Pennies from Heaven
Pennies from Heaven
NR | 25 November 1936 (USA)
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Larry Poole, in prison on a false charge, promises an inmate that when he gets out he will look up and help out a family. The family turns out to be a young girl, Patsy Smith, and her elderly grandfather who need lots of help. This delays Larry from following his dream and going to Venice and becoming a gondolier. Instead, he becomes a street singer and, while singing in the street, meets a pretty welfare worker, Susan Sprague. She takes a dim view of Patsy's welfare under the guardianship of Larry and her grandfather and starts proceedings to have Patsy placed in an orphanage.

Reviews
SnoReptilePlenty Memorable, crazy movie
SpunkySelfTwitter It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.
Kodie Bird True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.
Janae Milner Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.
rickdumesnil-55203 this movie is boring beyond belief. i think the worse part was Edith Fellows...i would have left her in the orphanage. bratty not very cute and over acting she just made me cringe. Bing Crosby is alright but the songs he sings are forgettable and too bland. what was Donald Meek doing there.....they could have invented a non existing grandpa and would have saved on pay roll. the lead actress Madge Evans very ordinary. the story line is predictable and you just cant wait till the darn film to end. I am a BING fan but he should have dropped this dud. as for Edith fellows for sure her role called for her to be on the bratty side but she wasn't lovable in any ways and i felt no sadness when she was crying in the orphanage. miscast all the way.
mark.waltz While Shirley Temple may have dominated the mid 1930's at the box office, she isn't representative of real children during the late depression. More realistic and even better actors included her own rival, Jane Withers, Warner Brothers' Sybil Jason, and in this Bing Crosby musical from Columbia, the divine Edith Fellowes. Not as bratty as Withers or as sweet as Jason, she certainly acted rings around Ms. Temple, certainly coming off as much more natural. No tears, no cloying cuteness and no overly sweet smile to take your mind of the depression, she was like someone you'd have seen a few years before in Hal Roach's "Our Gang" series.Bing is getting out of prison for a crime he didn't commit and goes to visit the orphaned young girl (Fellowes) and her grandfather (Donald Meek) to help them out after agreeing to assist them from the man who killed her father. Fellowes is hiding out from the most notorious of all 1930's kiddie nightmares: the truant officer. Here, that official isn't the beak-nosed Clarence Wilson of the "Our Gang" series, but a beautiful young lady (Madge Evans) who only has the child's best interest at heart. Meek and Fellowes fall instantly under Crosby's spell, especially after he introduces them to the haunting title song. They open a restaurant and nightclub specializing in chicken dinners with a haunted house theme, hoping this will prevent Evans from taking poor Edith away. But in true depression fashion, the government wins, and Crosby does all he can to win her back-this time legally and for good.A pleasing musical comedy, this is aided by the appearance of Louis Armstrong and his band who perform in the very funny haunted house dining sequence where all sorts of funny gags are leashed on the unsuspecting customers. It is all in good taste, that is with the exception of the revelation that black Armstrong is a chicken thief, quite a stereotype of this era. While this does sound a bit like one of Shirley Temple's 20th Century Fox films, it is actually a bit more adult and certainly not as sentimental. Meek will touch your heart as the milquetoast grandpa, and a very funny parade sequence (involving Fellowes hiding out inside a drum!) is another highlight.
jnfz How innocent the movies were 70 years ago! But innocent doesn't mean without cool: Bing is the paragon of smooth, then or today. And what a vehicle for several excellent pop songs: "Pennies From Heaven", of course, but also "So Do I", "Let's Call A Heart A Heart" and even "One, Two, Button My Shoe". Of course the plot is no more sophisticated than Bellini's operas, but who's really watching it for the plot when it's bel canto?! And you have to love the interplay between Bing and Louis Armstrong - and while you're watching Louis, that's Lionel Hampton playing the drums rather than vibes tonight - not many remember that he first started on the drums before moving to the vibes. I mean, what's not to like here? Check this thing out, you'll love it. Even the graphics on the hand-painted "The Haunted House Cafe" sign are fun!
AVache1 Pennies from Heaven 1936 is a great film and has a wonderful scene with Louis Armstrong singing "Skeleton in the Closet" while chasing a skeleton all around the room. It works great for school kids on Halloween.Does anyone know if this movie is available on VHS or DVD for sale? If so where can I purchase it? Please email me