In 1931 there was "The Miracle Woman." It was almost the opposite of "The Miracle Man." "The Miracle Woman" was about an elaborate con much like Steve Martin's in "Leap of Faith." "The Miracle Man" was about the real McCoy. Apparently, a miracle man is good while a miracle woman is not.
The Miracle Man in question was called The Patriarch (Hobart Bosworth). He was an old man who lived in the small town of Meadsville and had the power to heal the sick and the crippled by faith. He wasn't an evangelist with a big tent and a big congregation, in fact, he had neither. He was a simple old man who did little else but pray and heal folks.
He was discovered by John 'Doc' Madison (Chester Morris). Doc and his two man and one woman crew were grifters. He, Helen Smith (Sylvia Sidney), The Frog (John Wray), and Harry Evans (Ned A. Sparks) did cons, grifts, and pickpockets throughout San Francisco. When Doc threw a guy down a flight of stairs for spying on Helen he had to skip town. He landed in Meadsville where he heard about the faith healer which gave him a bright idea. He'd bring The Frog up with his bent and crippled act, have him pretend to be healed which would bring people flocking to Meadsville, then fleece all the suckers who'd pay to be healed as well. It was a cinch.
Everything was going swimmingly until Helen, The Frog, and Harry began to have second thoughts. They began to really believe.
I don't know how I feel about "The Miracle Man." On the one hand, it is overly religious with strong implications that a man could heal people with the power of faith. On the other hand, it wasn't about a lying cheat and it had a message about faith and how it can change people. I'm in the middle of these two lines. I believe that faith is powerful, however I don't believe in faith healers even a little bit.
So, had it been about faith changing the lives of thieves and crooks, then I would've been more inclined to it. Since they had to throw in there the sick and the handicapped who walked away from the Patriarch like new, I have my reservations. But even with my reservations I'm more pro than I am con.
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The Miracle Man in question was called The Patriarch (Hobart Bosworth). He was an old man who lived in the small town of Meadsville and had the power to heal the sick and the crippled by faith. He wasn't an evangelist with a big tent and a big congregation, in fact, he had neither. He was a simple old man who did little else but pray and heal folks.
He was discovered by John 'Doc' Madison (Chester Morris). Doc and his two man and one woman crew were grifters. He, Helen Smith (Sylvia Sidney), The Frog (John Wray), and Harry Evans (Ned A. Sparks) did cons, grifts, and pickpockets throughout San Francisco. When Doc threw a guy down a flight of stairs for spying on Helen he had to skip town. He landed in Meadsville where he heard about the faith healer which gave him a bright idea. He'd bring The Frog up with his bent and crippled act, have him pretend to be healed which would bring people flocking to Meadsville, then fleece all the suckers who'd pay to be healed as well. It was a cinch.
Everything was going swimmingly until Helen, The Frog, and Harry began to have second thoughts. They began to really believe.
I don't know how I feel about "The Miracle Man." On the one hand, it is overly religious with strong implications that a man could heal people with the power of faith. On the other hand, it wasn't about a lying cheat and it had a message about faith and how it can change people. I'm in the middle of these two lines. I believe that faith is powerful, however I don't believe in faith healers even a little bit.
So, had it been about faith changing the lives of thieves and crooks, then I would've been more inclined to it. Since they had to throw in there the sick and the handicapped who walked away from the Patriarch like new, I have my reservations. But even with my reservations I'm more pro than I am con.
Free on Internet Archive.