Penny Serenade

""Remember the tune they were singing the night we fell in love?...""

1941 2h 0m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 125

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Julie and Roger are a love-struck married couple who desperately want to have a child. Tragedy after tragedy gets in their way, as the two attempt to rise above their troubles and fulfill their dreams of parenthood.

“"Remember the tune they were singing the night we fell in love?..."”

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Cast

Irene Dunne
Julie Gardiner
Cary Grant
Roger Adams
Beulah Bondi
Miss Oliver
Edgar Buchanan
Applejack
Ann Doran
Dotty
Eva Lee Kuney
Six-Year-Old Trina
Leonard Willey
Dr. Hartley
Wallis Clark
Judge

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: George Stevens
Writers: Morrie Ryskind, Martha Cheavens
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

85 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

CRAFT

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by George Stevens, shot by Joseph Walker. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by W. Franke Harling. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Otto Meyer shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Irene Dunne and Cary Grant and Beulah Bondi carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: ""Remember the tune they were singing the night we fell in love?..."".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0034012 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

George Stevens directs. Joseph Walker behind the camera. W. Franke Harling scores. Otto Meyer cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

185 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
3Directed by George Stevens, shot by Joseph Walker. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by W. Franke Harling. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Otto Meyer shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Irene Dunne and Cary Grant and Beulah Bondi carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: ""Remember the tune they were singing the night we fell in love?..."".
8IMDB entry: tt0034012 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 13 themes, including "daughter", "music record", "married couple", "pregnancy".

The technical file

Cinematography: Joseph Walker
Original score: W. Franke Harling
Editing: Otto Meyer
Runtime: 120 min · 2h 0m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Penny Serenade (1941)

Also by

George Stevens

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

barrymost2020-07-14
★ 8/10
This film boasts a wonderful dramatic turn by a young Cary Grant. If you're of the minority who view Mr. Grant as a boring, overrated comedy actor, give this a watch because the great man can most certainly act! It's a very enjoyable romance, elevated by a sparkling cast. The story is very heartwarming, but also quite the tearjerker. The record player transitions between scenes are quite a lovely touch, and good special effects for its time. Good family viewing.
CinemaSerf2022-06-25
★ 6/10
There is certainly chemistry between Irene Dunne and Cary Grant as the married couple with their lives ahead of them until an earthquake and tragedy strikes them and they must adjust to a life without the prospect of having their own child. That is until - with a little intervention from an avuncular and ever helpful "Applejack" (Edgar Buchanan) - they decide to adopt. They live a pretty subsistence existence by now; he is trying to run a local newspaper with a circulation that hovers around the 901-908 mark and so when it comes to the formalities, it is going to be struggle. Luckily, kindly adoption agent Beulah Bondi ("Miss Oliver") takes to them and soon afterwards they have their own little girl "Trine". Up until this point, both leads are engaging - frequent funny, especially Grant who has a distinct spontaneity in his performance - and though unchallenging, it is an enjoyable watch. However, tragedy strikes again and the film descends into maudlin melodrama with a last fifteen minutes that conclude with events that I found really quite tacky - almost like trading a commodity. What flowed effortlessly until then becomes contrived and for me, anyway, ruined much of the rest of it. It is a good watch, George Stevens does a good job and the writing/dalogue are frequently amusing and pithy - but that ending... sorry!