Pennies from Heaven (1981)
- Starring:
- Steve Martin, Bernadette Peters, (more)
- Director(s):
- Herbert Ross
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- R
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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
- Theatrical Feature Running Time:
- 107 mins
Complete Cast:
- Steve Martin - Arthur
- Christopher Walken - Tom
- John McMartin - Mr. Warner
- Robert Fitch - Al
- William Frankfather - Pool Player
- Karla Bush - Bank Secretary
- Robin Hoff - Bank Secretary
- Will Hare - Father Everson
- Joe E. Ross - Bank Teller
- M.C. Gainey - Young Policeman
- Thomas Rall - Ed
- Raleigh Bond - Mr. Barrett
- Twink Caplan - Bank Customer
- Shirley Kirks - Tart
- Paul Valentine - Bar Patron
- Gene Ross - Bank Teller
- Nancy Parsons - Old Whore
- Wayne Storm - Bank Guard
- Jay Garner - Banker
- James Mendenhall - Warden
- Robert Lee Jarvis - Policeman
- Bernadette Peters - Eileen
- Jessica Harper - Joan
- John Karlen - The Detective
- Eliska Krupka - The Blind Girl
- George Wilbur - Motorcycle Police
- Luke Andreas - Customer
- Vernel Bagneris - Accordion man
- Arell Blanton - Motorcycle Police
- Gloria Le Roy - Prostitute
- John Craig - Bar Patron
- Richard Blum - Pool Player
- Jack Fletcher - Elevator Operator
- Duke Stroud - Counterman
- Alton Ruff - Bar Patron
- Joshua Cadman - Jumbo
- Joseph Medalis - Counterman
- Greg Finley - Bank Teller
- Dave Adams - Bank Teller
- Frank McCarthy - Bartender
- Jim Boeke - Hangman
- Director(s):
- Herbert Ross
- Writer(s):
- Dennis Potter
- Producer(s):
- Nora Kaye, Herbert Ross
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- R(Violence, Not For Children, Sexual Situations)
- Closed Captioning:
- Check All Versions
- Subtitles:
- Check All Versions
- 1981 - Pennies from Heaven - Hollywood Foreign Press Association - Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
