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"Lady for A Day" coming on Blu-Ray
Announcement at highdefdigest.com about the coming release of Capra's 1934 "Lady for a Day" onto hi-resolution Blu-Ray disk:
"One of Leonard Maltin's 151 Best Movies You've Never Seen gets a high-definition release in March.
In an early announcement to retailers, Inception Media Group has revealed that 'Lady for a Day' will have a Blu-ray on March 20."
Lady for A Day was produced from May to June, 1933, and released September 13, 1933. The new Blu-Ray release is expected to contain commentary tracks featuring remarks by Frank Capra Jr. and information by film historian Scott Eyman. "Lady for a Day" is based on the short story "Madame La Gimp" written by Damon Runyon
published in Hearst's International-Cosmopolitan (Oct 1929).
There is also a new standard DVD being released, amazon.com
It's A Wonderful Life "still reels them in"
Article at USA Today on the phenomenon of Capra's most popular movie and the town's namesake of Bedford Falls:
"And although the film's cozy setting was actually an RKO soundstage in Encino, Calif., the real-life mill town of Seneca Falls, N.Y. happily milks its resemblance to fictional Bedford Falls with an annual December celebration.
This weekend's shindig kicks off Friday with appearances by former child actress Karolyn Grimes, who played George Bailey's daughter Zuzu, and Carol Coombs-Mueller, her older sister Janie. Also on tap: An Uncle Billy's scavenger hunt, a Ma Bailey's Hot & Hearty Cook-Off, and a Dance by the Light of the Moon dance contest. (Alas, the recently renovated Hotel Clarence, named after Bailey's guardian angel, is already booked.)"
 Capra's "Stock Company"
Extremely brief item at the Los Angeles Times on Capra's erstwhile "stock company" which only has mention of Barbara Stanwyck, Gary Cooper and Bing Crosby (what, no Jean Arthur?)
A variety of actors worked with Capra repeatedly (also non-actors), such as: Jack Holt (Submarine 1928, The Donovan Affair 1929, Flight 1929, Dirigible 1931); Thomas Mitchell (Lost Horizon 1938, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington 1939, It's a Wonderful Life 1946); and non-actor Joseph Walker who did cinematography on many Capra films, such as Submarine 1928, Rain or Shine 1930, The Miracle Woman 1931, Platinum Blonde 1931, The Bitter Tea of General Yen 1933, Lady for A Day 1933, Lost Horizon 1937, etc.
1934 Review of 'It Happened One Night'
The film is now accepted as a high-quality comedy and the beginning of Capra's hot streak as both a oscar winner and a marquee name in and of itself. However, when the film was in realease, there was some confusion how what looked like a run-of-the-mill 'road comedy' was so good. For example:
"The cast was particularly sound from top to bottom. Claudette Colbert sensed what was required of her, and did it very well, though I do not care for her much as a person-not as much in fact as for Walter Connolly, who was delightful. Clark Gable was the outstanding feature, managing to be a rowdy and a perfect gentle-man and a newspaperman and a young lover, all in the same breath and the most breezy and convincing manner imaginable."
The entire 1934 article here
Capra and the travails of Capitalism
The Financial Times has an article by Paul Betts examining films at this years Cannes Festival, and uses Capra as a standard to make comparisons with Oliver Stone and Jean-Stéphane Bron. financialtimes.com
"Frank Capra made a number of films depicting the greed and self-interest of businessmen and politicians alike, giving capitalism a bad name. Remember Mr Deeds goes to town or Mr Smith goes to Washington , to name just a couple of his classics.
This month, three film-makers, two Americans and one Swiss, have gone to the Cannes Film Festival to show their films that roughly three-quarters of a century later seem to contain the same message. Like Mr Capra, who happened to have been a conservative and a Republican, these films - a fiction and two documentaries - are not a rant against capitalism as such."
Early Capra showing in San Francisco
Sunday, January 24 2010: Early Capra in the San Francisco Bay Area (total running time 67 min., 1921-2). Before "Capraesque": Early Frank Capra (PFA, 2:00).Info online at eastbayexpress.com
"Mr Smith Goes to Washington" and film politics
Film School Rejects contemplates the Jan 2010 Supreme Court Ruling on first amendment rights, and the reverberations of Capra's film on the whole matter of political movie making:
 Today, in a courtroom that looks over the Capitol Building, Justice Anthony Kennedy – a slight, bookish man with thin glasses – evoked Frank Capra’s enduring classic Mr. Smith Goes to Washington while giving the Opinion of the Court about the freedom of speech inherent in the corporate structure. Read more at Film School Rejects: Why Today’s Supreme Court Ruling Matters To Film Fans - Film School Rejects
Variety also takes a look at the ruling, and on Justice Kennedy's invoking of the Capra film in discussing the case.
