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The Five Pennies is a 1959 American semi-biographical musical film starring Danny Kaye as jazz cornet player and bandleader Loring "Red" Nichols. Other cast members include Barbara Bel Geddes , Louis Armstrong , Harry Guardino , Bob Crosby , Bobby Troup , Susan Gordon , and Tuesday Weld .
In this film based on a true story, Red Nichols (Danny Kaye) moves from his small town to New York City to become a jazz musician. Although he experiences culture shock, he soon becomes well...
- (741)
- Melville Shavelson
- Musical
- Danny Kaye
The Five Pennies: Directed by Melville Shavelson. With Danny Kaye, Barbara Bel Geddes, Louis Armstrong, Harry Guardino. Danny Kaye cuts loose with his trademark musical clowning. Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong plays his horn and croons in that famed gargling-granite voice.
- (2.1K)
- Biography, Drama, Music
- Melville Shavelson
- 1959-08
The Five Pennies is based on the life of noted jazz musician Ernest Loring "Red" Nichols (1905-1965), who, after being taught to play the cornet by his father, began playing professionally at a young age. Influenced strongly by the "Dixieland" style of jazz, Nichols played in various bands before beginning to record and appear on his own in the ...
- Melville Shavelson
- Danny Kaye
The Five Pennies is a semi-biographical 1959 film starring Danny Kaye as cornet player and bandleader Loring Red Nichols. Other cast members includes Barbara Bel Geddes, Louis Armstrong, Harry Guardino, Bob Crosby, Bobby Troup, Susan Gordon, and Tuesday Weld. The film was directed by Melville Shavelson.
Benny Goodman. Gene Krupa. All bandleaders whose lives were turned into biopics. Yet they also shared another trait, for at sometime during their careers all were members of Red Nichol’s band The Five Pennies. Unlike them, Nichols’ biopic is not so much a showcase for his music as it is a vehicle for its lead actor.
The Five Pennies is a musical biopic of jazz great Red Nichols, who is here played by Danny Kaye. As the famed Dixieland cornetist, he runs into opposition to his sound, but breaks through barriers to achieve success.
