Penny Serenade

Penny Serenade (1941) starring Cary Grant, Irene Dunne

Synopsis of Penny Serenade

Penny Serenade is a sentimental journey through the years with a married couple. Cary Grant and Irene Dunne adopt a baby after their unborn baby dies. Years later, Dunne contemplates divorce, recollecting the joys and griefs she has shared with her husband.. Cary Grant received a Best Actor nomination as the husband.

Editorial review of Penny Serenade courtesy of Amazon.com

Julie Adams is leaving her husband Roger for good when she pauses to put an old record on the phonograph. While the tune “Penny Serenade” plays, she reminisces about their courtship and long marriage. On their honeymoon in Japan, Julie is almost killed in the great earthquake of 1923. Although she survives, she learns that she will never be able to bear children. The couple overcome tremendous obstacles as they try to adopt. With the help of a sympathetic adoption agency officer, a baby girl comes into their life. But unimaginable tragedy threatens to tear their happy home apart.

Screen legends Cary Grant and Irene Dunne headline a cast that features powerful supporting performances by Beulah Bondi and Edgar Buchanan. One of Hollywood’s greatest directors, George Stevens won Academy Awards for A Place In The Sun (1951) and Shane (1953). The long list of towering classics helmed by the brilliant Stevens includes Gunga Din (1939), Woman Of The Year (1942), Giant (1956), The Diary Of Anne Frank (1959) and The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965).

Cast of characters

• Irene Dunne (Joy of Living, Life with Father) … Julie Gardiner
• Cary Grant (The Bishop’s Wife, Arsenic and Old Lace) … Roger Adams
• Beulah Bondi (On Borrowed Time, Vivacious Lady) … Miss Oliver
• Edgar Buchanan (Move Over Darling, Petticoat Junction) … Applejack
• Ann Doran (You Can’t Take It With You, It! The Terror from Beyond Space) … Dotty
• Eva Lee Kuney … Trina (at the Age of 6 Years)
• Leonard Willey … Doctor Hartley
• Wallis Clark (Blondie Meets the Boss) … Judge
• Walter Soderling (Blondie Meets the Boss) … Billings