UPDATED November 17, 2009 |
TCM schedules long "Capra Day" on December 7, 2009
Turner Classic Movies will also be running a long list of Capra films throughout December (see schedule below listing the various films).
"DIRIGIBLE" and "FLIGHT" to play on TCM in December; Also other rare Capra silents
Twin aviation films made early in the career of Frank Capra are to be screened on TCM in December. "Dirigible" (1931) and "Flight" (1929) will play on December 14 at 12 midnight and Flight at 1:45 AM. Dirigible has Fay Wray (who later married veteran Capra screenwriter Robert Riskin) and tells the tale of a botched expedition into the Antarctic that results in a dangerous rescue attempt by airship (i.e., a zeppelin). Flight is a silent film that is rarely seen.
Turner Classic Movie Schedule December 2009
- Frank Capra Films
All Times Eastern
|
7 Monday
|
| 10:30 AM |
Prelude to War
(1943)
|
| |
The rise of the fascists in Germany and Italy and Japan's growing aggression put the world on the brink of war.
Cast: Walter Huston and Anthony Veiller narrate.
Dir: Frank Capra, Anatole Litvak.
BW-52 mins,
|
| 11:30 AM |
Nazis Strike, The
(1943)
|
| |
German treaty violations lead to the start of World War II.
Cast: Walter Huston and Anthony Veiller narrate.
Dir: Frank Capra, Anatole Litvak.
BW-42 mins,
|
| 12:30 PM |
Divide and Conquer
(1943)
|
| |
The Nazis seize control of France and Central Europe.
Cast: Walter Huston narrates.
Dir: Frank Capra, Anatole Litvak.
BW-52 mins,
|
| 1:30 PM |
Battle of Britain, The
(1943)
|
| |
Great Britain stands against the Nazi war machine.
Cast: Walter Huston, Frieda Inescort and Anthny Veiller narrate.
Dir: Frank Capra.
BW-52 mins,
|
| 2:30 PM |
Battle of Russia, The
(1943)
|
| |
The Soviet Union fights to freeze out the Nazis during World War II.
Cast: Walter Huston narrates.
Dir: Frank Capra, Anatole Litvak.
BW-83 mins,
|
| 4:00 PM |
Battle of China, The
(1944)
|
| |
The Chinese army fights to hold off Japanese invaders during World War II.
Cast: Walter Huston and Anthony Veiller narrate.
Dir: Frank Capra.
BW-63 mins,
|
| 5:15 PM |
War Comes to America
(1945)
|
| |
International events bring the U.S. closer to entering World War II on the eve of Pearl Harbor.
Cast: Walter Huston and Lloyd Nolan narrate.
Dir: Frank Capra, Anatole Litvak.
BW-66 mins,
|
| 6:30 PM |
Tunisian Victory
(1943)
|
| |
The U.S. Army's Tunisian campaign forces the Germans out of Africa.
Cast: Burgess Meredith and Leo Genn narrate.
Dir: Frank Capra, Hugh Stewart.
BW-76 mins,
|
| 8:00 PM |
It Happened One Night
(1934)
|
| |
A newspaperman tracks a runaway heiress on a madcap cross-country tour.
Cast: Claudette Colbert, Clark Gable, Walter Connolly.
Dir: Frank Capra.
BW-105 mins,
TV-PG, CC
|
| 10:00 PM |
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
(1936)
|
| |
When he inherits a fortune, a small-town poet has to deal with the corruption of city life.
Cast: Gary Cooper, Jean Arthur, Lionel Stander.
Dir: Frank Capra.
BW-116 mins,
TV-G, CC
|
| 12:00 AM |
You Can't Take It With You
(1938)
|
| |
A girl from a family of freethinkers falls for the son of a conservative banker.
Cast: Jean Arthur, Lionel Barrymore, James Stewart.
Dir: Frank Capra.
BW-126 mins,
TV-G
|
| 2:15 AM |
Arsenic And Old Lace
(1944)
|
| |
A young man about to be married discovers the two aunts who raised him have been poisoning lonely old men.
Cast: Cary Grant, Raymond Massey, Peter Lorre.
Dir: Frank Capra.
