Themes: Romantic Betrayal, Age Disparity Romance, Unrequited Love
Main Cast: Rita Hayworth, Frank Sinatra, Kim Novak, Barbara Nichols, Bobby Sherwood, Elizabeth Patterson, Barry Bernard
Release Year: 1957
Country: US
Run Time: 109 minutes
MPAA Rating: NR
Plot
The John O'Hara/Richard Rodgers/Lorenz Hart Broadway musical Pal Joey created quite a stir during its original theatrical run in 1940. Here we had a heel of a hero who sleeps with a wealthy older woman in order to realize his dream of owning his own nightclub, and who breaks the heart of the girl who truly loves him when she impedes his plans to get ahead. Blossom Time it wasn't. Due to the seamy nature of the plot and the double- and single-entendre song lyrics (especially the original words for "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered", which you aren't likely to hear on most mainstream recordings of this tune), Pal Joey could not be faithfully filmed back in the 1940s. Even this 1957 version, made at a time when movie censorship was beginning to relax, was extensively sanitized for public consumption. Ambitious singer/dancer Joey (Frank Sinatra) is still something of a louse, but a redeemable one. The relationship between Joey and his older benefactress Vera Simpson (Rita Hayworth, who was actually a few years younger than Sinatra) is one of implication rather than overt statement. And Joey's true love, chorine Linda English (Kim Novak), is as pure as the driven snow, who vehemently expresses distaste at having to perform a striptease. The Rodgers and Hart songs ("I Could Write a Book" the aforementioned "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered") which seemed so cynical and ironic back in 1940, are given the typically lush, luxurious Hollywood treatment (many of the tunes, notably "There's a Small Hotel", were borrowed from other Rodgers and Hart shows, a not uncommon practice of the time). Pal Joey is nice to look at and consummately performed, but don't expect the bite of the original play, or the John O'Hara short stories which preceded them. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
It took Pal Joey 17 years to get from Broadway to Hollywood, largely because the original source material was a little too racy for filming in 1940. The film still softens the story and characters a bit, but it maintains the tart, snappy flow of the dialogue. Indeed, Dorothy Kingsley's screenplay adds even more of that flip, smooth arrogance to the dialogue, even if structurally it's slightly weak. George Sidney directs in sleek style that perfectly complements the movie's star, Frank Sinatra. It's a classic Sinatra performance, detached and casual, which changes the character from the play's loser trying to play out of his league to someone who -- no matter what the script may say -- can take on anyone that comes his way. But as long as he's singing -- especially archetypal Sinatra songs such as "The Lady Is a Tramp" and "I Could Write a Book" -- such changes don't matter. He's matched by gorgeous Rita Hayworth alternating between fire and ice, and, even though dubbed, making "Zip" a riot and "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" steam up the screen. Kim Novak is game, but she doesn't stand much of a chance up against these two. The songs, by Rodgers & Hart, are absolutely first-rate, and they're presented here to their best advantage. Overall, Pal Joey is a stylish and winning musical presented with a great deal of panache. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Hank Henry - Mike Miggins; Robin Morse - Bartender; Frank Wilcox - Col. Langley; Pierre Watkin - Mr. Forsythe; Ellie Kent - Carol; Mara McAfee - Sabrina; Betty Utey - Patsy; Bek Nelson - Lola; Leon Alton - Printer Salesman; Maurice Argent; Tol Avery - Detective; Steve Benton - Electrician; George Chan - Chinese Pianist; Jean Corbett - Specialty Dance Double; George de Normand; Franklin Farnum - Person; Bess Flowers - Person; George Ford; Everett Glass - Pet Store Owner; John Hubbard - Stanley; Henry McCann - Shorty; Al Nalbandian; James Seay - Livingston; Frank Sully - Barker; Hermes Pan - Choreographer; Judy Dan - Hat Check Girl; Jane Chung - Flower Lady; Joseph Miksak; Oliver Cross; Gail Bonney - Heavy-Set Woman; George Nardelli - Headwaiter; Eddie Bartell; Sydney Chatton; Giselle D'Arc - Vera's Maid; Robert Anderson - Policeman; Michael Ferris - Tailor
Credit
Walter Holscher - Art Director, Hermes Pan - Choreography, Jean Louis - Costume Designer, Arthur S. Black, Jr. - First Assistant Director, George Sidney - Director, Viola Lawrence - Editor, Jerome Thoms - Editor, George Duning - Composer (Music Score), Nelson Riddle - Composer (Music Score), Morris W. Stoloff - Musical Direction/Supervision, Ben Lane - Makeup, Harold Lipstein - Cinematographer, Fred Kohlmar - Producer, Louis Diage - Set Designer, William Kiernan - Set Designer, John P. Livadary - Sound/Sound Designer, Dorothy Kingsley - Screenwriter, Lorenz Hart - From Musical by, Richard Rodgers - From Musical by, John O'Hara - From Musical by
Pal Joey is also one of Frank Sinatra's few post-From Here to Eternity movies in which he did not receive top-billing, Sinatra deciding himself to allow Rita Hayworth this honor stating, with regards to being billed "between" Hayworth and Novak, "That's a sandwich I don't mind being stuck in the middle of."
