Pennies from Heaven 1936
Pennies from Heaven ★★½ 1936
Bing plays Larry, a singer wrongly imprisoned, who promises to help the family of a man killed by a death row inmate Larry has befriended. Once on the outside, Larry finds the family, sassy little girl Patsy (Fellows) and her grandfather (Meek), enduring hard times. A social worker (Evans) is trying to keep Patsy out of the orphanage, and the gift of a home that Larry brings may help accomplish that. Complications arrive, however, when they try to turn the place into a cafe and find it may even be haunted. Typical of Crosby's 1930s work, it's pleasant enough and relies on Bing's charm and singing. He sings the Oscar-nominated title song no less than three times. Louis Armstrong appears to great effect, for the film and his subsequent career. 80m/C DVD . Bing Crosby, Madge Evans, Edith Fellows, Donald Meek, Louis Armstrong, John Gallaudet, Tom Dugan, Nana Bryant, Charles C. Wilson, Harry Tyler, William Stack; D: Norman Z. McLeod; W: Jo Swerling; C: Robert Pittack; M: Johnny Burke, Arthur Johnston, John Scott Trotter. Oscars ‘36: Song (“Pennies from Heaven”).