Pal Joey (1957)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

George Sidney

Writers:

Dorothy Kingsley (screenplay) and
John O'Hara (book)

Release Date:

25 October 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

From Your Pal, Columbia!

Plot:

Joey Evans is charming, handsome, funny, talented, and a first class, A-number-one heel. When Joey meets...

Plot Keywords:

Chorus Girl | Womanizer | Charity Auction | Jealousy | Striptease

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Rita Hayworth	...	Vera Simpson
Frank Sinatra	...	Joey Evans
Kim Novak	...	Linda English
Barbara Nichols	...	Gladys
Bobby Sherwood	...	Ned Galvin
Hank Henry	...	Mike Miggins
Elizabeth Patterson	...	Mrs. Casey

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:PG | Finland:S | UK:PG | USA:Approved | West Germany:6

Filming Locations:

Berkeley Train Station - 4th Street and University Avenue, Berkeley, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Billy Wilder was the original choice to direct. He discussed it with Columbia studio head Harry Cohn over lunch one day. Not only did Cohn turn down him as director, but he later sent Wilder a bill for their lunch.

Goofs:

Continuity: After she stops Joey giving Snuff a chicken leg, Linda picks up her skirt with both hands to sit. The following shot shows her sitting with her hands leaning on the table.

Quotes:

Vera Simpson: Who's she?
Joey Evans: She's just a mouse.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Glamour à Hollywood par George Sidney (2002)

Soundtrack:

Plant You Now, Dig You Later

Watered-down 'Joey', but still thirst-quenching

It took 17 years for the play PAL JOEY to reach the screen, and even though this 'Joey' is watered-down, the film is still thirst-quenching to first time viewers. The differences between play and film have been exaggerated. San Francisco (film) and Chicago (play) are related. What does grate on people who "know the score",in both senses, is the loss of half the stage songs to background music. They are wonderful and I can- not see why Frank Sinatra wouldn't have begged to sing them. I think that Rita Hayworth, sadly aging (at 39 she looked 49), is extremely underrated as 'Vera'. Here again, Rita lost out on a beautiful and witty stage song "What Is a Man"? cut altogether. Overall this IS a good film, and George Sidney (as elaborated on in a splendid biography by author Eric Monder) remains an ignored director. Sidney's films, in truth, contain some amazing technical shots and visually beautiful compositions. I refer interested viewers to rediscover the superb and near-dirty stage score of PAL JOEY (check out the 1952 'Studio' CD with Jane Froman, which I prefer). As to a remake, my choice for 'Joey'... Jerry Seinfeld (hope he can sing 'Rodgers'n Hart').