Product Details

• Actors: Cary Grant, Irene Dunn
• Directors: Unkn
• Format: Full Screen, NTSC
• Region: All Regions
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: Unrated
• Studio: Digiview
• DVD Release Date: January 1, 1941
• Run Time: 120 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0007WPX12
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #67,482 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

As Julie prepares to leave her husband Roger, she begins to play through a stack of recordings, each of which reminds her of events in their lives together. One of them is the song that was playing when she and Roger first met in a music store. Other songs remind her of their courtship, their marriage, their desire for a child, and the joys and sorrows that they have shared. A flood of memories comes back to her as she ponders their present problems and how they arose.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE POWER OF MUSIC..., October 30, 2005

By	Lawyeraau (Balmoral Castle) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

This is a wonderfully sentimental melodrama, which is deftly directed by the venerable George Stevens. With its stellar cast, the film delivers a heartwarming story.

The film opens onto a scene of a woman, Julie Adams (Irene Dunne), who is in the process of leaving her beloved husband, Roger (Cary Grant). It seems that they are no longer able to communicate with one another, and their marriage has headed south in the wake of tragedy. Before she leaves, Julie puts a record album on the victrola, and suddenly memories of the marriage come flooding back.

The viewer sees vignettes from the marriage in flashback, as Julie plays one old record after another. The memories allow the viewer to see how the formerly happy couple met. Fittingly, they met in a record store where Julie worked. Roger was a newspaper reporter at the time. Their meeting was quite romantic, and, of course, inevitably, they marry.

When Roger is sent on assignment to Japan, Julie follows but so does tragedy. They return to the states and settle in the small town of Rosalia, California, where Roger tries his hand at publishing a small hometown newspaper. As a result of what happened in Japan, however, they are unable to have children. Consequently, a small cloud looms on their marital horizon, only to be righted by their long time friend with the improbable name of Applejack Carney (Edgar Buchanan).

Roger and Julie decide to adopt and do so with the help of a Ms. Oliver (Beulah Bondi), a kindly woman who is able to see the love that Julie and Roger would bring to a child in need of a home. So, five week old Trina comes into their lives and burrows into their hearts. There, she stays until tragedy, once again, strikes the household years later. This tragedy serves to bring the now unhappy couple to this impasse in their lives.

Irene Dunne is simply sensational in the role of Julie, the woman who is the mainstay in the lives of those around her. She imbues the role with such warmth and emotion that the viewer can feel those emotions with her. Trust me when I tell you that you will need a box of tissues handy. It is definitely a five hanky tearjerker. Cary Grant, looking impossibly handsome, is wonderfully cast as the impulsive, easygoing, and impecunious Roger, who is brought down to terra firma by his well grounded wife, Julie, and finds happiness that he never thought possible when he became Trina's father.

Edgar Buchanan is heartwarming as the friend and general factotum who is always around to pick up the pieces and help right what has gone wrong. Beulah Bondi is terrific as the well-meaning Ms. Oliver, who helps the Adams family achieve their dream. There are several children who play Trina at different stages in her life. All are wonderful, but the most adorable one is the one who plays the role of one year old Trina (Baby Jane Biffle). The viewer will understand fully why her adoptive parents are so besotted by her. This is a wonderful melodrama that will tug at one's heartstrings. Beautifully acted and well-directed, this film is a gem.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Heartwarming classic!, March 25, 2008

By	classicmoviefan (USA) - See all my reviews

Penny Serenade was one of three movies Cary Grant and Irene Dunne made together (the other two were "My Favorite Wife" and "The Awful Truth"). Cary Grant was nominated for a Best Actor Academy Award for this movie.
The story is very sweet, yet heartfelt and sad.
Cary Grant and Irene Dunne are newlyweds Roger and Julie Adams, who move to Japan where Roger has a job as a newspaperman. During a earthquake, Julie gets injured which results in a miscarriage. Heartbroken, the couple return to the states where Roger sets up his own newspaper business. They decide to ease there loss by applying to adopt a child - and they get a six week old baby girl they name Trina. (You almost see a whole new fatherly side to Cary Grant in this movie.) Trina becomes very attached to her daddy and they finally get to adopt her for good.
Several years later, Trina dies from a sudden illness leaving her parents heartbroken yet again. Their marriages starts to crumble as Roger is so overcome by grief over his little girls death.

But just at the right moment they get a call...

(And you'll have to see it!)

5.0 out of 5 stars A WONDERFUL ADOPTION STORY !!!, May 13, 2007

By	THE BEST OF BONNIE "BONNIE" (TAUNTON,MA) - See all my reviews

THIS BRINGS ME BACK TO WHEN I WAS ADOPTED. IT SHOWS THE VERY PROFOUND LOVE OF A COUPLE WANTING TO ADOPT A BABY!!! VERY EMOTIONAL !!! A MUST !!!