This 1930s Oscar-Nominated Comedy Has Probably Been Ripped Off More Than Any Other

We all know the story, and it's easy to picture. One of the main characters of a movie — or a sitcom, or an animated series — is of average means, or perhaps even living in poverty. Despite this, they have been sending letters to a far-flung relative, claiming that they are wealthy or better off romantically than they actually are. But then, plot twist! The far-flung relative announces they are coming to visit, eager to see the wealth that the protagonist has been lying about. Whatever is the protagonist going to do? Why, enlist the help of friends and see if they can fake it, of course. Maybe, if the protagonist can rent a mansion or find some fancy clothes for just a day or two, they can keep the charade going in person. Will the far-flung relative find out?

On the TV Tropes website, the story is referred to as "Maintain the Lie." This is a story that has been reused dozens and dozens of times over the years. It was the plot of "Christmas in Connecticut" (1945), wherein Barbara Stanwyck faked being a homey homemaker when she was really a professional columnist. Variants of "Maintain the Lie" were used on episodes of "2 Broke Girls," "Frasier," "The Big Bang Theory," "F Troop," "How I Met Your Mother," "The Love Boat," "Seinfeld," "Small Wonder," and 100 others. Shows like "Three's Company" and "Pretty Little Liars" were predicated entirely on "Maintain the Lie."

The source of this story, however, can be found in Frank Capra's 1933 comedy "Lady for a Day," based on the 1929 story "Madame La Gimp" by Damon Runyon. "Lady for a Day" was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, but its plot has lasted even longer into posterity than any Oscar win.

The main character of "Lady for a Day" is the elderly Apple Annie (May Robson), an impoverished homeless woman who survives by selling apples on the street. She is sweet and kind, however, and deeply beloved by everyone she meets. She is especially liked by the slick gangster Dave the Dude (Warren William) who thinks her apples afford him good luck gambling. Apple Annie has been writing to her long-absent daughter, Louise (Jean Parker), who was raised abroad in a Spanish convent. In her letters, Annie bragged about being a rich society dame named E. Worthingon Manville. Annie is happy to learn that Louise has recently become engaged to a Spanish lord named Carlos (Barry Norton). 

Annie panics, however, when she learns that Louise is sailing to New York for a visit. Her lie will be revealed! Luckily, Dave the Dude is here to help. Dave teams up with his girlfriend, the nightclub owner Missouri Martin (Glenda Farrell) to get Apple Annie some nice clothes, and he finds her a nice place to live. They even enlist a pool hall junkie to play "Judge Manville," Dame Manville's dignified husband.

Naturally, the local reporters get suspicious about the sudden appearance of a new society dame in New York, and they are poised to report on the matter, perhaps indicating that she is a fraud. Luckily, in a darkly comedic twist, Dave the Dude puts the kibosh on the matter by kidnapping the reporters and keeping them hidden away for the duration of Louise's visit. This kicks off a subplot wherein the local police, in being unable to find the reporters, are accused of wholesale incompetence. 

May Robson may not be terribly well-known to modern audiences, but we should all know her name, if just for "Lady for a Day" alone. She began her stage acting career back in the 1880s, and moved into silent movies in the mid 1900s. When Hollywood made the transition to sound, she moved with it, and by the early '30s was starring in films like "Little Orphan Annie" (sadly, not in the role played by Carol Burnett in the 1982 version of "Annie") and "Strange Interlude." She continued to work in film until 1942, when she passed away. She was 84. 

"Lady for a Day," by the way, is an excellent movie. It's sweet and a little wicked. Not only does it tell the story of a kindly old lady getting what she needs, but it's also a cute comedy about how gangsters, in their own way, have the resources, and the moral wherewithal to do the right thing for someone they care about. Apple Annie isn't a gangster or a criminal, but she's sweet enough to see them as people. The relationships are all grand. 

And the ending is something of a surprise. Most "Maintain the Lie" plots often end with the exposure of the lie, and the liar having to repent in order to learn an important lesson. "Lady for a Day," the O.G. "Maintain the Lie" story, didn't include that exposure as part of its plot. Although it predates a trope, it feels like a preemptive subversion of it. It's also worth noting that Capra would go on to direct a remake of the film, 1961's "Pocketful of Miracles."

One can watch the movie on Plex.