Pal Joey

Joey Evans, a singer working club to club in San Francisco, moves on both Linda, a chorus girl, and Vera, a former dancer now a very wealthy widow. He wants his own club and the money for it is with Vera. George Sidney directed. Frank Sinatra plays Joey, Rita Hayworth plays Vera, Kim Novak plays Linda. The songs are by Rodgers and Hart. The source is the Broadway musical of 1940. The stage version was considered harsh in its time; the film adaptation softened the character noticeably and changed the ending. The man Sinatra plays is not likeable: self-serving, dishonest and lazy. That the film works comes from accepting it. Rita Hayworth had moved into supporting parts by this point in her career, and the film is remembered for the argument over whether her name would stand ahead of Sinatra's on the poster. The Lady Is a Tramp and My Funny Valentine spread from this film. Who it is for: viewers who like classic musicals and Sinatra. Who it is not for: anyone after the stage version's bite; the screen adaptation filed its teeth down.