Pennies from Heaven
During the Great Depression, a sheet music salesman longs to escape his dreary existence through the lure of popular music and a love affair with an innocent schoolteacher.
Director(s)
Herbert Ross
L. Andrew Stone
Emmitt-Leon O'Neill
Hal Bell
Where to watch
Amazon Video
Rent
Cast & Crew
Details
Reviews
Wuchak
***Imagination helps endure the harsh realities of the Depression*** In the 1930s a struggling sheet music salesman (Steve Martin) tries to escape his dreary existence with his prudish wife (Jessica Harper) to pursue his dream and a cute schoolmarm (Bernadette Peters). The imaginations of the characters help them deal with the harsh realities of the Great Depression. Vernel Bagneris plays a homeless accordion player while Christopher Walken is on hand as a pimp. “Pennies from Heaven” (1981) is a drama/musical based on the 1978 British mini-series and written by the same guy. The song & dance routines occur about every 7 minutes and are an amusingly kinetic counterpoint to the sad Depression-era dramatics. Martin is his usual comical self, but the drama is definitely not a comedy and contains some seriously unsavory moments. “Pennies from Heaven” was the precursor to musicals like “Chicago” (2002) and “Nine” (2009), but those films have superior reality-based stories and far better women, especially “Chicago” as far as the women go. But Bernadette is a joy to behold as usual; and Martin is charismatic despite playing a man of dubious character. The movie runs 1 hour, 48 minutes and was shot in Illinois (Chicago & Galena) and Southern Cal (the Los Angeles area & Wasco). GRADE: C
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Pennies from Heaven FAQs
The directors of Pennies from Heaven are Herbert Ross, L. Andrew Stone, Emmitt-Leon O'Neill, and Hal Bell.
The cast of Pennies from Heaven includes Tammy O'Rourke as Dancer (uncredited), M.C. Gainey as Young Policeman, Christopher Walken as Tom, Dave Adams as Bank Teller, Will Hare as Father Everson, Gene Ross as Bank Teller, Steve Martin as Arthur, Nancy Parsons as The Old Whore, Richard Blum as Pool Player, John Karlen as The Detective, William Frankfather as Pool Player, Francis X. McCarthy as The Bartender, and more.
The duration of Pennies from Heaven is 1h 48 mins.
Yes. Pennies from Heaven has 2 trailers on Fanbiz, including Pennies From Heaven - Trailer. Watch them on this page.
You can watch Pennies from Heaven on Amazon Video (Rent). Check this Fanbiz page for the latest platforms.
Pennies from Heaven was released on 11 Dec 1981.
Pennies from Heaven is listed under Drama, Music, and Romance on Fanbiz.
Pennies from Heaven has 1 review on Fanziz, with an average rating of 5.0/10. One reviewer wrote: "***Imagination helps endure the harsh realities of the Depression*** In the 1930s a struggling sheet music salesman (Steve Martin) tries to escape his dreary existence with h..."
