The Five Pennies
starring: Danny Kaye, Barbara Bel Geddes, Louis Armstrong, Harry Guardino, Bob Crosby
directed by: Melville Shavelson
directed by: Melville Shavelson
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Product Description:
Studio: Paramount Home VideoRelease Date: 05/01/2007Run time: 117 minutesRating: Nr
Amazon.com:
Danny Kaye shows off his keen musical sense in the lead role of The Five Pennies, the life story of cornet master Red Nichols--or at least the Hollywood version of Nichols'd life. The movie gets off to a kicky start as Nichols joins a big-city band, meets his future wife (Barbara Bel Geddes), and sits in on a speakeasy session with Louis Armstrong. Armstrong's in the movie a lot, and there are smaller roles for other musical names such as Bob Crosby and Ray Anthony. The tunes include a batch of standards but also new songs written by Sylvia Fine, Danny Kaye's wife and the creator of his signature wordplay routines. The film's main dramatic device--that Nichols eventually sacrifices his career to care for a sick daughter--must be slogged through while the decent jazz sequences come and go. Whether you're a Danny Kaye fan or not, this film emphasizes his very real musical "touch" (in his manner, not his cornet playing; Red Nichols dubbed the horn himself). It also proved Kaye could handle melodrama at least as easily as frantic comedy, and yet this 1959 film was near the end of his run as a movie actor. Director Melville Shavelson, most associated with comedy, does an atmospheric job of staging the jazz numbers, especially in the colorful clubs. This is well-served by a snazzy transfer to DVD--even the opening credits are a treat, a cool example of late-1950s graphic design. --Robert Horton
Studio: Paramount Home VideoRelease Date: 05/01/2007Run time: 117 minutesRating: Nr
Amazon.com:
Danny Kaye shows off his keen musical sense in the lead role of The Five Pennies, the life story of cornet master Red Nichols--or at least the Hollywood version of Nichols'd life. The movie gets off to a kicky start as Nichols joins a big-city band, meets his future wife (Barbara Bel Geddes), and sits in on a speakeasy session with Louis Armstrong. Armstrong's in the movie a lot, and there are smaller roles for other musical names such as Bob Crosby and Ray Anthony. The tunes include a batch of standards but also new songs written by Sylvia Fine, Danny Kaye's wife and the creator of his signature wordplay routines. The film's main dramatic device--that Nichols eventually sacrifices his career to care for a sick daughter--must be slogged through while the decent jazz sequences come and go. Whether you're a Danny Kaye fan or not, this film emphasizes his very real musical "touch" (in his manner, not his cornet playing; Red Nichols dubbed the horn himself). It also proved Kaye could handle melodrama at least as easily as frantic comedy, and yet this 1959 film was near the end of his run as a movie actor. Director Melville Shavelson, most associated with comedy, does an atmospheric job of staging the jazz numbers, especially in the colorful clubs. This is well-served by a snazzy transfer to DVD--even the opening credits are a treat, a cool example of late-1950s graphic design. --Robert Horton
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Fantastic movie!
Danny Kaye is as always phenomenal . The movie has some great musical moments. If you like big band, Louie Armstrong, or Danny Kaye, you will like this movie.
Rating: - With these Five Pennies, you'll be a millionaire
Danny Kaye has made a few decent comedies, but here he takes on a more serious role, and delivers.Danny and Satchmo could have taken this show on the road.It's a pretty typical 50's genre film & even if your not a Kaye fan, but you like solid family entertainment, don't miss this one.
Rating: 
- Nice Sounds In This Classic Film
Danny Kaye plays Red Nichols, a famous coronet player of yesteryear. I found this story a notch better "fair" and nicely aided by the musical talent of Louis Armstrong.
Kaye and Armstrong's duet on "When The Saints Go Marching In" is the highlight of the film.
For a classic movie, the stereo in here is amazing, especially on the songs. In one instance, there are three people singing and their voices all coming out separately on different speakers. Pretty good for just a ... Read More
Rating: - Great Performers with Great Heart
I saw this picture with my family when I was a little girl in New Orleans. Louis Armstrong is from New Orleans and we have a park there named after him now, but back in the late fifties or early sixties when we saw this movie, it was still the early days of integration and seeing him big as life, up on the screen right next to Danny Kaye, singing his heart out - - it left an impression. The story itself is based on the life of trumpeter Red Nichols and a personal tragedy in his family that he worked ... Read More
Rating: - Danny Kaye Gets Serious
In THE FIVE PENNIES (1959), funnyman Danny Kaye takes on the real-life role of jazz legend Loring "Red" Nichols, considered to be one of the greatest horn players of his day.Dorsey, Miller, Shaw and other major band leaders got their starts with him.
Nichols himself plays the horn for Kaye off-camera, but Danny has plenty of opportunities to clown and make his own unique kind of music on-screen.Indeed, a duet of "When the Saints Go Marching In" with the incomparable Louis "Satchmo" ... Read More
- Fantastic movie!Danny Kaye is as always phenomenal . The movie has some great musical moments. If you like big band, Louie Armstrong, or Danny Kaye, you will like this movie.
- With these Five Pennies, you'll be a millionaireDanny Kaye has made a few decent comedies, but here he takes on a more serious role, and delivers.Danny and Satchmo could have taken this show on the road.It's a pretty typical 50's genre film & even if your not a Kaye fan, but you like solid family entertainment, don't miss this one.
- Nice Sounds In This Classic FilmDanny Kaye plays Red Nichols, a famous coronet player of yesteryear. I found this story a notch better "fair" and nicely aided by the musical talent of Louis Armstrong.
Kaye and Armstrong's duet on "When The Saints Go Marching In" is the highlight of the film.
For a classic movie, the stereo in here is amazing, especially on the songs. In one instance, there are three people singing and their voices all coming out separately on different speakers. Pretty good for just a ... Read More
- Great Performers with Great HeartI saw this picture with my family when I was a little girl in New Orleans. Louis Armstrong is from New Orleans and we have a park there named after him now, but back in the late fifties or early sixties when we saw this movie, it was still the early days of integration and seeing him big as life, up on the screen right next to Danny Kaye, singing his heart out - - it left an impression. The story itself is based on the life of trumpeter Red Nichols and a personal tragedy in his family that he worked ... Read More
- Danny Kaye Gets SeriousIn THE FIVE PENNIES (1959), funnyman Danny Kaye takes on the real-life role of jazz legend Loring "Red" Nichols, considered to be one of the greatest horn players of his day.Dorsey, Miller, Shaw and other major band leaders got their starts with him.
Nichols himself plays the horn for Kaye off-camera, but Danny has plenty of opportunities to clown and make his own unique kind of music on-screen.Indeed, a duet of "When the Saints Go Marching In" with the incomparable Louis "Satchmo" ... Read More
