Pal Joey (1957)

Pal Joey
Directed by George Sidney
Written by Dorothy Kingsley from the musical play book by John O’Hara
1957/USA
Essex Productions/George Sidney Productions
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental

[box] Couldn’t sleep/ And wouldn’t sleep/ Until I could sleep where I shouldn’t sleep/ Bewitched, bothered and bewildered am I – “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered”, lyrics by Lorenz Hart[/box]

We get Rita Hayworth’s last film appearance, some great standards from
Sinatra, and Kim Novak at her most luscious all in one movie.  What’s not to like?

Joey Evans (Sinatra) is a total louse and great womanizer.  He is run out of one town for romancing the mayor’s daughter.  The train lets him off in San Francisco, a town that looks great in this movie.  He cons his way into a job as MC and singer in a mostly burlesque club in the Barbary Coast.  There he gets into the pants of most of the girls on the line, save Linda English (Novak), a good girl who wants to be a singer.  Joey ends up living next door to her and they become friends.

Joey is distracted from Linda’s charms when he sings at a gig in the home of the fabulously wealthy widow Vera Prentice-Simpson (Hayworth), who was a stripper before her marriage to the late Mr. Simpson.  Joey sets out to seduce Vera with his philosophy of women – treat a lady like a tramp and a tramp like a lady.  He misjudges Vera as the tramp type.  When he figures out she is a lady, he is much more successful.  Classic love triangle developments ensue.

Sinatra sings “There’s a Small Hotel”, “The Lady Is a Tramp” and “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was”, among other tunes, as only Sinatra can.  Plus we get “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered” and “My Funny Valentine” from the singers dubbing Hayworth and Novak, respectively.  This alone would have ensured I enjoyed the movie.  I also enjoyed the acting and the story.  This isn’t as highly rated by some but I am sticking to my guns.

Pal Joey was nominated for Academy Awards in the categories of Best Art Direction-Set Decoration; Best Costume Design; Best Sound, Recording; and Best Film Editing.