The Five Pennies (1959)
Reference View | Change View
- Approved
- 1h 57min
- Biography, Drama
- Aug 1959 (USA)
- Movie
Danny Kaye cuts loose with his trademark musical clowning. Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong plays his horn and croons in that famed gargling-granite voice. Big Band icons Bob Crosby, Ray Anthony and Shelly Manne join the fun.
Director:
Writers:
Awards:
- Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 4 nominations.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Complete, Cast awaiting verification
| Danny Kaye | ... |
'Red' Nichols
|
|
| Barbara Bel Geddes | ... |
Willa Stutsman
|
|
| Louis Armstrong | ... |
Louis Armstrong
|
|
| Harry Guardino | ... |
Tony Valani
|
|
| Bob Crosby | ... |
Wil Paradise
|
|
| Bobby Troup | ... |
Artie Schutt
|
|
| Susan Gordon | ... |
Dorothy Nichols - Ages 6 to 8
|
|
| Tuesday Weld | ... |
Dorothy Nichols - Age 13
|
|
| Ray Anthony | ... |
Jimmy Dorsey
|
|
| Shelly Manne | ... |
Dave Tough
|
|
 |
Ray Daley | ... |
Glenn Miller
|
| Valerie Allen | ... |
Tommye Eden
|
|
| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Eric Alden | ... |
Musician (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
Babette Bain | ... |
Rehabilitation Patient (uncredited)
|
| Bill Baldwin | ... |
Announcer (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
Sheryn Banks | ... |
Girl at Birthday Party (uncredited)
|
| Earl Barton | ... |
Choreographer (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
Henry Beau | ... |
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
|
|
|
Francesca Bellini | ... |
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
|
| John Benson | ... |
Musician (uncredited)
|
|
| Alexander Campbell | ... |
Doctor (uncredited)
|
|
| Cindy Carol | ... |
Girl at Birthday Party (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
Lesley-Marie Colburn | ... |
Girl at Birthday Party (uncredited)
|
|
|
Ira Cook | ... |
Announcer (uncredited)
|
|
|
Evelyn Cotton | ... |
Nurse (uncredited)
|
| Gabriel Curtiz | ... |
Lou - Maitre d' (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
Paul Francis DeRolf | ... |
Boy at Birthday Party (uncredited)
|
|
|
Meurisse Duree | ... |
Dancer (uncredited)
|
|
|
Lynn Fields | ... |
Girl at Birthday Party (uncredited)
|
|
|
Kenneth Gibson | ... |
Hotel Guest (uncredited)
|
| Ned Glass | ... |
Murray (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
Jerry Glenn | ... |
Dancer (uncredited)
|
| Herschel Graham | ... |
Hotel Guest (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
Don Gray | ... |
Waiter (uncredited)
|
|
|
Norman Lee Harris | ... |
Boy at Birthday Party (uncredited)
|
|
|
Len Hendry | ... |
Producer (uncredited)
|
| Charles Herbert | ... |
Patient (uncredited)
|
|
| Bob Hope | ... |
Bob Hope - Leaving Brown Derby Restaurant (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
June Jocelyn | ... |
Nurse (uncredited)
|
|
|
Dennis Kerlee | ... |
Boy at Birthday Party (uncredited)
|
| Hugh Lawrence | ... |
Producer (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
Robert Locke Lorraine | ... |
Restaurant Patron (uncredited)
|
|
|
Mike Mahoney | ... |
Musician (uncredited)
|
|
|
Sidney Marion | ... |
Ship Worker (uncredited)
|
|
|
Joe McTurk | ... |
Taxi Driver (uncredited)
|
| Toby Michaels | ... |
Girl at Birthday Party (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
Dick Nelson | ... |
Producer (uncredited)
|
| Red Nichols | ... |
Clicquot Club Eskimo (uncredited)
|
|
| Monty O'Grady | ... |
Hotel Guest (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
Alan Paige | ... |
Musician (uncredited)
|
|
|
Yvonne Peattie | ... |
Nurse (uncredited)
|
|
|
Jack Pepper | ... |
Ship Worker (uncredited)
|
| Peter Potter | ... |
Announcer (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
Frank Radcliffe | ... |
Speciality Dancer (uncredited)
|
|
|
William Remick | ... |
Doctor (uncredited)
|
|
|
Duncan Richardson | ... |
Boy at Birthday Party (uncredited)
|
| Cosmo Sardo | ... |
