Good Heavens: Pennies from Heaven (1936) Bonus Round!

When I started the Good Heavens series and came up with my 5 films, my good friend Mark made sure to let me know that there was a film I was over-looking: Pennies from Heaven (1936). At first I thought I'd watch the film, but not write about it. Then I thought, why not cap off the series with a final bonus round? So here it is!

Pennies from Heaven is a feel good movie that tugs at the heart strings. It's good ole Great Depression fare. Bing Crosby stars as Larry, a free-spirited wanderer who travels across the country with his 13th-Century lute. He finds himself in jail (a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time of course) and serenades a fellow jailer with his lute and beautiful singing voice. The jailer, on his final walk to the execution, thanks Larry and asks that he do him the one favor of delivering a letter to a family in New Jersey. Once Larry is released from prison, being the kind soul he is, he sets out to find the family.

This is where he gets in trouble of the very best kind. He befriends an orphan girl Patsy (Edith Fellow) and her Gramp, both of whom are destitute and being hounded by social worker Susan (Madge Evans). They go on an adventure, trying to find a situation that will make Susan leave the family alone. They even go as far as taking an abandoned, haunted home and turning it into a Haunted House Cafe complete with special Halloween effects, chicken dinners and live music.

There are several reasons to watch this film. It's a heart-warming story, Bing Crosby is downright charming and his songs are beautiful. However, the biggest reason to watch this film is Louis Armstrong! Crosby and Armstrong were sort of a musical duo and this is one of their many acts together. Armstrong has a wonderful musical number called "Skeletons in the Closet" which is worth the rental of this film alone.

This film is available on Netflix but the DVD has gone out-of-print since it's release in 2003.

Now I leave you with my favorite Crosby-Armstrong duet for your listening pleasure...

Winners of the TCM 31 Days of Oscar Giveaway

And the Oscar goes too... Oops! I mean... The winners of my TCM 31 Days of Oscar giveaway are...

1) Frank A. ~ Guest Blogger & The Avenger's Enthusiast
Favorite Oscar-Winning Movie: The Apartment (1960)

2) Wendy Moon ~ Movie-Viewing Girl and fellow L.A.M.B.
Favorite Oscar-Winning Movie: Sunset Blvd (1950)

3) Lisa R. ~ Screwball Comedy & Hitchcock Afficianado
Favorite Oscar-Winning Movie: Amadeus (1984)

4) Mercurie ~ A Shroud of Thoughts
Favorite Oscar-Winning Movie: Citizen Kane (1941)

5) Kate Gabrielle ~ Silents and Talkies
Favorite Oscar-Winning Movie: You Can't Take it With You (1938)

6) Casey K. ~ Noir Girl
Favorite Oscar-Winning Movie: Rocky (1976)

7) Caitlin ~ Fire & Music
Favorite Oscar-Winning Movie: All About Eve (1950)

8) Millie ~ Classic Forever
Favorite Oscar-Winning Performance: Ray Milland in The Lost Weekend (1945)

9) Nicole ~ Classic Hollywood Corner
Favorite Oscar-Winning Performance: Charles Coburn in The More the Merrier (1943)
Favorite Oscar-Winning Movie: Rebecca (1940)

10) DKoren ~ Sidewalk Crossings
Favorite Oscar-Winning Performance: Lee Marvin in Cat Ballou (1965)

Winners shall be receiving this splendid TCM University Composition Notebook in the mail!

TCM 31 Days of Oscars Contest

Even though this year's Oscars are over, Turner Classic Movies annual 31 Days of Oscars festival is still going strong, showcasing more Oscar winning movies from now until March 3rd. If you haven't already gone to the TCM University website, please do so soon before they take it down!

In honor of the 31 Days of Oscars festival, I'm doing a fun contest on this blog. I have some TCM University composition notebooks to give away and this is your chance to win one.

How to Enter

• Watch the TCM 31 Days of Oscar Promo clip below and write down the names of 10 of the films featured in the clip.
  
• E-mail your list of 10 films, the name of your favorite Oscar winning movie or performance, and your name to me: QuelleLove at Gmail dot com.
  
• DO NOT post your entry as a comment.
  
• Submit entry by March 3rd.
  
  
  

[Contest is now over. Special thank you to those who participated.]

