Pennies from Heaven (1936 film)
1936 film by Norman Z. McLeod, Jo Swerling / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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]
Pennies from Heaven | |
---|---|
Directed by | Norman Z. McLeod |
Screenplay by | Jo Swerling |
Story by | William Rankin |
Based on | The Peacock Feather by Leslie Moore |
Produced by | Emanuel Cohen |
Starring | Bing Crosby Madge Evans Louis Armstrong Edith Fellows |
Cinematography | Robert Pittack |
Edited by | John Rawlins |
Music by | William Grant Still (uncredited) Georgie Stoll (Music Director) Arrangements by John Scott Trotter |
Production company | Emanuel Cohen Productions |
Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 81 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Jo Swerling's screenplay was based on the novel The Peacock Feather by Leslie Moore. 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 Oscar nomination for Best Original Song (Arthur Johnston and Johnny Burke).[2]
This was Crosby’s first independent production jointly with Emanuel Cohen’s Major Pictures and he had a share in the profits.[3] The film was distributed by Columbia Pictures.