PENNIES FROM HEAVEN

US, 1981, 103 minutes, Colour.
Steve Martin, Bernadette Peters, Christopher Walken, Vernel Bagneris, Jessica Harper, John Mc Martin.
Directed by Herbert Ross.

Pennies from Heaven was an impressive American musical when it was released in 1981. However, despite some critical acclaim, it was not popular, even though it had a very big budget for a very impressive-looking and sounding film.

The original was written by Dennis Potter (Brimstone and Treacle, The Singing Detective amongst other series and stories). It was a series on British television in the 1970s with Bob Hoskins in the central role. The screenplay has been transferred to America during the Depression with Steve Martin playing the central role. Bernadette Peters is the schoolteacher and Jessica Harper is Steve Martin’s wife.

What was distinctive about Pennies from Heaven, as with The Singing Detective, is the lip-synching of the main characters to songs to create mood as well as to give insights into character. This film is set in the 1930s, the story of Arthur who travels trying to sell sheet music. The film is rueful, especially in its presentation of optimism.

Steve Martin was at the beginning of his screen career at this time and had just appeared in The Jerk with Bernadette Peters. Perhaps audiences at the time expected him only to be funny. Later in the 80s he was to show that he could do serious and funny with Roxanne.

The supporting cast includes Vernel Bagneris who does a shuffling dance in the rain to the title song, ‘Pennies from Heaven’. Christopher Walken has an opportunity to display his considerable talent as a dancer, to ‘Let’s Misbehave’.

The film is an interesting piece of Americana, a story of the Depression, a story of ordinary human beings. However, it is a tribute to the role of the musicals as well as the lyrics and melodies of so many songs from the 1930s.

1 . A creative and enjoyable musical? The impact of the original television series? The British origins of the film? The adaptation to the cinema screen? The compression of material for movie length? The transition to the United States?

2. The importance of style for the film: the re-creation of the Depression in America, the use of bleached colours, light and darkness, the atmosphere of Chicago, the flat open spaces of Illinois, the small American towns: shops, homes, schools, diners? The importance of the sets and decor? The transitions from drab reality to Hollywood style fantasy: sets, decor, costumes. choreography, elaborate staging in the style of the movies?

3. The creativity of the basic device: the insertion of the songs into the screenplay, the cues from the films of the past and their conventions (especially of the '30s in writing, feel, visual style)? Audience expectations for the cues? The importance of the film style e.g. Follow the Fleet and Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire? The voices and the synchronising of the cast singing? The irony of the interchange between men and women and voices? The selection of the songs?

4. The importance of the popular songs of the '30s and the Depression? Arthur Parker's knowledge of them? His expertise? His feel for the songs? As a music seller ? believing in his product? The music of the times, the style of performance? Later audiences' nostalgia for the songs? Lyrics and dreams? The importance of the interplay between reality and fantasy? The effect of the irony of the present and the comment of the lyrics? The use of the songs throughout the film, their comment on social situations, characters and attitudes? The grimness of the execution? The insertion of the happy ending with the comment on dream having such happy endings?

5. The impact of the film as grim conventional Depression story: the average young nun with ambitions and frustrations; the frigid marriage leading to hatred and neglect; the salesman on the road with his sales tactics and techniques; the infatuation and the ruin of a woman's life;. the repressed teacher and her going down the primrose path to city ruin; the accordion man and his starvation, madness, murder; justice and vindictiveness? The drab atmosphere of the Depression for such a grim story? So many victims? The expectations of unhappiness, struggle? The easiness in facing death?

6. What might have been: hopes, fantasy., glamour? Relationship and fulfilment? The songs expressing what was really felt by the characters ?hopes. lust. hatred? The realism giving edge to the romantic lyrics?

