The Miracle Woman

The Miracle Woman
theatrical release poster
Directed by	Frank Capra
Written by	Dorothy Howell (continuity)
Screenplay by	Jo Swerling
Based on	Bless You Sister 1927 play by John Meehan and Robert Riskin
Produced by	Harry Cohn
Starring	Barbara Stanwyck
Cinematography	Joseph Walker
Edited by	Maurice Wright
Production company	Columbia Pictures
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date	August 7, 1931 (1931-08-07) (US)
Running time	90 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

The Miracle Woman is a 1931 American pre-Code drama 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 clergyman’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 veteran, 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.

Plot

Florence Fallon is outraged when church elders, in order to make way for a younger preacher, fire her minister father after his twenty 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

• Barbara Stanwyck as Florence Fallon
• David Manners as John Carson
• Sam Hardy as Bob Hornsby
• Beryl Mercer as Mrs Higgins
• Russell Hopton as Bill Welford
• Charles Middleton as Simpson
• Eddie Boland as Collins
• Thelma Hill as Gussie

See also

• Leap of Faith, a 1992 film with a similar plot
• The Miracle Man, 1919 film starring Lon Chaney, with a plot generally identical to the 1992 "Leap of Faith" starring Steve Martin. Only a few minutes of the 1919 film are known to still exist.

Further reading

• Capra, Frank (1971). The Name Above the Title: An Autobiography. New York: Macmillan. pp. 130–134. ISBN 978-0306807718.
• McBride, Joseph (1992). Frank Capra: The Catastrophe of Success. New York: Simon and Schuster. pp. 228–230. ISBN 978-0671734947.

External links

• The Miracle Woman at IMDb
• The Miracle Woman at the TCM Movie Database
• The Miracle Woman at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films