Hotel Guest (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
Sam Savitsky | ... |
Doctor in Recovery Ward (uncredited)
|
| Susan Seaforth Hayes | ... |
Girl at Birthday Party (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
Richard Shavelson | ... |
Boy at Birthday Party (uncredited)
|
| Bert Stevens | ... |
Producer (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
Paul Sullivan | ... |
Richard Wilson (uncredited)
|
| Blanche Sweet | ... |
Headmistress of School (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
Terry Terrill | ... |
Musician (uncredited)
|
|
|
Sid Troy | ... |
Club Patron (uncredited)
|
|
|
Lizanne Truex | ... |
Blonde Charleston Dancer (uncredited)
|
| Tito Vuolo | ... |
Barber (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
June White | ... |
Teacher (uncredited)
|
| Dick Whittinghill | ... |
Announcer (uncredited)
|
|
Directed by
| Melville Shavelson | ||
Written by
| Jack Rose | ... | (screenplay) and |
| Melville Shavelson | ... | (screenplay) |
| Robert Smith | ... | (story) |
| Red Nichols | ... | (suggested by the life of) (as Loring 'Red' Nichols) |
Produced by
| Jack Rose | ... | producer |
Music by
| Leith Stevens | ... | (music scored by) |
Cinematography by
| Daniel L. Fapp | ... | director of photography |
Editing by
| Frank P. Keller | ... | (edited by) |
Editorial Department
| George Hoyningen-Huene | ... | color coordinator (as Hoyningen-Huene) |
| Richard Mueller | ... | color consultant: Technicolor |
Casting By
| Bert McKay | ... | (uncredited) |
Art Direction by
| Tambi Larsen | ||
| Hal Pereira | ||
Set Decoration by
| Sam Comer | ||
| Grace Gregory | ||
Costume Design by
| Edith Head | ... | (costumes) |
Makeup Department
| Nellie Manley | ... | hair style supervisor |
| Wally Westmore | ... | makeup supervisor |
| Bud Bashaw Jr. | ... | makeup artist (uncredited) |
| Kay Shay | ... | hairdresser (uncredited) |
Production Management
| Frank Caffey | ... | production manager (uncredited) |
| Edgar Fay | ... | unit manager: New York (uncredited) |
| Curtis Mick | ... | assistant production manager (uncredited) |
| Charles Woolstenhulme | ... | unit production manager (uncredited) |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Richard Caffey | ... | assistant director |
| Ralph Axness | ... | second assistant director (uncredited) |
| Dale Coleman | ... | second assistant director (uncredited) |
| Harry F. Hogan | ... | second assistant director (uncredited) |
Art Department
| Loyd Bradley | ... | props (uncredited) |
| Morey Goodman | ... | leadman (uncredited) |
| Gene Lauritzen | ... | construction coordinator (uncredited) |
| Earl Olin | ... | props (uncredited) |
| Don Stalker | ... | stand-by painter (uncredited) |
Sound Department
| Charles Grenzbach | ... | sound recordist |
| John Wilkinson | ... | sound recordist |
| Howard Beals | ... | sound editor (uncredited) |
| A.D. Cook | ... | sound cableman (uncredited) |
| Bud Fehlman | ... | sound recordist (uncredited) |
| Rocky Nelson | ... | sound boom man (uncredited) |
Visual Effects by
| Farciot Edouart | ... | process photography |
| John P. Fulton | ... | special photographic effects |
Camera and Electrical Department
| W. Wallace Kelley | ... | photography: second unit |
| James Grant | ... | assistant camera (uncredited) |
| Julian Hilson | ... | assistant camera (uncredited) |
| James Knott | ... | camera operator (uncredited) |
| Loren Nutten | ... | best boy (uncredited) |
| Glen E. Richardson | ... | stills (uncredited) |
| Irmin Roberts | ... | photography: second unit (uncredited) |
| Herb Welts | ... | company grip (uncredited) |
| Stanley Williams | ... | gaffer (uncredited) |
Casting Department
| Bill Greenwald | ... | casting (uncredited) |
| Olive Long | ... | casting secretary (uncredited) |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
| Hazel Hegarty | ... | wardrobe woman (uncredited) |
| Joan Joseff | ... | costume jeweller (uncredited) |
| Robert Magahay | ... | costumer (uncredited) |
