the original 1978 british tv miniseries penny from heaven be such an outstanding production that it seem pointless to make a truncated feature film version . the only way a new version would succeed would be if potter scenario be give a different interpretation that would provide a new perspective on the story of depression era salesman arthur parker passionate belief in the sunny lyric of the song he market despite his bleak life . in fairness to the feature and the american producer do attempt to give their version of penny a new spin . whereas the miniseries take place in england and the movie be set in the united state and specifically chicago . the british version emphasize the song emotional resonance in the character life while when they lip synched them and they generally remain in their ordinary setting . the american version and on the other hand and stress how remove the song be from the character brutal reality while when they lip synch them and they generally find themselves in opulent hollywood style musical production . thus when the character stop lip synching and resume their dreary existence and the effect be more jarring than in the miniseries version . but what make the british version so wonderful be that despite the drama unrelenting grimness and it be truly heartrending . one be move by the hope and struggle of arthur parker and the other character . by comparison and the drama in the american version have little soul . one problem be that because potter original story have be retrench and important character have be diminish . the accordion man and a haunting and tragic personage in the british version ( beautifully play by kenneth colley ) who function in a way a arthur alter ego and be reduce to an incidental figure ( vernel bagneris here ) in the american version . another problem be that while most of the performance in the feature version be professional and they can not match the sterling performance in the tv version . a arthur wife joan and jessica harper possess the necessary prissiness and bitterness and but lack the vulnerability which make gemma craven performance in the original version so affect . only bernadette peter a eileen everson and christopher walken a the pimp tom contribute notable performance that measure up to the original miniseries . but steve martin in the central role of arthur parker be the film great liability . his effort be earnest but he fail to capture the character essence . if the feature version be completely original and it would emerge a a fairly successful dramatization and save for martin miscasting and of the disturb clash between musical fantasy and depression era reality . but since this film be a remake of a tv miniseries and it reveal itself a a dim shadow of a brilliant melodrama .