The Joker Is Wild (1957)

Cast

Complete credited cast:
	Frank Sinatra	...	Joe E. Lewis
	Mitzi Gaynor	...	Martha Stewart
	Jeanne Crain	...	Letty Page
	Eddie Albert	...	Austin Mack
	Beverly Garland	...	Cassie Mack
	Jackie Coogan	...	Swifty Morgan
	Barry Kelley	...	Captain Hugh McCarthy
	Ted de Corsia	...	Georgie Parker
	Leonard Graves	...	Tim Coogan
	Valerie Allen	...	Flora, Chorine
	Hank Henry	...	Burlesque Comedian
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
	Ned Glass	...	Johnson (unconfirmed)

Storyline

Frank Sinatra plays Joe E. Lewis, a famous comedian of the 1930s-50s. When the movie opens, Lewis is a young, talented singer who performs in speakeasies. When he bolts one job for another, the mob boss who owns the first speakeasy has his thugs try to kill Lewis. Lewis survives, but his vocal cords are cut and he cannot sing. Several years later, his buddy tracks him down and tries to help him with little success. That attempt, though, leads to Lewis meeting Letty Page (Jeanne Crain). They fall in love and she inspires him to follow up on an offer to become a comedian (a result of his buddy's failed attempt to rejuvenate his singing career). Lewis has problems, though. The assault that nearly cost him his life also helped turn him into an alcoholic and an inveterate gambler. These two character defects become the basis for his act and help to make him a smash success. Unfortunately, they also work to wreak havoc in his personal life. Written by David Oboyski  

Details

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