Boxed Set Reviews: The Natalie Wood Collection

The Natalie Wood Collection is your one opportunity to own a solid piece of the ethereal star's legacy. It's a must-have for any Natalie Wood fan or anyone who collects prize box sets. The box set design is gorgeous with alternating colors of lavendar, white and purple and promotional images of Natalie Wood from Sex and the Single Girl. Each of the 6 films comes in it's own full-sized keepcase. Four of the films are new to DVD and Gypsy and Splendor in the Grass are remastered editions. You can purchase Sex and the Single Girl and Splendor in the Grass separately but all the other films are exclusive to the box set.

And now comes my confession. I am not a Natalie Wood fan. Like Frank with Doris Day, I am apathetic to Natalie Wood. I do now have a greater appreciation for The Face. I was really hoping that this box set could win me over, but in the end, I just enjoyed the movies more so than the actress.

Mini Reviews

Bomber B-52 (1957) - Karl Malden stars as airforce worker Chuck Brennan who has a gripe against Colonel Herlihy (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) and will do anything to break up Herlihy's romance with his daughter Lois (Natalie Wood), even if it means leaving the job he loves so dearly.

Thoughts - This is Karl Malden's movie and Natalie Wood just looks nice in her outfits. The flight dramas with the B-52s are excellent and suspenseful. Slow start but makes up for it quickly. My favorite film in the box set by far. The aerial cinematography is stunning.

Gypsy (1962) - Story about a stage mother whose passion for show business overshadows the needs and wants of her two daughters and her fiancee. Based on the early life of burlesque dancer Gypsy Rose Lee.

Thoughts - Rosalind Russell carries the movie as the loony stage mom and she outshines both Karl Malden and Natalie Wood. The vaudeville and burlesque musical numbers are all top-notch. The film is beautifully remastered and the colors really pop! Visually stunning.

Cash McCall (1960) - A light-hearted corporate drama about greedy Cash McCall (James Garner) who buys companies only to dismantle them and make a profit out of the loss. He goes soft when Lory Austen (Natalie Wood) comes into his life. When the opportunity to by the Austen Plastics company arises, he jumps on the chance to win Lory back after a bad beginning to their romance.

Thoughts - I enjoyed this film. It's got a lot of flaws, especially the anti-climactic ending and Natalie Wood's matronly hair style. Yet it's stylish, light, fun and interesting. If you are a fan of Executive Suite or even Mad Men, you'll enjoy this film.

Splendor in the Grass (1961) - A coming-of-age story circa 1920s about Deanie (Natalie Wood) a young high school teen who is dating the captain of the football team and most popular boy in school Bud (Warren Beatty). They both must supress their lustful desires to align themselves with society's mores. Bud goes elsewhere to relieve himself and Deanie goes crazy.

Thoughts - This is an excellent study in gender roles and sexuality. Sexual repression and the treatment of sexual expression as viewed amongst both sexes demonstrates the unfairness of double-standards. An Elia Kazan classic! See my previous post about this film

Sex and the Single Girl (1964) - Self-help book fictionalized into a story of sex psychologist Helen Brown (Natalie Wood) who falls for tabloid reporter Bob Weston (Tony Curtis). He is planning an expose on her and to do so pretends he is his friend Frank Brodercik (Henry Fonda) who has significant marital problems with wife Sylvia (Lauren Bacall).

Thoughts - I was disappointed in the movie. It could have been a lot better. It was slow-paced, bizarre and silly to the point of confusing. Maybe this will grow on me, but for now I think Pillow Talk (1959) seems like a much better movie with a similar conceit.

Inside Daisy Clover (1965) - 15-year old Daisy Clover (Natalie Wood) is a foul-mouthed, scrappy tomboy living in poverty. Her talent for singing finds her in the seedy show business of 1935's movie industry. As she gains fame, her life falls apart. She leans on leading man Wade Lewis/Lewis Wade (Robert Redford), who is as equally as disturbed as her.

Thoughts - This film salvaged Natalie Wood for me. She does a superb job as a disturbed teenager and the melt-down scene in the studio is beautiful. This film is not nostalgic for the 1930's, rather it's a look at the movie business of the past in an avant-garde way that only a good mid-1960s film could accomplish!

Purchasing Links

(Stimulate that economy with a nice fat juicy purchase)

Barnes & Noble - Borders - TCM Store - Warner Bros. Home Video Store - Amazon

Please make sure you go to Sarah's Cinema Splendor blog. She is the ultimate Natalie Wood fan and will surely be posting a review of this box set soon. Watch that space!