Pennies from Heaven (1936)

Director:

Norman Z. McLeod

Writers:

Katherine Leslie Moore (novel)
William Rankin (story)
(more)

Release Date:

25 November 1936 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Musical

Tagline:

FUN...when Crosby croons himself out of jail and lands on a merry-go-round with the meanest of brats! (original poster)

Plot:

Larry Poole, in prison on a false charge, promise an inmate that when he gets out he will look up and help out a family...

Plot Keywords:

Singer | Welfare | Singing | Promise | Street Singer

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Bing Crosby	...	Larry Poole
Madge Evans	...	Susan Sprague
Edith Fellows	...	Patsy Smith
Louis Armstrong	...	Henry
Donald Meek	...	Gramp Smith
John Gallaudet	...	J. C. Hart
William Stack	...	Clarence B. Carmichael
Nana Bryant	...	Miss Howard
Tom Dugan	...	Crowbar Miller (as Tommy Dugan)
Nydia Westman	...	Slavey - Hotel Maid
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Eugene Anderson Jr.	...	Boy (uncredited)
William Anderson	...	Western Union Messenger (uncredited)
Stanley Andrews	...	Detective Stephens (uncredited)
Frank Austin	...	Old Man (uncredited)
Georgie Billings	...	Boy (uncredited)
Stanley Blystone	...	Detective Gilroy (uncredited)
Billy Byrne	...	Boy (uncredited)
George Chandler	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Mickey Daniels	...	Hay Wagon Driver (uncredited)
Frank Darien	...	Chicken Farmer (uncredited)
Harry Depp	...	Union Costume Supply Man (uncredited)
Helen Dickson	...	Nightclub Table Extra (uncredited)
Billy Dooley	...	W. F. Arbuthnot (uncredited)
Budd Fine	...	Prison Guard (uncredited)
Lionel Hampton	...	Band Member (uncredited)
Howard C. Hickman	...	Chaplain (uncredited)
Harry Hollingsworth	...	Prison Guard (uncredited)
Arthur Hoyt	...	Collector of Taxes (uncredited)
Sheldon Jett	...	Nightclub / Dance Extra (uncredited)
Tiny Jones	...	Little Woman at Window (uncredited)
Lew Kelly	...	Sheriff (uncredited)
Gus Leonard	...	Nightclub attendee (uncredited)
Louis Armstrong and His Band	...	Musicians (uncredited)
Margaret Mann	...	White-haired Woman (uncredited)
Edward Peil Sr.	...	Old Man (uncredited)
Russ Powell	...	Coin Tosser (uncredited)
Syd Saylor	...	Sign Painter (uncredited)
Anne Schaefer	...	Lady (uncredited)
Brick Sullivan	...	Smiling Cop in Central Park (uncredited)
Harry Tyler	...	Carnival Concessionaire (uncredited)
Dorothy Vernon	...	Restaurant Patron (uncredited)
Morgan Wallace	...	Restaurant Partner (uncredited)
Charles C. Wilson	...	Warden (uncredited)

Directed by
Norman Z. McLeod

Writing credits
Katherine Leslie Moore		(novel "The Peacock Feather") (as Katharine Leslie Moore)
William Rankin		(story)
Jo Swerling		(screenplay)

Produced by
Emanuel Cohen	....	producer

Original Music by
William Grant Still		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Robert Pittack		(photographed by)

Film Editing by
John Rawlins

Art Direction by
Stephen Goosson

Makeup Department
Robert J. Schiffer	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Earl Rettig	....	unit manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sam Nelson	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Glenn Rominger	....	sound recordist (uncredited)

Music Department
George Stoll	....	musical director
John Scott Trotter	....	music arranger
Howard Jackson	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Louis Silvers	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)

Other crew
Norman Blackburn	....	technical advisor
Harry Cohn	....	president: Columbia Pictures Corporation of California Ltd.

Production Companies

• Emanuel Cohen Productions (as Major Pictures Corp.)

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1936) (USA) (theatrical) (as Columbia Pictures Corporation of Calif. Ltd.) (copyright owners)
• Columbia Pictures Proprietary (1936) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures Proprietary (1936) (New Zealand) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures Proprietary (1936) (Malaysia) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures Corporation (1936) (UK) (theatrical)
• Columbia Films (1936) (France) (theatrical)
• Columbia Films (1936) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Consorzio Cinematografico (1936) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Columbia Film Aktieselskap (1936) (Denmark) (theatrical)
• Kamera Film Aktieselskap (1936) (Norway) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures de Cuba (1936) (Cuba) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures (1949) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Sony Pictures Television (2004) (USA) (TV)

Runtime:

81 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #2402) | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review)

Filming Locations:

General Service Studios - 1040 N. Las Palmas, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Emanuel Cohen Productions

Trivia:

Louis Armstrong was hired for this movie at Bing Crosby's insistence. Crosby also insisted that Armstrong receive prominent billing, the first time a black actor shared top billing with white actors in a major release film.

Quotes:

Susan Sprague: Are you married?
Larry Poole: No, I'm sane!

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Lady with the Torch (1999)

Soundtrack:

Pennies From Heaven

A trifle in Bing's career saved by a few pleasant songs...

PENNIES FROM HEAVEN has an improbable story about a drifter (BING CROSBY) who plays the lute and sings for his supper at a nightclub he opens at The Haunted House Cafe. The house has been inherited by DONALD COOK and EDITH FELLOWS from a prisoner on death row who wills the house to them as atonement for having killed the girl's father and is turned into a café by Bing and his friends, including LOUIS ARMSTRONG who is the vocalist and trumpet player.

The main focal of the plot is Bing's relationship with bratty little Edith Fellows, who causes no end of trouble throughout and is the most irritating factor about the whole thing although she's meant to be amusing and cute. MADGE EVANS as a social worker brings some sense of practicality to the whole affair and DONALD COOK provides some good humor, but the script meanders all over the place.

Crosby makes the role of the drifter pleasant enough but his character is never quite believable. Only when the musical numbers are played does the film reach any real level of entertainment, particularly during the "haunted" number at the café featuring a skeleton dance while Louis Armstrong belts out the song.

This is a harmless trifle in Bing's career, on loan to Columbia before his big successes at Paramount, and mostly because he delivers a few songs in his unmistakable crooning style, particularly the title tune.

Bing is his usual amiable self, but the script is miserable. He is credited with giving Armstrong a break by insisting that he be given prominent billing, a breakthrough for Louis. They would appear in four films together throughout Crosby's career.