Pal Joey poster & wallpaper

Barbara Nichols, Bobby Sherwood, Elizabeth Patterson

The John O'Hara/Richard Rodgers/Lorenz Hart Broadway musical Pal Joey created quite a stir during its original theatrical run in 1940. Here we had a heel of a hero who sleeps with a wealthy older woma...( read more  read more... )n in order to realize his dream of owning his own nightclub, and who breaks the heart of the girl who truly loves him when she impedes his plans to get ahead. Blossom Time it wasn't. Due to the seamy nature of the plot and the double- and single-entendre song lyrics (especially the original words for Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered, which you aren't likely to hear on most mainstream recordings of this tune), Pal Joey could not be faithfully filmed back in the 1940s. Even this 1957 version, made at a time when movie censorship was beginning to relax, was extensively sanitized for public consumption. Ambitious singer/dancer Joey (Frank Sinatra) is still something of a louse, but a redeemable one. The relationship between Joey and his older benefactress Vera Simpson (Rita Hayworth, who was actually a few years younger than Sinatra) is one of implication rather than overt statement. And Joey's true love, chorine Linda English (Kim Novak), is as pure as the driven snow, who vehemently expresses distaste at having to perform a striptease. The Rodgers and Hart songs (I Could Write a Book the aforementioned Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered) which seemed so cynical and ironic back in 1940, are given the typically lush, luxurious Hollywood treatment (many of the tunes, notably There's a Small Hotel, were borrowed from other Rodgers and Hart shows, a not uncommon practice of the time). Pal Joey is nice to look at and consummately performed, but don't expect the bite of the original play, or the John O'Hara short stories which preceded them.~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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72% liked it

2,200 ratings

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71% liked it

7 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 51 min.

Directed by: George Sidney (I)

Release Date: January 1, 1957

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DVD Release Date: December 14, 1999

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Flixster Reviews (111)

  • organgrinder136
    October 10, 2009
    organgrinder136
    another effort that never quite hits the mark. it's got some great light-hearted comedy moments but it's an effort in itself to watch it at times because as far as musicals go the numbers aren't memorable, only dry and dull. i've read someone elses comments below saying it's a li...( read more)ght hearted moulin rouge. moulin rouge was shit too!
  • wellmeetagain
    August 30, 2007
    wellmeetagain
    a pleasant surprise. loved hearing "my funny valentine".
  • Fragglefreak
    December 21, 2007
    Fragglefreak
    Probably better as a musical then a lame movie.
  • 339z
    October 9, 2009
    339z
    wow what a movie.....i have just seen this movie 4 the 1st time n think that this is a good movie 2 watch............its got a good cast of actors/actressess thorughout this movie....i think that rita hayworth, kim novak, frank sinatra, barbara nichols, elizabeth patterson, bobby...( read more) sherwood play good roles/parts throughout this movie...........i think that the director of this musical/drama/classics movie had done a good job of directing this movie because you never know what 2 expect throughout this movie.......i think that this is a good musical movie 2 watch n its a good classics movie 2 watch as its enjoyable thorughout this movie
  • ristrawn
    August 22, 2009
    ristrawn
    good about love & money - sometimes people get both from different people...
  • jam233
    August 9, 2009
    jam233
    I am not a big Frank Sinatra fan, but he is very good in this movie. The rest of the cast is terrific as well. Rita Hayworth and Kim Novak especially. Beautiful costumes, outstanding music. A solid classic musical. Excellent production, first rate all the way.
  • zdravkoduck
    June 13, 2009
    zdravkoduck
    This was a delightful little musical with corny one-liners and two beautiful starletts Kim Novak & Rita Hayworth. Frank Sinatra singing "The Lady is a Tramp" in front of Hayworth, the woman he's seducing to finance his future was pretty funny.
  • Rikki89
    January 4, 2009
    Rikki89
    Some great songs in this film and I'm so glad Frank ended up being nice to Kim Novak as she was lovely in this film
  • thrusz
    August 24, 2008
    thrusz
    It's a light-hearted Moulin Rouge! (Or, for sticklers, La Traviata.)

    There's not a lot that is really going for Pal Joey. I mean, sure, it is a fun time and a great time with Frank Sinatra. But is there a lot of depth to this movie? Not really. Honest...( read more)ly, this movie is a very safe film that really doesn't tug at the heartstrings in any direction. Sure, you kind of feal for Kim Novak, but you just think that Rita Hayworth is kind of a b*tch. The thing is, there are no bad guys in this movie and I think that is what really kills it. There is this really clear and obvious conflict going on. I mentioned Moulin Rouge! at the beginning of the review and it is that with a bit of a gender switch. Instead of a prostitute forced to do her job under threat of punishment and murder, we really have a nightclub singer who prostitutes himself for the advancement of his career. Sure, all the right morals are taught in the end, but that's because the characters are far too willing to give up their goals for the sake tha thte movie needs an unrealistically cheery feel.

    Really, the draw for this movie is the music. I mean, this is Frank Sinatra playing a lounge singer. Really, there's no stretch of imagination to how he got this part. He's done other musicals, like Guys and Dolls, but at least he keeps to the notes pretty accurately. Pal Joey is where he got "The Lady is a Tramp" from. Yeah, he's not exactly pushing his boundaries on this one. It's very cool to hear him sing it for the first time in this movie. But another joy to the movie is Kim Novak. I haven't seen Kim Novak in a lot of stuff besides Vertigo. What's really odd (and slightly creepy if you think about it) is that Kim Novak is absolutely stunning. A regular bombshell in this movie. But in some ways, she looks like a real person. You always see these Hollywood romances and the girl could rarely ever exist in reality. That's not exactly the way it plays out in this movie. There is one absolutely fantastic scene that kind of sold the movie for me. There is this moment in the film where she is forced to strip publically to save her job. Frank stops her, but you see that she has a genuine shyness about the entire thing. She keeps her professionalism, sure, but you can kind of see the torture and suffering in her eyes. While she is beautiful, and maybe because she is beautiful, you don't want to see her hurt. She is already in a place that she clearly doesn't love with her life, but it is what she has and wishes to get away from all these problems.

    One of the main things I had problems with was the fact that manipulation worked in this movie. Kim Novak's Ms. English saw through Joey's confidence and gave him a taste of his own medicine. But then she all of the sudden falls in love with him. Also, the guy who was in love with Novak has no objections to Joey's lifestyle and greed. While I understand that it is important to have that romance blossom, I just didn't believe it when I saw it. I even understand why there was animosity between the two characters, but going from zero to sixty in no time flat just left me a bit cold with this movie.

    I also have to say that I was not really impressed with Rita Hayworth's performance. I am aware that this movie took forever to get into development and Hayworth was originally cast as Ms. English, but she really doesn't suit that stuffy older part as well as she should. I understand that she still looks pretty good for her age, but I just felt uncomfortable with that entire relationship. I really wanted to like her part, but it just wasn't happening for me.

    I have to stress that this movie isn't terrible. It's actually pretty entertaining. It just really lacks substance and that's something that I usually beg for in movies. I don't regret watching this one and might even watch it again, but there's a lot holding this back that could have been fixed if some risks were taken.
  • hypathio7
    July 23, 2008
    hypathio7
    nominated for best picture at the golden globes

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