Expert: Brad Lang - 9/3/2008

Question
I believe all these movies were in the 50s.  
1st Movie:  It was an old Christmas movie they used to show every year where the mother's dying and the eldest son looks for suitable parents for his siblings to care for them when she's gone. He finds homes for all of them. I remember near the end he is pulling his youngest sister in a sleigh in the snow to find her a home.

2nd Movie:  I'm not sure but I think it may be called "Apple Annie".  And it is about an old poor bag lady who sells apples in the street. The whole town love her. She receives word that her daughter is coming to visit and bringing her wealthy fiance with her. The whole town help her.  A wealthy family lend her their mansion, and her street people friends act as her servants.  When the daughter comes the town pretends her mother is wealthy.  At the end the daughter and her fiance leaves very content on a steamboat and the mother goes back to selling her apples on the street.

Movie 3: A homely young girl who lives in an apartment complex, I think in New York.  She wears her hair in a bun and thick glasses and dresses in an old fashion.  When she walks down the street she notices how all the other girls get a lot of attention, but she gets none or make fun of.  One day an older woman sees her with her hair down and notices how attractive she is.  She fixes her hair, dresses her in younger stylish clothes and removes her glasses. This time when she walks the streets she gets all this attention.

Last Movie:  I believe this movie was based on a true story.  It is of a father who loses his wife and has 4 or 5 sons to raise on his own.  I think he goes to get assistance and they tell him he needs have someone take care of them.  He gets a baby sitter but he catches her with her boyfriend so he fires her.  Out of spite she reports him as a bad father and they remove the children from the home.  The whole movie show all that his sons go through while he desperately tries to regain custody.  The oldest is placed in a mental institution and the younger children go through so much.  Finally the father remarry to a wonderful wife who helps him regain this family.  His sons are so damaged by the experiences that has to gradually help them regain their confidence and trust.


Answer
You've asked more than one question here, which is normally discouraged, but I'll try to answer them quickly if I know the answers.

1.  I believe that's All Mine to Give (1957).  Here's the IMDb page on it:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050112/

2.  This story was filmed twice, both directed by Frank Capra.  The first is Lady for a Day (1933) and the second was Pocket Full of Miracles (1961), starring Bette Davis.

3.  I'm not familiar with this one. How about posting your question on the Classic Movies Forum? That way more than one person can try to answer it. Go to http://forums.delphiforums.com/classicmov to log in. If you're not a Delphi member, you'll need to register, which only requires an email address. If you come up with a title, please let me know and I'll try to find it for you.

4. This one sounds familiar but I'm not coming up with an answer, unless it's Adam Had Four Sons.  Some of the plot details do not quite agree.

Best,

Brad Lang
Classic Movies
http://www.classicmovies.org