The Five Pennies

1959

Biography / Drama / Music

4
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Certified Fresh 92% · 3 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 92% · 500 ratings
IMDb Rating 7.1/10 10 2240 2.2K

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Plot summary

Dixieland cornetist Red Nichols runs into opposition to his sound, but breaks through to success. He marries a warm, patient woman and even finds time to raise a family. Then tragedy strikes when their daughter contracts polio.

Director

Melville Shavelson Photo
Melville Shavelson

Top cast

Louis Armstrong Photo
Louis Armstrong as Louis Armstrong
Ned Glass Photo
Ned Glass as Murray
Susan Seaforth Hayes Photo
Susan Seaforth Hayes as Girl at Birthday Party
Kenneth Gibson Photo
Kenneth Gibson as Hotel Guest
720p.BLU 1080p.BLU 720p.WEB 1080p.WEB
1.05 GB
1280*722
English 2.0
NR
us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 57 min
Seeds 14
1.96 GB
1916*1080
English 2.0
NR
us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 57 min
Seeds 16
1.05 GB
1280*722
English 2.0
NR
us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 57 min
Seeds 4
2.16 GB
1916*1080
English 5.1
NR
us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 57 min
Seeds 12

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by ianlouisiana 8 / 10

Danny Kaye - neglected superstar needs re-discovering.

When I was growing up Danny Kaye was a huge figure.All over the radio,on records TV and the movies,you couldn't escape from his face or voice. He made successful tours of top rate theatrical venues in the uk,he could sing,dance,act,write comedy routines and song lyrics.His stage act was an explosion of energy and sheer talent.He was-in the ludicrously overused sense of the term-a superstar. In "The Five Pennies" we catch him at the height of his powers as an actor,singer and lyricist(to his wife Sylvia Fine's enchanting tunes) With a strong guest appearance by arguably the finest jazz musician who ever lived and some really clever songs(The Five Pennies,Lullaby in Ragtime and Goodnight all use the same chord sequence). It was a success de cash rather than a success d'estime like most of Kaye's movies,and perhaps that's why his work is largely neglected in critical circles today. As Gloria Swanson said in "Sunset Boulevard,"I'm still big,the movies got smaller"
Reviewed by r96sk 7 / 10

I can't recall a film that's split my feelings from start-to-finish as much as this did

This is an odd one.I look back on 'The Five Pennies' in two parts. The first half of the film is uninteresting and slow, but once the story gets set and the second half comes to fruition it turns into something rather touching - which I didn't expect at all. By the end, I felt truly attached to the characters and their story - but that's weird, given how I didn't enjoy the early stages.Danny Kaye is very good in the lead role of Red, especially towards the end. Susan Gordon (Dorothy, as a kid) impressed me a bunch, she has one fantastic poker scene with Kaye. Barbara Bel Geddes, meanwhile, plays the role of Willa well.The film, a loose biopic on the real Red Nichols, is music-heavy. Early on I think that affects things from a film point of view, but you can at least tell the cast - particularly Kaye and Louis Armstrong (as himself) - are having a fun time.Overall, I think it's lovely - but I can't recall a film that's split my feelings from start-to-finish as much as this did.
Reviewed by ccthemovieman-1 6 / 10

Nice Sounds In This Classic Film

The Five Pennies Danny Kaye plays Red Nichols, a famous coronet player of yesteryear. I found this story a notch better "fair" and nicely aided by the musical talent of Louis Armstrong. Kaye and Armstrong's duet on "When The Saints Go Marching In" is the highlight of the film.For a classic movie, the stereo in here is amazing, especially on the songs. In one instance, there are three people singing and their voices all coming out separately on different speakers. Pretty good for just the tape. Now that a DVD has been released, I wonder what the sound on that is like?The story starts to lag a bit near the end when Kaye starts to feel sorry for himself and this goes on and on as he retires from playing. However, there is a nice, sentimental upbeat ending. Notes: Kaye and Barbara Bel Geddes, who plays Red's wife "Bobbie," never age in the film even though it spans 15 or more years! It's interesting to see Tuesday Weld as a teenager.
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