Pal Joey
Pal Joey DVD
Directed by	George Sidney
Produced by	Fred Kohlmar
Written by	Dorothy Kingsley, screenplay from the play by John O'Hara
Starring	Frank Sinatra Rita Hayworth Kim Novak
Music by	Richard Rodgers Lorenz Hart
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)	October 25, 1957
Running time	109 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
IMDb profile

Pal Joey is a loosely adapted 1957 film version of the musical play of the same name; it stars Frank Sinatra, Kim Novak, and Rita Hayworth. The director is George Sidney and the choreographer is Hermes Pan. Considered by many critics as the definitive Frank Sinatra vehicle, Sinatra won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his role as Joey Evans. Geoge Sidney ( October 4, 1916 - May 5, 2002) was a prolific American film director, who directed many notable films, mostly for the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio. ... Fred Kohlmar (August 10, 1905 - October 13, 1969) was a New York City-born film producer. ... Dorothy Kingsley was one of the three co-writers of the movie script for Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. ... John Henry OHara (31 January 1905 – 11 April 1970) was an American writer. ... Francis Albert Sinatra (December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and Academy Award-winning actor, often cited as the finest male American popular song vocalist of the 20th century. ... Rita Hayworth (October 17, 1918 – May 14, 1987), was an American actress of Spanish and Irish descent who reached fame during the 1940s as the eras leading sex symbol. ... Kim Novak (born February 13, 1933) is an American actress. ... For more on his work with his two partners, see Rodgers and Hart and Rodgers and Hammerstein. ... Lorenz (Larry) Hart (May 2, 1895 - November 22, 1943) was the lyricist half of the famed Broadway songwriting team Rodgers and Hart. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Pal Joey Studio cast album 1950 Pal Joey is a 1940 Broadway musical by American writer John OHara, with music and lyrics by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. ... Francis Albert Sinatra (December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and Academy Award-winning actor, often cited as the finest male American popular song vocalist of the 20th century. ... Kim Novak (born February 13, 1933) is an American actress. ... Rita Hayworth (October 17, 1918 – May 14, 1987), was an American actress of Spanish and Irish descent who reached fame during the 1940s as the eras leading sex symbol. ... Geoge Sidney ( October 4, 1916 - May 5, 2002) was a prolific American film director, who directed many notable films, mostly for the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio. ... Fred Astaire and Hermes Pan working out a dance routine Hermes Pan (December 10, 1909 – September 19, 1990) was an American dancer and choreographer. ... Francis Albert Sinatra (December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and Academy Award-winning actor, often cited as the finest male American popular song vocalist of the 20th century. ... The Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association as a separate category in 1951. ...

Characters

• Vera Simpson -- Rita Hayworth
• Joey Evans -- Frank Sinatra
• Linda English -- Kim Novak
• Gladys -- Barbara Nichols
• Ned Galvin -- Bobby Sherwood

Rita Hayworth (October 17, 1918 – May 14, 1987), was an American actress of Spanish and Irish descent who reached fame during the 1940s as the eras leading sex symbol. ... Francis Albert Sinatra (December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and Academy Award-winning actor, often cited as the finest male American popular song vocalist of the 20th century. ... Kim Novak (born February 13, 1933) is an American actress. ... Barbara Nichols (December 30, 1929 - October 5, 1976) was an actress who was something of a cross between a sex symbol and a character actress, a voluptous and attractive woman who usually played brassy secondary comic roles in a number of major films in the 1950s and 1960s. ... This article should belong in one or more categories. ...

Plot summary

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 their 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. This happy ending contrasts with that of the stage musical, where Joey is left alone at the end. This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into seduction. ...

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. Photograph of Sally Rand, 1934. ...

Song list

Of the original 14 Rodgers and Hart songs, 8 remained, but with two as instrumental background, and four songs were added from other shows. ^[1]

• 1. Pal Joey: Main Title
• 2. That Terrific Rainbow --chorus girls and Linda English
• 3. I Didn't Know What Time It Was (introduced in the 1939 musical Too Many Girls)--Joey Evans
• 4. Do It the Hard Way -- orchestra and chorus girls
• 5. Great Big Town -- Joey Evans and chorus girls
• 6. There's a Small Hotel (introduced in the 1936 musical On Your Toes)-- Joey Evans
• 7. Zip -- Vera Simpson
• 8. I Could Write a Book -- Joey Evans and Linda English
• 9. The Lady Is a Tramp (introduced in the 1937 musical Babes in Arms)-- Joey Evans
• 10. Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered -- Vera Simpson
• 11. Plant You Now, Dig You Later -- orchestra
• 12. My Funny Valentine (introduced in the 1937 musical Babes in Arms)-- Linda English
• 13. You Mustn't Kick It Around -- orchestra
• 14. Strip Number --I Could Write a Book--Linda Evans
• 16. Dream Sequence and Finale: What Do I Care for a Dame/Bewitched/I Could -- Joey Evans

This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered is a popular song with lyrics by Lorenz Hart and music by Richard Rodgers. ... My Funny Valentine is a jazz standard, appearing on over 1300 albums performed by over 600 artists. ...

See also

Rodgers and Hart Rodgers and Hart was the songwriting team consisting of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. ...

External link

• Pal Joey on Internet Movie Database

Notes