Some jazz musician bio-pics, The Glenn Miller Story, The Benny Goodman Story - fit where they touch but offer nostalgic largesse via their soundtracks; others - Drum Crazy, The Fabulous Dorseys - verge on the risible and recently with Bolden a new category emerged, surreal. The Five Pennies fits where it touches but as Nichols didn't originate any major hit records the soundtrack is largely down to Mrs Danny Kaye, songwriter Sylvia Fine who weighs in with a couple of easy listening entries via the titles song and Lullaby In Ragtime. As the eponymous Nichols Danny Kaye plays himself for 95 per cent of the time, throwing in a couple of tries at straight drama as required. As the faithful wife Barbara Bel Geddes is much easier to take than the saccherine June Allyson in the Miller bio-pic and it's a pleasant enough time-waster.
Review of The Five Pennies
