Pennies from Heaven (1936)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

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:

Several cast members in studio records/casting call lists did not appear or were not identifiable in the movie. These were (with their character names): Richard Carle (Mr. Briggs), Eddie Borden (Mr. Bilkins), Maston Williams (Prisoner) and Nick Copeland (Middle-aged Man). Reviews list Tom Ricketts in the role of Mr. Briggs. but he was not seen in movie either.

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

Bing Crosby and Edith Fellows

Pleasant if meandering Bing Crosby vehicle casts him as a man unjustly jailed who is given a note to deliver by a condemned man. Out of prison, he tracks down the Smith family in New Jersey and discovers a lonely girl (Edith Fellows) who lives with her destitute grandfather (Donald Meek). On opening the note they realize the condemned man has left them a house. Crosby ambles along with them and becomes part of the family, much to the dismay of a nosy social worker (Madge Evans). Somehow it is decided that they will open a restaurant in the house and thus provide a steady income to satisfy the social worker. No one seems unduly concerned about school or the fact that a total stranger has moved into the household.

Not a lot of logic here but Crosby and Fellows are quite good. Evans seems a little ill at ease with her character. Meek is always good. Louis Armstrong shows up as a chicken thief and bandleader/singer at the restaurant. Nana Bryant is another social worker. George Chandler is a harried waiter. Nydia Westman has a nice scene as a maid with Crosby. Harry Tyler is the cheating ring-toss man, and Tom Dugan plays daredevil manager.

Not a great film but it has a few pleasant songs, including the title number, and Crosby continues his screen persona of easy-going and decent. Fellows is quite good as the sometimes bratty girl. Evans is very pretty--too bad she did get better films and parts.