Pal Joey (1957)

Director:

George Sidney

Writers:

Dorothy Kingsley (screenplay)
John O'Hara (from the musical play book by)

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 | Fantasy Sequence | Backstage | Bathtub | Jealousy

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Rita Hayworth	...	Vera Prentice-Simpson
Frank Sinatra	...	Joey Evans
Kim Novak	...	Linda English
Barbara Nichols	...	Gladys
Bobby Sherwood	...	Ned Galvin
Hank Henry	...	Mike Miggins
Elizabeth Patterson	...	Mrs. Casey
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Franklyn Farnum	...	Guest at Charity Ball (scenes deleted)
Bess Flowers	...	Guest at Charity Ball (scenes deleted)
Pierre Watkin	...	Mr. Forsythe (scenes deleted)
Leon Alton	...	Printer Salesman (uncredited)
Isabel Analla	...	(uncredited)
Robert Anderson	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Maurice Argent	...	Second Tailor (uncredited)
Tol Avery	...	Detective (uncredited)
Rita Barrett	...	Stripper (uncredited)
Eddie Bartell	...	Barker (uncredited)
Steve Benton	...	Electrician (uncredited)
Barry Bernard	...	Vera's Butler (uncredited)
Gail Bonney	...	Heavyset Woman (uncredited)
Sue Boomer	...	Secretary (uncredited)
Paul Cesari	...	Pet Store Co-Owner (uncredited)
George Chan	...	Chinese Pianist (uncredited)
Barrie Chase	...	Dancer in Daydream Sequence (uncredited)
Sydney Chatton	...	Barker (uncredited)
Nellie Gee Ching	...	Chinese Dancer (uncredited)
Jane Chung	...	Flower Lady (uncredited)
Jean Corbett	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Oliver Cross	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Giselle D'Arc	...	Vera's Maid (uncredited)
Judy Dan	...	Hat Check Girl (uncredited)
Jules Davis	...	Red-Faced Man (uncredited)
George DeNormand	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Helen Elliot	...	Travelers' Aid (uncredited)
Elizabeth Fenton	...	Chinese Dancer (uncredited)
Michael Ferris	...	First Tailor (uncredited)
George Ford	...	Electrician (uncredited)
Allen Gin	...	Chinese Drummer (uncredited)
Everett Glass	...	Pet Store Owner (uncredited)
Bob Glenn	...	Sailor (uncredited)
Connie Graham	...	Stripper (uncredited)
Jo Ann Greer	...	Vera Simpson (singing voice) (uncredited)
Bobbie Jean Henson	...	Stripper (uncredited)
John Hubbard	...	Stanley (uncredited)
Ellie Kent	...	Carol (uncredited)
Cheryl Kubert	...	Girl Friend (uncredited)
Pat Lynn	...	Chinese Dancer (uncredited)
Wilbur Mack	...	Guest at Charity Ball (uncredited)
Ramon Martinez	...	Headwaiter (uncredited)
Mara McAfee	...	Sabrina (uncredited)
Henry McCann	...	Shorty (uncredited)
Philo McCullough	...	Guest at Charity Ball (uncredited)
Raymond A. McWalters	...	Army Captain (uncredited)
Joe Miksak	...	Barker (uncredited)
Ernesto Molinari	...	Tony the Chef (uncredited)
Robin Morse	...	Herb - Bartender (uncredited)
Jean Nakaba	...	Chinese Dancer (uncredited)
Al Nalbandian	...	Barker (uncredited)
George Nardelli	...	Headwaiter (uncredited)
Bek Nelson	...	Lola (uncredited)
Ilsa Ostroffsky	...	Stripper (uncredited)
Hermes Pan	...	Choreographer at Dress Rehearsal (uncredited)
Roberto Piperio	...	Waiter (uncredited)
'Snub' Pollard	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Edith Powell	...	Stripper (uncredited)
Jack Railey	...	Hot Dog Vendor (uncredited)
Mabel Rea	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Robert Reed	...	Boy Friend (uncredited)
Hermie Rose	...	Bald Club Owner (uncredited)
James Seay	...	Livingston (uncredited)
Howard Sigrist	...	Sidewalk Photographer (uncredited)
Jo Ann Smith	...	Stripper (uncredited)
Bert Stevens	...	Guest at Charity Ball (uncredited)
Trudy Stevens	...	Linda English (singing voice) (uncredited)
Genie Stone	...	Girl (uncredited)
Betty Utey	...	Patsy (uncredited)
Frank Wilcox	...	Col. Langley (uncredited)
Frank Wilimarth	...	Sidewalk Artist (uncredited)
Andrew Wong	...	Chinese Club Owner (uncredited)
Lessie Lynne Wong	...	Chinese Dancer (uncredited)
Barbara Yung	...	Chinese Dancer (uncredited)