7. Arthur as an everyman character ? 'I'll never have to dream again'? The ordinariness of his life. humdrum daily work, his being a salesman, his hopes? The opening and his frustration with Joan? Blaming her? His kindness especially in giving the lift to the accordion player? His infatuation with Eileen? Romanticising her. using her, abandoning her? The encounter with the blind girl and his kindness. even after her rejection? The encounter with the police. the horror of her death, striking the accordion man and experiencing a message for change? His response to Joan's attempts to please him? Persuading her to lend the money, the buying of the shop and its failure? His decision to run away. the encounter with Eileen? Their drudgery., poverty? His fears? Arrest and facing death? The simplicity of the basic plot and characterisation? The insight via the conventions and the songs? The quality of Steve Martin's performance in acting. singing, dancing?

8. Joan as the frigid wife, her prim behaviour, her being hurt by Arthur's language? Her disregard for her husband? Disgust with sexuality.? the story about the elevator and the encounter between floors? Her not wanting to lend the money? Her changing and the use of the lipstick. giving Arthur the money? Her hatred fantasy ? to killing Arthur? The discussion with the police? Her hatred and condemning Arthur? ? Her fantasy "It's a sin to tell a lie" and her singing as in a radio programme with Arthur and Eileen?

9. Eileen by contrast with Joan? Her appearance in the shop? The prim schoolteacher? Her being idealised by Arthur: "Did you ever see a dream walking?"? Her work as a teacher., the drabness of her home? Her teaching and the transition to the glamorous song-and-dance routine with the children? The encounter with Arthur and her seeming fear? Her giving herself to him deliberately? Her pregnancy and her being sacked? The discussion with the teacher ? his concern, giving her the money? Her going on the road? Starving? The encounter with Tom at the bar ? and her imagining him as "Let's misbehave"? The gin, her working for Tom? Her being on the streets, despised? The chance meeting with Arthur? The abortion? Accepting her fate? telling the truth about wanting to get out of the town? Leaving with Arthur? Drabness, poverty? The chance stopping under the bridge? Her despising Arthur's fear? The Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers fantasy ? "Let's face the music and dance"? Her participation in the happy ending? The songs characterising her fantasy ?"Love is good for anything that ails you", "I want to be bad"? The contrast with Joan in relationship to Arthur? Her reaction to Arthur's story about the elevator? The complexity of the repressed American woman? The film's showing her fantasies as well as those of Arthur?

10. The accordion man, his being given a lift, his stammer. his enjoyment of the meal? His playing the hymn and receiving a coin from Eileen? His singing the fantasy of Pennies from Heaven? Kissing Arthur's hand and the irony of his being the cause of Arthur's death? The encounter with the blind girl and the grossness of the murder? Arthur's hitting him with the car? A puzzling character ? the madness, violence and oppression of the Depression?

11. Tom and the gangster style? Giving Eileen the gin, threatening to cut her face if she was a tease? His being fantasised by Eileen ? "Let's misbehave" the dance routines, the striptease? Tom's owning Eileen?

12. The teacher and his concern for Eileen., giving her the sack, giving her the money? The children in the class ? realism, fantasy with singing and dance routines?

13. Eileen’s unseen family and her responsibilities? The stifling house? Her breaking out?

14. The picture of the police. their inquiries, Arthur's arrest?

15. The background of people of the times: the banker and the dance routine of "Yes. yes, my baby said yes"? A1 and Ed and the burlesque routine of "It's the girl"? The elevator man. the paper boy? The blind girl and the pathos of Arthur's approach. her death? The bartender. the fat prostitute? An atmosphere for the period?

16. The style of the films of the '30s, their importance during the Depression? Arthur and Eileen and the echoes of Bonnie and Clyde? Enjoyment of the movies ? reality and fantasy and helping to cope with life? The social situation? The pessimistic outlook? Who was to blame?

17. The happy ending and the reprise of "Pennies from Heaven" and "The glory of love"? The appropriateness of the happy ending after Arthur's speech at the gallows?

18. The importance of the songs, staging, chorography, special effects? The film as enlarging the range for the musical?