The Five Pennies

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Melville Shavelson directs. Daniel L. Fapp behind the camera. Leith Stevens scores. Frank P. Keller cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

• 167 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
• 2Directed by Melville Shavelson, shot by Daniel L. Fapp. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
• 3Original score by Leith Stevens. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
• 4Editor Frank P. Keller shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
• 5Danny Kaye and Barbara Bel Geddes and Louis Armstrong carry the top of the cast.
• 6IMDB entry: tt0052809 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
• 7Only 30 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography

Daniel L. Fapp

Original score

Leith Stevens

Editing

Frank P. Keller

Costume design

Edith Head

Makeup / hair

Nellie Manley

Runtime

117 min · 1h 57m

Aspect ratio (typical)

1.37:1 (Academy)

Status

Released

Original language

EN

Certification (US)

NR

IMDB

The Five Pennies (1959) ↗

Also by

Melville Shavelson

• 
  Rainbow

  1978 · ★ 10.0
• 
  Ike

  1979 · ★ 7.3
• 
  Yours, Mine and Ours

  1968 · ★ 6.9
• 
  On the Double

  1961 · ★ 6.9
• 
  Ike

  1979 · ★ 6.8
• 
  The Legend of Valentino

  1975 · ★ 6.7

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

• 

  ▶
  The Five Pennies - Trailer

  Trailer · Official

Community reviews

What people are saying

• John Chard2020-09-20
  ★ 8/10

  Mr. Paradise, I play New Orleans style. You know, it's the newest thing. As a matter of fact I got an arrangement right here of the very number that you're doing. The Five Pennies is a musical biopic of jazz great Red Nichols, who is here played by Danny Kaye. As the famed Dixieland cornetist, he runs into opposition to his sound, but breaks through barriers to achieve success. Upon marrying an understanding patient woman (Barbara Bel Geddes) he begins to raise a family. But when tragedy strikes the family, "Red" puts down his horn to focus on matters of the heart. Out of Paramount, The Five Pennies was released at a time when musical biopics were popular. Amazingly, as schmaltzy as the whole thing is on narrative terms, it's amazingly true to fact and and it pays to remember that when you think things are too sugary. The music positively booms with joy, none more so than when the great Louis Armstrong is involved in duets with Red (the real Nichols playing). Tuesday Weld plays the teenage Nichols daughter and she is an utter delight, where she hits all the right emotional beats as the character progresses. Kaye is in his element, a perfect piece of casting, and Geddes is the embodiment of Americana wives of stoic firm and loyal beliefs. It's a musical biopic that isn't afraid to show the main protag as a flawed individual, and that should be applauded. But as it happens, it's also a fine film all told, full of Dixieland verve and family values, and of course, the triumph of the will born about by pure love - both at home or through your art. 8/10

  Read full review ↓
• r96sk2020-10-22
  ★ 7/10

  This one leaves a strange feeling. I look back on <em>'The Five Pennies'</em> 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 feels 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.

  Read full review ↓

Production companies

Who made it

• DE

  Dena Productions

Key crew

• Special EffectsJohn P. Fulton
• Visual EffectsFarciot Edouart
• Second Unit Director of PhotographyW. Wallace Kelley
• Hair SupervisorNellie Manley
• Production AssistantHal C. Kern
• ConductorLeith Stevens
• MusicianRed Nichols
• SongsSylvia Fine
• ProducerJack Rose
• EditorFrank P. Keller
• Art DirectionTambi Larsen
• Art DirectionHal Pereira
• Set DecorationSam Comer
• Set DecorationGrace Gregory
• Costume DesignEdith Head
• Makeup SupervisorWally Westmore
• Assistant DirectorRichard Caffey
• Sound RecordistCharles Grenzbach
• Sound RecordistJohn Wilkinson
• ChoreographerEarl Barton

Release history · US

When it landed

• Theatrical1959-06-18NR

Also known as

International titles

• Millionnaire de cinq sousFR
• 5 PenniesDE
• Die fünf PenniesDE
• 5 Pennies machen MusikDE
• Fünf Pennies machen MusikDE