The Five Pennies (1959)

Director:

Melville Shavelson

Writers:

Robert Smith (story)
Jack Rose (writer) ...

Release Date:

August 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Music

Plot:

Loring "Red" Nichols is a cornet-playing country boy who goes to New York in the 1920s full of musical ambition and principles...

Plot Keywords:

Jazz | Trumpet | Money In Title | Musician | Number In Title

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Danny Kaye	...	'Red' Nichols
Barbara Bel Geddes	...	Willa Stutsman
Louis Armstrong	...	Himself
Harry Guardino	...	Tony Valani
Bob Crosby	...	Wil Paradise
Bobby Troup	...	Arthur Schutt
Susan Gordon	...	Dorothy Nichols, ages 6 to 8
Tuesday Weld	...	Dorothy Nichols, age 12 to 14
Ray Anthony	...	Jimmy Dorsey
Shelly Manne	...	Dave Tough
Ray Daley	...	Glenn Miller
Valerie Allen	...	Tommye
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Henry Beau
Ned Glass	...	Murray

Runtime:

117 min | Germany:112 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Finland:S

Filming Locations:

San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

Dena Productions

Trivia:

While Danny Kaye worked hard to be able to accurately fake playing cornet, it was the real Red Nichols who provided all of the cornet playing for Kaye in this movie.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Red leaves the club with Willa (after seeing Louis Armstrong the first time), he takes his cornet with him but has neglected to put it back in its case.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "American Masters: Danny Kaye: A Legacy of Laughter" (1996)

Soundtrack:

Indiana

This is what classics are made of...

I'm 15 years old and when I saw this movie for the first time about a year ago, I feel in love with it. It is the perfect combo of comedy, romance, and drama. I am a writer and I always add a little of all of those emotions into my stories because it makes it more believeable and realistic as well as more touching. I am now a Danny Kaye fan. He is a wonderful actor and singer. Whenever I see him on while flipping the channels, I will stop and watch. I am also now a fan of classic films of the 1930s and beyond.