The Joker Is Wild
| The Joker is Wild | |
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| Directed by | Charles Vidor |
| Produced by | Samuel J. Briskin Charles Vidor (executive producer) |
| Written by | Art Cohn (book Life of Joe E. Lewis) Oscar Saul |
| Starring | Frank Sinatra Mitzi Gaynor Jeanne Crain Eddie Albert Beverly Garland Jackie Coogan |
| Music by | Chauncey Gray (song "Bye Bye Blues") Harry Harris (songs and parodies) Walter Scharf |
| Cinematography | Daniel L. Fapp |
| Editing by | Everett Douglas |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures (1957) |
| Release date(s) | September 26, 1957 (USA) |
| Running time | 126 min. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
The Joker is Wild, starring Frank Sinatra, Jeanne Crain, and Mitzi Gaynor is a 1957 movie which tells the story of Joe E. Lewis, a singer and comedian who was popular from the 1920s to the 1950s. Sinatra read Art Cohn's book The Joker is Wild: The Story of Joe E. Lewis during the mid-'50s, was immediately taken by the story, and bought the rights to the book even before the book was published.
Joe E. Lewis (Sinatra), a successful Chicago night-club entertainer is invited to work for the Mob during the Prohibition era. His refusal results in his face being slashed and his throat cut, preventing him from continuing with his current act as a singer.
Lewis soon develops an acerbic and witty sense of humor and is given a break as a stand-up comedian from singer Sophie Tucker (playing herself). Soon, Lewis makes a career for himself, but a self-destructive streak leads him to question his way of living and what his life has become.
This movie won the 1957 Academy Award for Best Original Song, whilst Sinatra actually become friends with the real Lewis who commented that "You (Sinatra) had more fun playing my life than I had living it."
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