Penny Serenade (1941)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

George Stevens

Writers:

Martha Cheavens (story)
Morrie Ryskind (screenplay)

Release Date:

24 April 1941 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Excitingly Re-united! Your favorites of "THE AWFUL TRUTH" in the kind of love story you have been waiting to see!

Plot:

A couple's big dreams give way to a life full of unexpected sadness and unexpected joy.

Plot Keywords:

Recording | Marriage | Music Store | Inheritance | Christmas

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Irene Dunne	...	Julie Gardiner Adams
Cary Grant	...	Roger Adams
Beulah Bondi	...	Miss Oliver
Edgar Buchanan	...	Applejack Carney
Ann Doran	...	Dotty 'Dot'
Eva Lee Kuney	...	Trina (at the Age of 6 Years)
Leonard Willey	...	Doctor Hartley
Wallis Clark	...	Judge
Walter Soderling	...	Billings
Baby Jane Biffle	...	Trina (at the Age of 1 Year) (as Baby Biffle)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Stanley Brown	...	Man (scenes deleted)
Jack Buchanan	...	Bit Part (scenes deleted)
Bess Flowers	...	Mother (scenes deleted)
Eddie Laughton	...	Cab Driver (scenes deleted)
Adrian Morris	...	Bill Collector (scenes deleted)
Edward Peil Sr.	...	Train Conductor (scenes deleted)
Grady Sutton	...	Man (scenes deleted)

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Australia:G | Canada:G (Ontario) | UK:PG (re-rating) (2005) | UK:U (original rating) (1941-2005) | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | USA:Approved (PCA #6848)

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Irene Dunne often said that this was her favorite film because it reminded her of her own adopted daughter.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story (2007)

Soundtrack:

My Blue Heaven

Classy Dunne and Grant movie

Irene Dunne is a class act all the way. A real lady, and it comes out in this film. While she and Grant always look like movie stars in the film, you can't stop noticing that they look like movie stars, they do their job and do it to perfection. Only two A-level actors could carry this tear jerker off well. The adoption lady was also realistic and convincing. The little girl or baby, whichever children played them, were the cutest and sweetest I've ever seen in film. Irene Dunne cannot hit a false note, ever, it seems. She looks marvelous in everything she wears, be it a simple housedress or pajamas. Same with Cary Grant, he wears the clothes. The penny serenade theme and the way the camera plays with the records is really magic. This film is a gift to the audience. Grant and Dunne show their adeptness at establishing and making us believe they are an intimate married couple. Irene Dunne is at the height of sensitivity and softness here, a true lady with beautiful hair and hairstyles. What a movie. And one cannot forget our beloved Apple Jack, such a sweet soul.