Party Girl (1958)
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80% of critics liked it
(10 reviews) -
59% of users liked it
(332 ratings)
Vicki Gaye (Cyd Charisse) is a dancer at a night club in early 1930's Chicago. A healthy cynic who still possesses some ideals, she entertains no illusions about the "invitation" (or the $100 that goes with it) that she gets to a party hosted by mob kingpin Rico Angelo (Lee J. Cobb) --… More Vicki Gaye (Cyd Charisse) is a dancer at a night club in early 1930's Chicago. A healthy cynic who still possesses some ideals, she entertains no illusions about the "invitation" (or the $100 that goes with it) that she gets to a party hosted by mob kingpin Rico Angelo (Lee J. Cobb) -- but she still won't let Angelo's head torpedo Louis Canetto (John Ireland) get near her. Angelo's attorney Thomas Farrell (Robert Taylor) is another story -- he's a more complicated than the men he defends, and still enough of an idealist so that when he and Vicki cross swords about who is the worse hypocrite, it actually affects him. Farrell, whose right leg has been crippled from birth and getting worse, took the easy way to success by pursuing a criminal practice, including getting Canetto off a murder rap -- but after meeting Vicki he starts to see another path to take, and also embarks on a year of surgical procedures to cure the worst of the pain in his leg. And he comes out a new man, with a new plan in life, including starting over in a practice that doesn't involve criminal law. But Angelo plans on having Farrell fight an old friend, prosecutor Jeffrey Stewart (Kent Smith), who is trying to indict Angelo's associate Cooky La Motte (Corey Allen). Farrell resists, until Angelo threatens to harm Vicki -- and when the case and the trail blow up in both sides' faces, he finds himself caught between the mob and the law, with Vicki urging him to do the right thing. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
- Directed By
- Nicholas Ray
- Genres
- Drama
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Jan 1, 1958 Wide
- Studio
- Warner Bros.
Critic Reviews
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Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
Taylor and Charisse have never been better, and rarely has Ray's theme of two flawed individuals trying to strike a symmetrical balance achieved a more beautiful and convulsive expression.
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, TIME Magazine
Unfortunately, the picture's plot (good girl helps bad guy go straight) fits the mood like a concrete overshoe, and the more than generous serving of cheesecake is pretty soggy stuff.
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, Time Out
As in all Ray's films, ideas and emotions are transformed into stunning visuals.
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A.H. Weiler, New York Times
There is little that is novel or exciting about this Party Girl, despite her trappings or the occasional gunplay that surrounds her.
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Phil Hall, Film Threat
The CinemaScope and Metrocolor production gives the film a regal feeling that is at odds with the edgy, dangerous setting.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Robert Taylor
as Thomas Farrell
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Cyd Charisse
as Vicki Gaye
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Lee J Cobb
as Rico Angelo
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John Ireland
as Louis Canetto
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Kent Smith
as Jeffrey Stewart
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Corey Allen
as Cooky La Motte
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Lewis Charles
as Danny Rimett
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David Opatoshu
as Lou Forbes
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Patrick McVey
as O'Malley
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Barbara Lang
as Tall Blond Party Girl
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Myrna Hansen
as Joy Hampton
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Betty Utey
as Party Girl
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Hy Anzell
as Man
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Herb Armstrong
as Intern
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Margaret Bert
as Wardrobe Woman
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Peter Bourne
as Cab Driver
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Marshall Bradford
as District Attorney
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Barrie Chase
as Showgirl
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John Damler
as Detective
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Ken Dibbs
as Joey Vulner
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Burt Douglas
as P.A
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Jack Gargan
as Officer
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Tom Hernandez
as Sketch Artist
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Harry Hines
as Newsboy
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Stuart Holmes
as Juror
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Paul Keast
as Judge Davers
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Jack Lambert
as Nick
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Rusty Lane
as Judge John A. Dasen
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Sam McDaniel
as Jesse
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David McMahon
as Guard
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Carmen Phillips
as Ricos' Girlfriend
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Aaron Saxon
as Frankie Gasto
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Vito Scotti
as Hotel Clerk
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Floyd Simmons
as Assistant Prosecutor
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Ralph Smiley
as Hotel Proprietor
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Sydney Smith
as Judge Bookwell
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Vaughan Taylor
as Dr. Caderman
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Erich Von Stroheim Jr.
as Police Lieutenant
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Geraldine Wall
as Day Matron
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Marc Wilder
as Speciality Dancer
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Robert B. Williams
as Guard
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Michael Dugan
as Jenks
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David Garcia
as Newsman
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Benny Rubin
as Mr. Field
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Dolores Reed
as Woman
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John Franco
as One of Cookie's Henchmen
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Herbert C. Lytton
as Judge Alfino
- Michael Pierce
- Sanita Pelkey
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Georges Saurel
as Rico's Hood
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Jerry Schumacher
as Newsboy
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J. Lewis Smith
as Juror
- Carl Thayler
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Clare Kelly
as Genevieve
