IMDb > The Five Pennies (1959)

The Five Pennies (1959) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
7.3/10   720 votes
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Up 17% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.

Director:

Melville Shavelson

Writers:

Robert Smith (story)
Jack Rose (writer) ...
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Contact:

View company contact information for The Five Pennies on IMDbPro.

Release Date:

August 1959 (USA) more

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Music more

Plot:

Loring "Red" Nichols is a cornet-playing country boy who goes to New York in the 1920s full of musical ambition and principles... more | add synopsis

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 2 nominations more

User Comments:

The loveliest biopic more (17 total)


Cast

  (Credited cast)

Danny Kaye ... 'Red' Nichols

Barbara Bel Geddes ... Willa Stutsman

Louis Armstrong ... Himself
Harry Guardino ... Tony Valani
Bob Crosby ... Wil Paradise
Bobby Troup ... Arthur Schutt
Susan Gordon ... Dorothy Nichols, ages 6 to 8

Tuesday Weld ... Dorothy Nichols, age 12 to 14
Ray Anthony ... Jimmy Dorsey
Shelly Manne ... Dave Tough
Ray Daley ... Glenn Miller
Valerie Allen ... Tommye
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Henry Beau
Ned Glass ... Murray
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Additional Details

Runtime:

117 min | Germany:112 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1 more

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Finland:S


Fun Stuff

Trivia:

The exaggerated tango Danny Kaye did with the blonde Charleston dancer (Lizanne Truex) in the nightclub scene was not scripted. The rehearsals only called for her to do the Charleston, then flit offstage. During one of them Danny suddenly grabbed her and began hamming it up, with Lizanne quickly ad-libbing. Director Melville Shavelson liked it and added it to the routine. more

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Red leaves the club with Willa (after seeing Louis Armstrong the first time), he takes his cornet with him but has neglected to put it back in its case. more

Movie Connections:

Featured in "American Masters: Danny Kaye: A Legacy of Laughter" (1996) more

Soundtrack:

Goodnight - Sleep Tight more


FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
12 out of 13 people found the following comment useful.
The loveliest biopic, 16 June 2001
Author: Early Autumn from Salzburg, Austria

There are just few really well-produced film biographies. This is one of them. The story never gets boring, though sentimental at times. There's a lot of music to be heard and the film helped to get a musician of way back then into people's minds again - Red Nichols. Danny Kaye is the perfect cast for this role - funny and pensive ... and as a great jazz enthusiast credible and true. The final showdown with Louis Armstrong is both a thrilling proof of effective dramaturgy and musical bravura. Red's cornet - actually played by himself - really shines! Altogether a lovely piece of celluloid and a must for traditional jazz fans.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Five Pennies (1959)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
bob crosby aka wil paradise andrecollerette
dorothy nichols jkirklin-2
a favorite musician bio pic adbarnes57
The Five Pennies (1959) kaye-doyle
DVD release lhannaford
That Charleston Dancer nevkid12
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