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Pennies from Heaven
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Synopsis
Adapted from Dennis Potter's landmark British TV miniseries and relocated to the United States during the Depression, Pennies from Heaven dramatizes how popular songs both shaped and reflected the thoughts of people living through economic (and emotional) hardship. Arthur Parker (Steve Martin) is a sheet music salesman who believes that he can spot a hit a mile away and wants to open his own store. But he can't get a bank loan and his wife Joan (Jessica Harper), who has savings left to her by her father, refuses to give him the money. Also, while Arthur has a fierce sexual appetite, Joan generally refuses his advances. While on the road, Arthur meets Eileen (Bernadette Peters), a shy schoolteacher as desperate for affection as Arthur is hungry for sex. They begin an affair, which leads to tragedy for both. Punctuating the drama of Pennies from Heaven are elaborate musical numbers in which the characters lip-synch to popular songs of the day, which at once lift their hopes and reflect their fears. Arthur's buoyant tap number to "My Baby Said Yes" and Eileen's saucy rendition of "Love is Good for Anything That Ails You" are reflections of their needs for money and love, and their pas de deux on "Let's Face the Music and Dance" is at once an escape and an acknowledgement of their hopelessness. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Cast

Robert Fitch Al
Jessica Harper Joan
John Karlen The Detective
Eliska Krupka The Blind Girl
John McMartin Mr. Warner
Bernadette Peters Eileen
Christopher Walken Tom
Steve Martin Arthur

Production Crew

Bernard Cutler Art Director
Fred Tuch Art Director
Ken Adam Associate Producer
Danny D. Daniels Choreography
Gordon Willis Cinematographer
Billy May Composer (Music Score)
Marvin Hamlisch Composer (Music Score)
Ralph Burns Composer (Music Score)
Bob Mackie Costume Designer
Herbert Ross Director
Richard Marks Editor
Rick McCallum Executive Producer
L. Andrew Stone First Assistant Director
Herbert Ross Producer
Nora Kaye Producer
Ken Adam Production Designer
Philip Harrison Production Designer
Dennis Potter Screen Story
Dennis Potter Screenwriter
Thomas J. Wright Second Unit Director
Christopher Burian-Mohr Set Designer
Garrett Lewis Set Designer
Martha Johnston Set Designer
Al Overton Sound/Sound Designer
Glen Robinson Special Effects
Year: 1981
Runtime: 107
Country: USA
MPAA Rating: R
Category: Feature

Genre
Musical

Color type
Metrocolor

Produced by
MGM
United Artists

Awards
1981 - Best Picture - Musical or Comedy - Golden Globe
1981 - Best Picture - Musical or Comedy - Hollywood Foreign Press Association