| John Noble | ... | wardrobe: man (uncredited) |
Music Department
| Red Nichols | ... | musician: Danny Kaye's trumpet solos |
| Leith Stevens | ... | conductor |
| Tommy Jones | ... | coach: cornet (uncredited) |
| Jean Vincent Plummer | ... | musician: piano (uncredited) |
| Sam Prager | ... | vocal coach (uncredited) |
| Troy Sanders | ... | music advisor (uncredited) |
| Jack Sperling | ... | musician: drums (uncredited) |
| Van Cleave | ... | orchestrator (uncredited) |
Script and Continuity Department
| Dorothy Yutzi | ... | script supervisor (uncredited) |
Additional Crew
| Earl Barton | ... | choreographer |
| Sylvia Fine | ... | associate to the producer |
| George Hoyningen-Huene | ... | titles created by (as Hoyningen-Huene) |
| Hal C. Kern | ... | production assistant |
| George Annan | ... | craft service (uncredited) |
| Len Hendry | ... | dialect coach (uncredited) |
| Jerome Hill | ... | secretary to producer (uncredited) |
| Muriel Jennings | ... | technical advisor (uncredited) |
| Grady Johnson | ... | unit publicist (uncredited) |
| Bob McElwaine | ... | publicist (uncredited) |
| Lizanne Truex | ... | assistant dance director (uncredited) |
Production Companies
Distributors
- Paramount Pictures (1959) (United States) (theatrical) (as A Paramount Release)
- Paramount Film Service (1959) (Canada) (theatrical)
- Paramount British Pictures (1959) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
- Paramount Film Service (1959) (Australia) (theatrical)
- Les Films Paramount (1960) (France) (theatrical)
- Film AB Paramount (1960) (Sweden) (theatrical)
- Paramount Pictures (1960) (Argentina) (theatrical)
- Paramount Pictures (1960) (West Germany) (theatrical)
- Warner Archive Collection (2013) (United States) (DVD) (Danny Kaye Double Feature)
- Paramount Pictures (1992) (United States) (VHS)
- Paramount Home Entertainment (2005) (United States) (DVD) (widescreen)
- Paramount Pictures Japan (1960) (Japan) (theatrical)
- NBC Universal Entertainment (2012) (Japan) (DVD)
- NHK Sôgô (1975) (Japan) (tv) (subtitled)
- NHK-BS2 (1998) (Japan) (tv)
- Paramount Channel (2020) (France) (tv)
- Paramount Home Entertainment (2014) (France) (DVD)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- Selmer (musical instruments by)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
Loring "Red" Nichols is a cornet-playing country boy who goes to New York in the 1920s full of musical ambition and principles. He gets a job playing in Wil Paradise's band, but quits to pursue his dream of playing Dixieland jazz. He forms the "Five Pennies" which features his wife, Bobbie, as vocalist. At the peak of his fame, Red and Bobbie's daughter, Dorothy, develops polio. Red quits the music business to move to Los Angeles where the climate is better for Dorothy. As Dorothy becomes a young teen, she learns of her father's musical past, and he is persuaded to open a small nightclub which is failing until some noted names from his past come to help out.
Written by Ray Hamel |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Genres | |
| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
| Certification |
|
Additional Details
| Also Known As |
|
| Runtime |
|
| Country | |
| Language | |
| Color | |
| Aspect Ratio |
|
| Sound Mix | |
| Filming Locations |
Did You Know?
| Trivia | While Danny Kaye worked hard to be able to accurately fake playing cornet (he practiced for months learning the fingering of the instrument), it was the real Red Nichols who provided all of the cornet playing for Kaye in this movie. See more » |
| Goofs | After Red and Willa have left the club and are traveling home, the cars seen through the rear window of the taxicab are distinctly 1940's to 1950's vehicles which were nonexistent in 1924. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Featured in Danny Kaye: A Legacy of Laughter (1996). See more » |
| Soundtracks | The Five Pennies See more » |
| Quotes |
Louis Armstrong:
Excuse it, folks. Somebody must have put alcohol in our liquor. See more » |