Directed by
George Sidney

Writing credits
Dorothy Kingsley		(screenplay)
John O'Hara		(from the musical play book by)

Produced by
Fred Kohlmar	....	producer

Cinematography by
Harold Lipstein		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Viola Lawrence
Jerome Thoms

Art Direction by
Walter Holscher

Set Decoration by
Louis Diage
William Kiernan

Costume Design by
Jean Louis		(gowns)

Makeup Department
Helen Hunt	....	hair styles
Ben Lane	....	makeup artist
Robert J. Schiffer	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Arthur S. Black Jr.	....	assistant director (as Art Black)

Sound Department
Franklin Hansen	....	sound
John P. Livadary	....	recording supervisor (as John Livadary)

Camera and Electrical Department
Albert Bettcher	....	first assistant camera (uncredited)
Richard H. Kline	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Val O'Malley	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Ralph James Hall	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
George Duning	....	music adaptation
Lorenz Hart	....	lyrics by: from the musical play
Fred Karger	....	music advisor
Arthur Morton	....	orchestrator
Nelson Riddle	....	music adaptation
Nelson Riddle	....	music arranger
Richard Rodgers	....	music by: from the musical play
Morris Stoloff	....	conductor
Morris Stoloff	....	music supervisor
Liselotte Malkowsky	....	playback singer (uncredited)
Bill Miller	....	musician: piano (uncredited)
Paul Ernst Wilke	....	German lyrics (uncredited)

Other crew
George Abbott	....	produced on the stage by
Henri Jaffa	....	Technicolor color consultant
Hermes Pan	....	choreographer
Robert E. Blair	....	dog trainer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Essex Productions (as An Essex-George Sidney Production)
• George Sidney Productions (as An Essex-George Sidney Production)

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1957) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures Corporation (1957) (UK) (theatrical)
• Columbia Film-Verleih (1958) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Columbia Film-Verleih (1959) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (1989) (USA) (VHS)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2010) (USA) (DVD) (the Kim Novak collection)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2012) (Australia) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar (????) (Brazil) (DVD)
• LK-TEL Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Sunset Gower Studios  sound stages (uncredited)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:S | UK:PG (video rating) (1988) (2001) | USA:Approved (certificate #18727) | West Germany:18 (nf) | Iceland:L | UK:U (passed with cuts) | UK:U (tv rating)

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Essex Productions

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: When Linda is passed out on the bed, the position of her hips change from being twisted to flat between shots.

Quotes:

Joey Evans:After all, two years is a long time between... drinks.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Let's Dance (2009/II)

Soundtrack:

The Lady is a Tramp

John O'Hara, he could write a book

In his career Frank Sinatra did two film adaptions of Rodgers and Hart musicals. The first was Higher and Higher which was his first feature film speaking part. Pal Joey was the second and it is probably the greatest show Rodgers and Hart ever did.

When it debuted on Broadway in 1941 it got good, but not great reviews. But everyone loved the Rodgers and Hart score. Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered and I Could Write a Book were the big hits of the show and were retained for the film.

Pal Joey may have been ahead of its times. It was revived in 1951 and ran twice as long as it did in its original production. The reviews were far better. To say this is unusual is putting it mildly.

On Broadway, Joey Evans who we would now call a lounge lizard was played by Gene Kelly and in the revival by Harold Lang. The part really fit Sinatra perfectly. But the role had to be changed from a dancing part to a singing part. I believe that was the reason for the interpolation of other Rodgers and Hart songs in the film.

And Sinatra sings some good ones in Pal Joey. Added in for the filmgoers listening pleasure are There's A Small Hotel, I Didn't Know What Time It Was, and The Lady is a Tramp, the last one becoming a Sinatra standard in his live concerts. Movie singing don't get too much better than this.

Frank is an ambitious man of rather low morals who is caught between rich widow Rita Hayworth and ingenue Kim Novak. He loves Kim, but Rita can give him financial security. These are the kind of people that populate the John O'Hara world, very real and not too noble.

Although a few years later Frank Sinatra sang a concert version of Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered with a hundred piece orchestra for his Reprise record label, it is in fact a woman's song as is My Funny Valentine. Rita does Bewitched as well as Zip. The latter song is a tribute number to Gypsy Rose Lee as Rita plays an ex-stripper. My Funny Valentine is done by Kim Novak.

When I say done, both ladies mouthed the words, but the vocals were dubbed as they always were for Ms. Hayworth. And I guess that had to be because both Hayworth and Novak could never have had the parts done by the best of vocalists.

As Pal Joey came to the screen in 1957 along with The Joker is Wild, my favorite Sinatra film, I've always picked that year as the year Old Blue Eyes was at the height of his career. His acting is impeccable and his singing, some of the best he ever did on screen.