BW-118 mins,
TV-G, CC, DVS
|
| 4:15 AM |
Platinum Blonde
(1931)
|
| |
A heartless heiress seduces a hard-working reporter into a disastrous marriage.
Cast: Robert Williams, Loretta Young, Jean Harlow.
Dir: Frank Capra.
BW-89 mins,
TV-G
|
14 Monday
|
| 8:00 PM |
Bitter Tea of General Yen, The
(1932)
|
| |
An American missionary falls in love with a Chinese warlord.
Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Nils Asther, Walter Connolly.
Dir: Frank Capra.
BW-87 mins,
TV-PG, CC
|
| 9:30 PM |
Lost Horizon
(1937)
|
| |
Four fugitives from a Chinese revolution discover a lost world of peace and harmony.
Cast: Ronald Colman, H.B. Warner, Thomas Mitchell.
Dir: Frank Capra.
BW-133 mins,
TV-G, CC
|
| 12:00 AM |
Dirigible
(1931)
|
| |
Romantic rivals vie to be the first to fly to the South Pole.
Cast: Jack Holt, Ralph Graves, Fay Wray.
Dir: Frank Capra.
BW-100 mins,
TV-G
|
| 1:45 AM |
Flight
(1929)
|
| |
A Marine flyer and his flight school mentor fall for the same beautiful nurse.
Cast: Jack Holt, Lila Lee, Ralph Graves.
Dir: Frank Capra.
BW-112 mins,
TV-PG
|
| 3:45 AM |
Younger Generation, The
(1929)
|
| |
A rising businessman tries to make his immigrant parents assimilate.
Cast: Jean Hersholt, Lina Basquette, Ricardo Cortez.
Dir: Frank Capra.
BW-75 mins,
|
| 5:15 AM |
American Madness
(1932)
|
| |
A banker fights to keep his independence and protect his customers.
Cast: Walter Huston, Pat O'Brien, Kay Johnson.
Dir: Frank Capra.
BW-76 mins,
TV-G, CC
|
21 Monday
|
| 8:00 PM |
State Of The Union
(1948)
|
| |
A presidential candidate fights to keep his integrity and his wife during a grueling campaign.
Cast: Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Angela Lansbury.
Dir: Frank Capra.
BW-122 mins,
TV-G
|
| 10:15 PM |
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
(1939)
|
| |
An idealistic Senate replacement takes on political corruption.
Cast: James Stewart, Jean Arthur, Claude Rains.
Dir: Frank Capra.
BW-130 mins,
TV-G, CC
|
| 12:30 AM |
Meet John Doe
(1941)
|
| |
A reporter's fraudulent story turns a tramp into a national hero and makes him a pawn of big business.
Cast: Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward Arnold.
Dir: Frank Capra.
BW-122 mins,
TV-G, CC, DVS
|
| 2:45 AM |
Ladies of Leisure
(1930)
|
| |
A wealthy artist faces family pressure when he falls for a model with a past.
Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Ralph Graves, Lowell Sherman.
Dir: Frank Capra.
BW-100 mins,
TV-PG
|
| 4:30 AM |
Miracle Woman, The
(1931)
|
| |
A phony faith healer fights the temptation to go straight when she falls for a blind man.
Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, David Manners, Beryl Mercer.
Dir: Frank Capra.
BW-90 mins,
TV-PG
|
22 Tuesday
|
| 6:15 AM |
Forbidden
(1932)
|
| |
On an ocean voyage, a librarian falls for a married man.
Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Adolphe Menjou, Ralph Bellamy.
Dir: Frank Capra.
BW-85 mins,
TV-G
|
24 Thursday
|
| 3:30 PM |
Pocketful of Miracles
(1961)
|
| |
A good-hearted gangster turns an old apple seller into a society matron so she can impress her daughter.
Cast: Bette Davis, Glenn Ford, Hope Lange.
Dir: Frank Capra.
C-137 mins,
TV-G, CC, Letterbox Format
|
28 Monday
|
| 8:00 PM |
Broadway Bill
(1934)
|
| |
An heiress and her brother-in-law defy her father by going into horse racing.
Cast: Warner Baxter, Myrna Loy, Walter Connolly.
Dir: Frank Capra.
BW-102 mins,
|
| 10:00 PM |
Riding High
(1950)
|
| |
An heiress and her sister's fiancee defy her family to race horses.
Cast: Bing Crosby, Coleen Gray, Charles Bickford.
Dir: Frank Capra.
BW-112 mins,
|
| 12:00 AM |
Lady For A Day
(1933)
|
| |
A gangster helps an old apple-vendor pose as a society woman to fool her visiting daughter.