Along with being a strong box office success, Pal Joey also earned four Academy Award nominations and two Golden Globe nominations.
The setting is San Francisco; Joey Evans is a second-rate singer, a heel known for his womanizing ways, but charming and funny. When Joey meets Linda English, a naive chorus girl, he has stirrings of real feelings. However, that does not stop him from romancing a wealthy, willful, and lonely widow Vera Simpson, in order to convince her to finance his dream, "Chez Joey", a night club of his own. Soon Joey is involved with Vera, each using the other for his/her own somewhat selfish purposes. But Joey's feelings for Linda are growing. Ultimately, Vera jealously demands that Joey fire Linda. When Joey refuses ("Nobody owns Joey but Joey"), Vera closes down Chez Joey. Linda visits Vera and agrees to quit in an attempt to keep the club open. Vera then agrees to open the club, and even offers to marry Joey, but Joey rejects Vera. As Joey is leaving, Linda runs after him, offering to go wherever he is headed. After half-hearted refusals, Joey gives in and they walk away together, united.
Notes: The happy ending of the film contrasts with that of the stage musical, where Joey is left alone at the end.
The transformation of Joey into a "nice guy" departed from the stage musical, where Joey's character was notable for being the anti-hero.
The film varies from the stage musical in several other key points: the setting was changed from Chicago to San Francisco, and the stage Joey was a dancer. In the film, Vera Simpson is a widow and a former burlesque stripper and thus sings the burlesque take-off song "Zip". The lyrics to Vera's song "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" were changed. Linda became a naive chorus girl instead of a naive stenographer. The plot of the film drops a blackmail attempt and two roles prominent on stage were changed: Melba (a reporter) was dropped and Gladys became a minor character.
Song list
Of the original 14 Rodgers and Hart songs, eight remained, but with two as instrumental background, and four songs were added from other shows. [1]
Pal Joey: Main Title
"That Terrific Rainbow" - chorus girls and Linda English
"My Funny Valentine" (introduced in the 1937 musical Babes in Arms) - Linda English
"You Mustn't Kick It Around" - orchestra
Strip Number - "I Could Write a Book" -Linda Evans
Dream Sequence and Finale: "What Do I Care for a Dame"/"Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered"/"I Could Write a Book" - Joey Evans
Critical reception and box office
Opening to positive reviews on October 25th 1957, Pal Joey was an instant success with critics and the general public alike. The Variety review summarized: "Pal Joey is a strong, funny entertainment. Dorothy Kingsley's screenplay, from John O'Hara's book, is skillful rewriting, with colorful characters and solid story built around the Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart songs. Total of 14 tunes are intertwined with the plot, 10 of them being reprised from the original. Others by the same team of cleffers are 'I Didn't Know What Time It Was', 'The Lady Is a Tramp', 'There's a Small Hotel' and 'Funny Valentine'."[2]
The New York Times commented, "This is largely Mr. Sinatra's show...he projects a distinctly bouncy likeable personality into an unusual role. And his rendition of the top tunes, notably 'The Lady Is a Tramp' and 'Small Hotel,' gives added lustre to these indestructible standards."[3]
With box office rentals of $4.7 million, Pal Joey was ranked by Variety as one of the ten highest earning films of 1957.
