{"id":15808,"date":"2011-02-07T13:24:04","date_gmt":"2011-02-07T20:24:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=15808"},"modified":"2021-02-05T17:35:44","modified_gmt":"2021-02-06T00:35:44","slug":"penny-serenade-1941","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=15808","title":{"rendered":"Penny Serenade (1941)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;We don&#8217;t need each other anymore. When that happens to two people, there&#8217;s nothing left.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Penny-Serenade-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Penny-Serenade-Poster-192x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"192\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15809\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Penny-Serenade-Poster-192x300.jpg 192w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Penny-Serenade-Poster-82x128.jpg 82w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Penny-Serenade-Poster.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 192px) 100vw, 192px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA newly married couple (Cary Grant and Irene Dunne) experience the joys and heartaches of parenthood when they adopt a young baby (Jane Biffle).\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Adoption<\/li>\n<li>Beulah Bondi Films<\/li>\n<li>Cary Grant Films<\/li>\n<li>Flashback Films<\/li>\n<li>George Stevens Films<\/li>\n<li>Irene Dunne Films<\/li>\n<li>Marital Problems<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary accurately labels this classic soaper one of &#8220;Hollywood&#8217;s genuine tearjerkers&#8221; &#8212; a picture &#8220;so well made and acted that you&#8217;ll forgive being manipulated&#8221;.  He notes that it possesses &#8220;tremendous warmth&#8221; and &#8220;lots of humor&#8221; &#8212; most notably during the lengthy, remarkably insightful sequence in which &#8220;the new parents bring home their new family member and realize they don&#8217;t know the first thing about care of a baby&#8221; (how many neophyte parents do, really??). Indeed, I can&#8217;t recall any other classic film which so accurately (and humorously) pays attention to the small details of parenthood, from trepidation over shushing a fussy baby to genuine terror over how to give a slippery infant a bath. (NB: In perhaps the film&#8217;s BEST moment, family friend &#8220;Applejack&#8221; &#8212; Edgar Buchanan &#8212; steps in and literally rolls up his sleeves to help out, with remarkable aplomb). <\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s also fascinating, from an ethnographic perspective &#8212; albeit one undoubtedly whitewashed by Hollywood &#8212; to see how &#8220;easy&#8221;, relatively speaking, it was for childless couples to adopt a child back in the 1930s. While much of the narrative drama hinges on Grant and Dunne&#8217;s ability to adopt (and keep) their child, there&#8217;s still no comparing the process undergone here with the years of agonizing most American couples these days suffer through in their quest to build an adopted family. Along those lines, I&#8217;ll admit I couldn&#8217;t help feeling irritated by the sloppy handling of an essential plot &#8220;twist&#8221; towards the end of the film, involving whether or not Dunne and Grant will be able to keep their beloved new daughter; without giving too much of the plot away, I will ask, why wasn&#8217;t the highlighted concern taken much more seriously, much earlier on? <\/p>\n<p>But ultimately, it&#8217;s foolhardy to ask too many questions about a film designed purely as a heart-rending soaper. Indeed, while the film occasionally makes you &#8220;angry because [it] unabashedly milks the tears&#8221;, at least it possesses &#8220;characters&#8230; worth getting emotional about.&#8221; To that end, Cary Grant and Irene Dunne (both of whom Peary nominates as Best Actor\/Actress in his <em>Alternate Oscars<\/em> book) do indeed &#8220;give sensitive performances&#8221;. Also noteworthy are character actor Buchanan (an inspired casting choice) and Beulah Bondi (as the owner of the adoption agency where Grant and Dunne finally fulfill their dream of parenthood). <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Irene Dunne as Julie Adams<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Penny-Serenade-Dunne.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Penny-Serenade-Dunne-1024x640.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-15811\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Penny-Serenade-Dunne-1024x640.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Penny-Serenade-Dunne-128x80.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Penny-Serenade-Dunne-300x187.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Penny-Serenade-Dunne.png 1680w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Cary Grant as Roger Adams<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Penny-Serenade-Grant.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Penny-Serenade-Grant-1024x640.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-15812\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Penny-Serenade-Grant-1024x640.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Penny-Serenade-Grant-128x80.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Penny-Serenade-Grant-300x187.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Penny-Serenade-Grant.png 1680w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Edgar Buchanan as Applejack<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Penny-Serenade-Buchanan.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Penny-Serenade-Buchanan-1024x640.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-15814\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Penny-Serenade-Buchanan-1024x640.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Penny-Serenade-Buchanan-128x80.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Penny-Serenade-Buchanan-300x187.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Penny-Serenade-Buchanan.png 1680w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Beulah Bondi as Miss Oliver<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Penny-Serenade-Bondi.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Penny-Serenade-Bondi-1024x640.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-15850\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Penny-Serenade-Bondi-1024x640.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Penny-Serenade-Bondi-128x80.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Penny-Serenade-Bondi-300x187.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Penny-Serenade-Bondi.png 1680w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>The humorous, insightful &#8220;newborn&#8221; scenes<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Penny-Serenade-Newborn.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Penny-Serenade-Newborn-1024x640.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-15815\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Penny-Serenade-Newborn-1024x640.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Penny-Serenade-Newborn-128x80.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Penny-Serenade-Newborn-300x187.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Penny-Serenade-Newborn.png 1680w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as a classic soaper.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Genuine Classic<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0034012\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1941\/05\/23\/archives\/cary-grant-and-irene-dunne-play-a-penny-serenade-at-the-music-hall.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/5818\/penny-serenade#articles-reviews?articleId=64047\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.chicagoreader.com\/chicago\/penny-serenade\/Film?oid=1048090\">Chicago Reader Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/penny-serenade\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;We don&#8217;t need each other anymore. When that happens to two people, there&#8217;s nothing left.&#8221; Synopsis: A newly married couple (Cary Grant and Irene Dunne) experience the joys and heartaches of parenthood when they adopt a young baby (Jane Biffle). Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Adoption Beulah Bondi Films Cary Grant Films Flashback Films George Stevens Films Irene Dunne Films Marital Problems Response to Peary\u2019s Review: Peary accurately labels this classic soaper one of &#8220;Hollywood&#8217;s genuine tearjerkers&#8221; &#8212; a picture&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=15808\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15808","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15808","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15808"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15808\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":69050,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15808\/revisions\/69050"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15808"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15808"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15808"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}