Pal Joey (1957)

Three Great Stars, Superb Music
"Pal Joey," (1957), a dramatic musical romance, is a product of Harry Cohn's Columbia Studio, a fact easily gleaned by a quick glance at the movie itself; while it's in Technicolor, the colors themselves are not nearly so saturated as is the signature palette of rival Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios. The movie, as was common at the time, was based upon the 1940 Broadway hit of the same name that made a star of Gene Kelly. That play was based upon a series of fictional letters from "Your Pal Joey," written by noted American writer John O'Hara, and published in "The New Yorker." O'Hara wrote the play's book; Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart provided the all-grown up music; George Abbott produced and directed. The still knocking them dead Elaine Stritch created that nifty song "Zip," on Broadway, where it was given to "The Reporter," rather than the Vera Simpson character.

What was rather unusual about "Pal Joey" was that it took 15 years to get to the screen, owing to the fact that the play was more cynical, and risqué, than was permissible in Hollywood at the time. And a lot can change in 15 years. Anyway, the witty screen adaptation, somewhat sanitized, given a Hollywood happy ending, but still sailing pretty close to the wind, was by Dorothy Kingsley, nimble direction was by the under-appreciated George Sidney.

But the hard-edged director Billy Wilder was said to be Cohn's first directorial choice; they say studio mogul and director went to lunch to discuss it - and at the end of lunch, Wilder was not only not given the job, but was given the bill. Gene Kelly and Rita Hayworth had impressed Cohn by their work together in the 1944 hit,"Covergirl," and the studio chief promised them another picture together, expected to be "Pal Joey." But those 15 years went by, and Kelly was under contract to MGM. So Cohn thought of Jack Lemmon. Cohn initially thought of Marlene Dietrich for the Simpson role, characterized as an older woman, but Dietrich wouldn't take it. However, she suggested Frank Sinatra for the title role, Joey Evans. Meanwhile, Rita Hayworth, who was Columbia's reigning sex symbol at the time, and had expected to play Linda English, the ingénue, aged rapidly, unfortunately. She was just 39 at filming, actually three years younger than Sinatra, but had to take the Vera Simpson, older woman part. The younger woman's part was given to Kim Novak, the studio's rising sex symbol. Barbara Nichols played Gladys Bump, chorus girl comic relief.

Setting of the movie was moved from Chicago to San Francisco, so much more picturesque, and Novak somehow looked so good there. The movie picked up several great songs from the play: "If They Asked Me, I Could Write a Book," and "Bewitched, Bothered and "Bewildered," the play's biggest hits. Also, for sure, "My Funny Valentine," and "Zip," a homage to Gypsy Rose Lee. Several of the play's songs were considered still too risqué, and were replaced by other works of Rodgers and Hart, "There's a Small Hotel," "I Didn't Know What Time It was," and "The Lady Is a Tramp." Some knowledgeable reviewers complain about the songs missing from the play; but these replacements each became at least as popular as the tunes written for that play. Musical arrangements were by Sinatra's frequent collaborator, Nelson Riddle. The part had to be somewhat rewritten for Sinatra, of course, emphasis changed from dancing to singing. But he sang his own songs; he was at his peak, and the songs, as the part, might really have been tailored to him. Neither Hayworth nor Novak could sing: they were dubbed.

The plot's pretty well-known: Joey's a womanizing nightclub singer. When he ventures beyond no-fault chorines to mayor's daughters, he finds himself hurriedly leaving towns. He finds himself in San Francisco, where he digs up an old friend who'll give him a job. Also ambitious chorus girl Linda English, who initially wants nothing to do with him. And Vera Simpson, retired stripper, married well, now rich older society dame. Without a word, by sheer dint of good acting, a back-story romance between Evans and Simpson is implied. Anyway, Evans becomes Simpson's protégée, as the movie called it; she agrees to finance his own, ritzy nightclub. But the lovers' triangle, Evans, Simpson, English, between the stars, creates great instability.

Hayworth, wrinkles and all, is still gorgeous; the young Novak, who would not be as much of a favorite with succeeding generations, is very beautiful. In their last scene together, so brief as to be almost subliminal, Hayworth is just haunting. Sinatra won a Golden Globe for his work; the movie was nominated for four Oscars, and picked up four further awards. It was undoubtedly sanitized, but it's still unusually grown-up for its time. It has many memorable, evergreen musical numbers, and three outstanding actors. They really don't come much better.

Wowweewowwow!
Despite its Broadway success, Pal Joey took his time reaching thescreen. Gene Kelly came to fame in the title role in the original Broadway production of Pal Joey and was the logical first choice for the screen version but when MGM would not lend him out the project sat on the backburner so long that his intended co-star Rita Hayworth swapped female roles to play the older woman who bankrolls Joey's club - on her terms - by the time the film finally reached the screen in 1957.

One of the few Columbia musicals that creates some of its own magic rather than trying to copy the RKO and MGM formula, Sinatra is so perfect as John O'Hara's heel that it is now impossible to imagine Kelly in the role. Not all of the Rodgers and Hart's songs are well served - some, such as I Didn't Know What Time It Was, are all but thrown away - but the score is a strong one (The Lady Is A Tramp, Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered, If They Asked Me I Could Write A Book ) and the film is one of the few successful Broadway-to-screen transfers of its day. Great dog too.

The only real extra is the original five-minute trailer, but it's a gem. Filmed on the film's set, with Sinatra introducing us to Joey's vocabulary with the aid of a blackboard and ruler, it's terrific fun and a genuine collector's item!

Wowweewowwow!
Despite its Broadway success, Pal Joey took his time reaching thescreen. Gene Kelly came to fame in the title role in the original Broadway production of Pal Joey and was the logical first choice for the screen version but when MGM would not lend him out the project sat on the backburner so long that his intended co-star Rita Hayworth swapped female roles to play the older woman who bankrolls Joey's club - on her terms - by the time the film finally reached the screen in 1957.

One of the few Columbia musicals that creates some of its own magic rather than trying to copy the RKO and MGM formula, Sinatra is so perfect as John O'Hara's heel that it is now impossible to imagine Kelly in the role. Not all of the Rodgers and Hart's songs are well served - some, such as I Didn't Know What Time It Was, are all but thrown away - but the score is a strong one (The Lady Is A Tramp, Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered, If They Asked Me I Could Write A Book ) and the film is one of the few successful Broadway-to-screen transfers of its day. Great dog too.

The only real extra is the original five-minute trailer, but it's a gem. Filmed on the film's set, with Sinatra introducing us to Joey's vocabulary with the aid of a blackboard and ruler, it's terrific fun and a genuine collector's item!