Party Girl (1958)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Nicholas Ray

Writers:

Leo Katcher (story)
George Wells (writer)

Release Date:

28 October 1958 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Film-Noir

Tagline:

ROUGH AND READY! THE TRUTH ABOUT THE 'MODELS,' 'ACTRESSES' AND 'DANCERS' WHO PLAY WITH FIRE...AND OFTEN GET BURNED! (original print ad - all caps)

Plot:

Lawyer Thomas Farrell has made a career defending crooks in trials. He has never realised that there is a downside to his success...

Plot Keywords:

Trial | Dancer | Beautiful Woman | Cripple | Gangster

Cast

Robert Taylor	...	Thomas 'Tommy' Farrell
Cyd Charisse	...	Vicki Gaye
Lee J. Cobb	...	Rico Angelo
John Ireland	...	Louis Canetto
Kent Smith	...	Jeffrey Stewart
Claire Kelly	...	Genevieve, Farrell's Wife
Corey Allen	...	Cookie La Motte
Lewis Charles	...	Danny Rimett, Golden Rooster Mgr.
David Opatoshu	...	Lou Forbes, Farrell's Assistant
Kem Dibbs	...	Joey Vulner, Rico's Mgr.
Patrick McVey	...	O'Malley, Detective
Barbara Lang	...	Ginger D'Amour, Party Girl
Myrna Hansen	...	Joy Hampton, Party Girl
Betty Utey	...	Cindy Consuelo, Party Girl

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Australia:G (TV rating) | West Germany:18 (nf) | Norway:16 | Finland:K-16

Company:

Euterpe

Trivia:

Director Nicholas Ray was certainly impressed with Robert Taylor's commitment. "He worked for me like a true Method actor," said Ray, who remembered Taylor going to an osteologist, poring over X-rays and asking probing questions so that he would have an understanding of where in his body the pain would be from his character's crippled leg.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Destination Hitchcock: The Making of 'North by Northwest' (2000) (V)

Soundtrack:

Party Girl

The Most Colorful Film "Noir" Ever

This is a late 50's gangsters movie in the line of the classical film "noires" of the 40's. The remarkable aspect here is that "Party Girl" is perhaps one of the most colorful movies ever made in the genre and perhaps out of it too. Right from the start and as a background for the titles there's an all color dancing sequence and from them on color is all around including bright red dresses Cyd Charisse wears throughout the entire film.

But beautiful color aside, Nicholas Ray ("King of Kings", "55 Days in Peking") delivers an interesting and entertaining gangsters movie about a crippled "Mafia" lawyer (Robert Taylor) -a sort of predecessor of "The Godfather"'s Tom Hagen- gets involved with a cabaret dancer (Cyd Charisse) and they try to start a new life together far from the man's dangerous clients; but the big man (Lee J. Cobb) is not willing to set Taylor free because he is a genius in his work that can keep him away from the electric chair and also because the lawyer "knows too much".

There's a fine performance by Taylor as the bitter-ed attorney and also by beautiful and "classy" Charisse who also has the chance of exhibiting her undeniable dancing skills (and her famous legs too). Cobb is perfect in a role with no secrets for him pretty much like the one he played before in the classic "On the Waterfront" and a year later in "The Trap". John Ireland and Kent Smith complete the main cast.

Though not perhaps a great film -not much action sequences for the genre- "Party Girl" stands as a good one in its line worth watching no doubt.