I've seen "Penny Serenade" on various channels over the years, and it seems the print quality is always the same, poor to unwatchable. I always assumed it was older than 1941 because of how bad it looked on TV. Has anyone ever seen a better print of this film? The last time I saw it was in December 2009 on TCM, and it wasn't grainy, but it was very unfocused and washed-out.
sharewest1800john-
I agree, the quality of available prints of "Penny Serenade" are indeed mediocre. The fact is it's in the public domain and VERY widely distributed. Columbia Pictures was the original distributor, but since it fell into the Public Domain...they most likely won't bother with a restoration. Columbia, and parent Company SONY do NOT restore their films the way say Warner/Turner usually does, it must not be lucrative enough for SONY. Perhaps the Library of Congress might do a restoration, but I find those subpar since they don't get adequate funding. Check out Columbia's "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town"...it's supposedly remastered and restored. Hmm..not to my expectations, but perhaps the source prints used weren't very good. In the meantime we have to make due.
"Self-sacrifice is the real miracle out of which all reported miracles grow"
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
All that has changed as of 2014. PENNY SERENADE is now available on Blu-ray and the print looks like it should. While it has a few blemishes it overall is beautiful.
sharei saw this airing on swedish television, that version atleast had pretty bad picture quality, shaky screen at times. funny as he said "my funny little redhead" since the movie is in b&w i had no idea she was a redhead. you hear how complicated adoption is, so at times you figure this is a dream sequence their about to wake up from, well one of them, both having the same dream would be weird, wouldnt it? "i had the same dream.... woooaaaa...!"(waynes world), sometimes the movie looks more like an instruction manual presentation before a cinema feature starts, movie runs on in a light comedy kind of way to turn dark and heavy. i've come to appreciate grant more now after hearing bill murray talk about him in an interview on tcm, and now i notice his background in dancing as well.
her mysterious female force,
got me in her control,
and i try to keep a balance,
a darlin i swear to god i dont dare to challenge,
something in her eye, her wavy hair of black,
i try to pay her no mind, and say i could just turn my back,
but i'm in your strange spell,
and once in it can't get out again.