Pal Joey (film)

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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.

1 Characters
2 Plot summary
3 Song list
4 See also
5 External link
6 Notes

[edit] Characters

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

[edit] Plot summary

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

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.

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.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] 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