Cast: May Robson, Warren William, Guy Kibbee.
Dir: Frank Capra.
BW-96 mins,
TV-G
|
| 1:45 AM |
Pocketful of Miracles
(1961)
|
| |
A good-hearted gangster turns an old apple seller into a society matron so she can impress her daughter.
Cast: Bette Davis, Glenn Ford, Hope Lange.
Dir: Frank Capra.
C-137 mins,
TV-G, CC, Letterbox Format
|
| 4:15 AM |
Matinee Idol
(1928)
|
| |
While marooned in the country, a Broadway star auditions incognito for the local little theatre.
Cast: Johnnie Walker, Bessie Love, Lionel Belmore.
Dir: Frank Capra.
BW-57 mins,
TV-G
|
| 5:15 AM |
Rain or Shine
(1930)
|
| |
A young woman inherits her father's financially troubled circus.
Cast: Joe Cook, Joan Peers, Louise Fazenda.
Dir: Frank Capra.
BW-88 mins,
TV-G
|
Article on Capra "It Really Was A Wonderful life" marks 18th Anniversary of Capra's death
Biographical article about Capra at examiner.com by Pamela Miller:
It’s the 18th anniversary of the death of one of the world’s most beloved directors, Frank Capra. This man brought us some of the most recognizable and cherished films in cinema history. Throughout his lengthy career, Capra earned three best director Academy Awards out of six nominations. Most know him as the director of everyone’s favorite Christmas movie, It’s a Wonderful Life, but his Hollywood career spanned four decades. In about forty years, he directed almost fifty films.
"DIRIGIBLE" and "FLIGHT" to play on TCM in December
Twin aviation films made early in the career of Frank Capra are to be screened on TCM in December. "Dirigible" (1931) and "Flight" (1929) will play on December 14 at 12 midnight and Flight at 1:45 AM. Dirigible has Fay Wray (who later married veteran Capra screenwriter Robert Riskin) and tells the tale of a botched expedition into the Antarctic that results in a dangerous rescue attempt by airship (i.e., a zeppelin). Flight is a silent film that is rarely seen.
Frank Capra Birthday on May 18: TCM running rare "Rain or Shine" on that day
The recently restored, but rarely seen Capra film "Rain or Shine" from 1930 is to be broadcast on Turner Classic Movies on the occasion of Capra's birthday anniversary on May 18.
The complete list of films to broadcast is below. Note: Instead of the usual Capra films (Mr. Smith, Deeds, Doe, etc) TCM is showing an excellent list of early Capra films that are predecessors in theme and style to the later, better-known films.
Monday May 18, 2009 Capra Films on TCM
- 6:30 AM Flight (1929)
A Marine flyer and his flight school mentor fall for the same beautiful nurse. Cast: Jack Holt, Lila Lee, Ralph Graves. Dir: Frank Capra. BW-112 mins, TV-PG
- 8:30 AM Ladies of Leisure (1930)
A wealthy artist faces family pressure when he falls for a model with a past. Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Ralph Graves, Lowell Sherman. Dir: Frank Capra. BW-100 mins, TV-PG
- 10:15 AM Rain or Shine (1930)
A young woman inherits her father's financially troubled circus. Cast: Joe Cook, Joan Peers, Louise Fazenda. Dir: Frank Capra. BW-88 mins, TV-G
- 11:45 AM Dirigible (1931)
Romantic rivals vie to be the first to fly to the South Pole. Cast: Jack Holt, Ralph Graves, Fay Wray. Dir: Frank Capra. BW-100 mins, TV-G
- 1:30 PM Platinum Blonde (1931)
A heartless heiress seduces a hard-working reporter into a disastrous marriage. Cast: Robert Williams, Loretta Young, Jean Harlow. Dir: Frank Capra. BW-89 mins, TV-G
- 3:00 PM The Miracle Woman (1931)
A phony faith healer fights the temptation to go straight when she falls for a blind man. Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, David Manners, Beryl Mercer. Dir: Frank Capra. BW-90 mins, TV-PG
- 4:45 PM American Madness (1932)
A banker fights to keep his independence and protect his customers. Cast: Walter Huston, Pat O'Brien, Kay Johnson. Dir: Frank Capra. BW-76 mins, TV-G, CC
- 6:15 PM Forbidden (1932)
On an ocean voyage, a librarian falls for a married man. Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Adolphe Menjou, Ralph Bellamy. Dir: Frank Capra. BW-85 mins, TV-G
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