Penny Serenade1941Penny Serenade
1941
About to leave her husband, Julie plays a stack of old records, and each song brings back part of their marriage. There's their courtship, an earthquake in Japan, a struggling newspaper, and the little girl they adopt.
For children old enough to talk it through: sustained intensity, or language or sexual content that Common Sense Media rates 7–9.
Why it’s here
A marriage nearly broken by grief is restored. Adoption is honored as a gift, and Cary Grant's plea to the judge is one of the most moving pictures of a father's love on film.
Context notes
For parents, before you press play.
Julie miscarries after an earthquake, and their adopted daughter dies of a sudden illness, so the grief is heavy. Julie means to leave Roger at the start, but the film moves them toward reconciliation, not separation, which is worth pointing out.
Penny Serenade (1941)
Discussion questions
When the credits end, go around the room. Each person gives the film a score out of ten and says why.
- Why was Julie leaving at the start?
- What did Roger say to the judge, and why did it matter?
- How did the records help Julie remember?
- What brought them back together?
Content advisory
Dove (12+) and WebSearch synthesis: a miscarriage after an earthquake and the off-screen death of a child; grief; social drinking.
Trailer
Best edition
The disc comes first.
Penny Serenade Blu-ray
Blu-ray · August 27, 2013
Coming later
Where to stream
Streaming services are not listed yet. When they are, this note stays secondary to the disc.