 1935 play by Martin Vale.

<i>The Third Miracle</i> 1999 American film

The Third Miracle is a 1999 drama film directed by Agnieszka Holland and starring Ed Harris and Anne Heche. The film was shot in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbara Stanwyck on stage, screen, radio and television</span>

Barbara Stanwyck was a prolific American actress and dancer who appeared in a total of 95 theatrically released full-length motion pictures. Orphaned before she was old enough to attend school, she became fascinated by the burgeoning film industry, and actress Pearl White in particular, whom she would mimic on the playgrounds. "Pearl White was my goddess, and her courage, her grace and her triumphs lifted me out of this world."

<i>Forbidden</i> (1932 film) 1932 film

Forbidden is a 1932 American pre-Code melodrama film directed by Frank Capra and starring Barbara Stanwyck, Adolphe Menjou, and Ralph Bellamy. An original story inspired by the 1931 novel Back Street by Fannie Hurst, with a screenplay by Jo Swerling, the film is about a young librarian who falls in love with a married man while on a sea cruise.

<i>The Miracle Man</i> (1932 film) 1932 film

The Miracle Man is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film directed by Norman Z. McLeod, starring Sylvia Sidney and Chester Morris, and featuring Boris Karloff. It is a remake of the 1919 film of the same name starring Lon Chaney. The film was originally supposed to star Tyrone Power Sr., as the Preacher/Patriarch, but he died before major filming got underway. His part was then completed by Hobart Bosworth.

<i>A Lost Lady</i> (1934 film) 1934 film by Alfred E. Green, Phil Rosen

A Lost Lady is a 1934 American drama film directed by Alfred E. Green and starring by Barbara Stanwyck, Frank Morgan, and Ricardo Cortez. Based on the 1923 novel A Lost Lady by Willa Cather, with a screenplay by Gene Markey and Kathryn Scola, the film is about a woman whose fiancé is murdered by his mistress' husband two days before their wedding. Her uncle sends her away to the mountains, where she meets a man who looks after her and eventually proposes. She accepts even though she does not love him.

<i>Ladies of Leisure</i> 1930 film

Ladies of Leisure is a 1930 American pre-Code romantic drama film directed by Frank Capra and starring Barbara Stanwyck and Ralph Graves. The screenplay by Jo Swerling is based on the 1924 play Ladies of the Evening by Milton Herbert Gropper, which ran for 159 performances on Broadway.

A Taste of Evil is a 1971 American made-for-television horror-thriller film directed by John Llewellyn Moxey and starring Barbara Stanwyck, Barbara Parkins and Roddy McDowall. It premiered as the ABC Movie of the Week on October 12, 1971.

<i>The Christmas Candle</i> 2013 British film

The Christmas Candle is a 2013 British-American Christmas drama film directed by John Stephenson.

<i>The Trap</i> (1919 film) 1919 film by Frank Reicher

The Trap is a lost 1919 American silent drama film directed by Frank Reicher and starring Olive Tell. It was released in the United Kingdom under the title A Woman's Law. The film is based upon the 1915 play of the same name by Jules Eckert Goodman and Richard Harding Davis.

<i>Mexicali Rose</i> (1929 film) 1929 film

Mexicali Rose is a 1929 American pre-Code romantic drama film directed by Erle C. Kenton, and starring Barbara Stanwyck and Sam Hardy. A silent and sound version are preserved at the Library of Congress.

References

Notes

  1. Judd Blaise. "The Miracle Woman (1931)". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times . Baseline & All Movie Guide. Archived from the original on February 16, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2013.

Bibliography