Apple Annie (May Robson) is a beloved apple seller in the streets of New York. Degenerate gambler gangster Dave the Dude (Warren William) has a need to buy apples from her for luck. Annie is a terrible drunk and has been hiding her dire financial situation from her daughter Louise who was raised in a Spanish convent. She is despondent when Louise writes that she's coming home with her fiancée Carlos, son of a count. Her street friends are desperate to help her but they need the gangster's help. With his girlfriend nightclub owner Missouri Martin, they make her a lady for a day.
Director Frank Capra brings this short story to early talkie cinema. It's a screwball comedy written by cantankerous newspaper people. It may not be believable but more than that, it is emotional deception. I don't buy the Dude going into the big show unless he has a bigger heart of gold. For that to happen, he needs to show examples of that early on. Or else, he needs a better reason to do the deed. For example if Annie is threatening to jump off a bridge, he would need to save her so that she would sell him apples in the future. All in all, I am forced to ignore some of this fakery to accept the heart of gold inside. It is very much a movie for fans of Capra.
Director Frank Capra brings this short story to early talkie cinema. It's a screwball comedy written by cantankerous newspaper people. It may not be believable but more than that, it is emotional deception. I don't buy the Dude going into the big show unless he has a bigger heart of gold. For that to happen, he needs to show examples of that early on. Or else, he needs a better reason to do the deed. For example if Annie is threatening to jump off a bridge, he would need to save her so that she would sell him apples in the future. All in all, I am forced to ignore some of this fakery to accept the heart of gold inside. It is very much a movie for fans of Capra.