Watch Pennies from Heaven For Free

Wonderful Movie

Horrible, fascist and poorly acted

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

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.

Bing Crosby is one of the few performers who while he performed in over 70 films while he was alive, was so talented he has now appeared as a performer in just as many after his death in archive footage. He was a very shrewd Businessman too. This film, released by Columbia, was really made by a production company partly owned by Bing. A lot of film historians forget how Democratic the earlier years of films were where often the actors owned their own productions before the studio system really took over in the late 1930's. The big stars like Crosby even later than this had the power to own their own films and get a piece of the box office.This film has the major attraction of Crosby in his prime with plenty of support and a fine performance by Louis Armstrong who is one of the great musical performers of the era too. Directed by Norman Z McCleoud who is a comedy director with Monkey Business & Horsefeathers, 2 of the great Marx Brothers films already on his resume, this film flows along quite nicely. The script is light hearted and puts together just enough plot to get through all the great musical numbers.This is the type of film that isn't made anymore but is great to see, especially since a lot of Crosbys work is very entertaining. This one holds up well even today after all these years.

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

I was ten years old and this was one of Bing Crosby's earliest films. Oh how I used to enjoy all his films! I believe this is the first film he did with the great Louis Armstrong. What a joy and thrill to all that great music; same for Birth of the Blues.