"Pennies from Heaven" (1978) TV mini-series 1978-

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

7 March 1978 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | Musical

Plot:

Arthur, a sheet music salesman, has an ear for the hit tunes, but nobody will trust it. And his imagination often bursts into full song...

Plot Keywords:

TV Mini-Series

Awards:

2 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Bob Hoskins	...	Arthur Parker (6 episodes, 1978)
Cheryl Campbell	...	Eileen (6 episodes, 1978)
Gemma Craven	...	Joan Parker (6 episodes, 1978)
Kenneth Colley	...	The Accordion Man / ... (5 episodes, 1978)
Jenny Logan	...	Irene (3 episodes, 1978)
Freddie Jones	...	Headmaster (2 episodes, 1978)
Dave King	...	Police Inspector / ... (2 episodes, 1978)
Sam Avent	...	Pianist (2 episodes, 1978)
Arnold Peters	...	Barrett (2 episodes, 1978)
Spencer Banks	...	Maurice (2 episodes, 1978)
Michael Bilton	...	Dad (2 episodes, 1978)
Philip Jackson	...	Dave (2 episodes, 1978)
Bill Dean	...	Alf (2 episodes, 1978)
Bella Emberg	...	Mrs. Corder (2 episodes, 1978)
Children From the Forest of Dean		(2 episodes, 1978)
Yolande Palfrey	...	Blind Girl (2 episodes, 1978)

Series Directed by
Piers Haggard		(6 episodes, 1978)

Series Writing credits
Dennis Potter		(6 episodes, 1978)

Series Produced by
Kenith Trodd	....	producer (6 episodes, 1978)

Series Cinematography by
Ken Westbury		(6 episodes, 1978)

Series Film Editing by
Howard Dell		(6 episodes, 1978)
David Martin		(6 episodes, 1978)

Series Production Design by
Tim Harvey		(6 episodes, 1978)
Bruce Macadie		(2 episodes, 1978)

Series Costume Design by
John Peacock		(6 episodes, 1978)

Series Makeup Department
Jenny Shircore	....	make-up (6 episodes, 1978)

Series Art Department
Sid Sutton	....	graphics designer (6 episodes, 1978)
Bob Cosford	....	illustrator (3 episodes, 1978)
Tom Taylor	....	illustrator (3 episodes, 1978)

Series Sound Department
Mervyn Broadway	....	film sound (6 episodes, 1978)
Alan Dykes	....	dubbing mixer (6 episodes, 1978)
Brian Hiles	....	sound: studio (6 episodes, 1978)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Dave Mutton	....	senior studio camera (6 episodes, 1978)
Dave Sydenham	....	studio lighting (6 episodes, 1978)

Series Editorial Department
Shirley Coward	....	vision mixer (6 episodes, 1978)

Series Other crew
Alan Charlesworth	....	production team (6 episodes, 1978)
Chris Cherry	....	production unit manager (6 episodes, 1978)
Bill Craske	....	production assistant / studio production assistant (6 episodes, 1978)
Tudor Davies	....	choreographer (6 episodes, 1978)
Irene East	....	production team (6 episodes, 1978)
Simon Hinkly	....	film production assistant / production assistant (6 episodes, 1978)
Diarmuid Lawrence	....	film production assistant / production assistant (6 episodes, 1978)
Neil Zeiger	....	production team (6 episodes, 1978)

Production Companies

• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Distributors

• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (1978) (UK) (TV) (original airing)
• BBC Warner (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• BBC Warner (2006) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

UK:75 min (6 parts)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

The BBC original was composed of six episodes, each a bit over an hour long. Their titles are: 1: Down Sunny Side Lane 2: Love Is The Sweetest Thing 3: Easy Come, Easy Go 4: Better Think Twice 5: Painting The Clouds 6: Says My Heart

Quotes:

Accordion man:We're all going to hell. We're all going to burn in hell. Thank you very, very much, sir. Thank you very, very much, madam. Thank you very, very much, sir.

Movie Connections:

References King Kong (1933)

de niro from Scotland misses the point

To evaluate Pennies from Heaven solely in terms of its use of 1930s dance tunes is at best blinkered and at worst deeply stupid. What Potter did with those tunes was to point up how his characters sought refuge in what now would be called 'pop culture' to escape the grim realities of the time - and he was writing about the 1930s: the Depression, Fascism, Stalinism, etc. And Potter was genuinely fond of the 30s tunes that were used: I don't think the series mocks the songs at all, but their up-beat denial of misery is what makes their use so powerful as they counterpoint the characters' despair.

Whatever else Dennis Potter might have done (I am not an unqualified fan) this series is just about the greatest drama series ever seen on British TV; except, that is, for Potter's last word on his 'lip-sync' method, The Singing Detective, from 1987.