Pennies from Heaven (1936 film)

Pennies from Heaven
DVD cover
Directed by	Norman Z. McLeod
Produced by	Emanuel Cohen
Screenplay by	Jo Swerling
Story by	William Rankin
Based on	The Peacock Feather  by Katherine Leslie Moore
Starring	Bing Crosby Madge Evans Edith Fellows
Music by	William Grant Still (uncredited)
Cinematography	Robert Pittack
Edited by	John Rawlins
Production company	Emanuel Cohen Productions
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release dates	November 25, 1936 (1936-11-25) (USA)
Running time	81 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Pennies From Heaven is a 1936 American musical comedy film directed by Norman Z. McLeod and starring Bing Crosby, Madge Evans, and Edith Fellows.^[1]

Based on the novel The Peacock Feather by Katherine Leslie Moore and a screenplay by Jo Swerling, the film is about a singer wrongly imprisoned who promises a condemned fellow inmate that he will help the family of his victim when he is released. The singer delays his dream of becoming a gondolier in Venice and becomes a street singer in order to help the young girl and her elderly grandfather. His life is further complicated when he meets a beautiful welfare worker who takes a dim view of the young girl's welfare and initiates proceedings to have her put in an orphanage.

Pennies From Heaven remains most noteworthy for Crosby's introduction of the titular song, a Depression-era favorite, since recorded by numerous singers. The film features Louis Armstrong in a supporting role. In 1937, the film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song (Arthur Johnston and Johnny Burke).^[2]

Plot

In prison, Larry Poole (Bing Crosby), a self-described troubadour, is approached by an inmate named Hart (John Gallaudet) who is on his way to the electric chair. Hart asks Larry to deliver a letter to a family called Smith near Middletown, New Jersey. After finding the family, which consists of a grandfather (Donald Meek) and a young girl named Patsy (Edith Fellows), Poole tells them that the letter holds a key, reveals that the condemned man had unintentionally killed Patsy's father and that he is giving the Smith family his old house and former hideout, the only thing he has to give as atonement.

Susan Sprague (Madge Evans) represents the county welfare department and it is her job to see that Patsy is raised "properly", or the girl will go to an orphanage. A variety of misadventures befall Larry as he tries to help "Gramps" out with Patsy to save her from the orphanage, all while Susan and he are falling in love.

To get cash for a restaurant license, Larry gets a stunt job at the circus, but is injured. While he is in hospital Gramps comes to let him know that the county has taken Patsy away. Larry believes Susan went behind his back and had Patsy placed in the orphanage. It is discovered that Susan had no part in it, but she loses her job defending Larry and his care of the child.

Larry has the circus perform for the children so that he can 'break Patsy out', when Patsy lets Larry know how Susan feels about him. Their attempt to free Patsy fails. Afterwards, Larry finds out that Susan has gone to New York and he goes there to find her.

While in New York, Susan is approached by two policemen looking for Larry, not to arrest him as she suspects, but to bring him back to the head of the County Welfare Department to help deal with Patsy, who has gone on a hunger strike. The policemen are watching Susan's apartment in the hopes that Larry will show up. When he does, they make him leave with them, after he and Susan reveal their feelings for each other.

When they return to the orphanage, the head of the welfare department begs Larry to help them with Patsy. Larry agrees to adopt Patsy and raise her with the help of Susan, who agrees to marry him and be a mother to Patsy.

Cast

Edith Fellows and Bing Crosby

• Bing Crosby as Larry Poole
• Madge Evans as Susan Sprague
• Edith Fellows as Patsy Smith
• Louis Armstrong as Henry
• Donald Meek as Gramp Smith
• John Gallaudet as J. C. Hart
• William Stack as Clarence B. Carmichael
• Nana Bryant as Miss Howard
• Tom Dugan as Crowbar Miller
• Nydia Westman as Slavey^[3]

Although this was not the first time that a black performer was given prominent billing in a major Hollywood release (Paul Robeson had been billed fourth in that same year's Show Boat), special billing was given to Armstrong at the insistence of Bing Crosby, who also insisted on Armstrong's being hired for the movie.

Soundtrack

• "Pennies From Heaven" (Arthur Johnston and Johnny Burke) played during the opening credits, as background music, and by Bing Crosby
• "Skeleton in the Closet" (Arthur Johnston and Johnny Burke) by Louis Armstrong and His Band
• "So Do I" (Arthur Johnston and Johnny Burke) by Bing Crosby and danced by Edith Fellows; reprised by Crosby at the orphanage and in the New York City montage
• "One Two Button Your Shoe" (Arthur Johnston and Johnny Burke) by Bing Crosby at the orphanage; reprised by a marching band
• "Let's Call a Heart a Heart" (Arthur Johnston and Johnny Burke) by Bing Crosby with Louis Armstrong and His Band; played also as background music
• "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" (Traditional) by Bing Crosby, Edith Fellows, and Donald Meek on the hay wagon^[4]

Awards

Arthur Johnston and Johnny Burke were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song for the music and lyrics respectively of "Pennies from Heaven".^[2]

References

External links

• Pennies from Heaven at the Internet Movie Database
• Pennies from Heaven at the TCM Movie Database
• Pennies from Heaven at AllMovie