I really wanted to like this colourful adaptation of one of Rogers and Hart's last and most successful shows and attracted by big names like Sinatra, Hayworth and Novak, thought I couldn't lose. Sheesh, was I wrong.

Concerning ne'erdowell Joey (Sinatra's) self-obsessed attempts to get himself up the greasy pole to his own club in San Francisco and no doubt attendant fame and fortune, the film fails ultimately for a number of reasons. First Frank's character just isn't desperate enough, purportedly down on his luck, he always looks perfectly turned out, even before he becomes wealthy widow Hayworth's kept man. And the idea to give this hard-bitten Casanova a cute puppy dog is just wrong on so many levels. His character never seems to stop talking and often re-hashes the same stock phrases, which gets wearing after a while. As for Hayworth and Novak, both look fantastic, filmed in great clothes in great light, as befits two of the sexiest women to ever come out of Tinseltown, but the former lacks that dare I say it, Norma Desmond controlling, self-deluding and even slightly deranged conviction which would have made her character more rounded while Novak gets to play a whimpering simpering child, completely at odds with her overly sensual demeanour.

Some of the scenes are ridiculously contrived too, like Novak's strip-tease, her later passing out on Sinatra when they're on Hayworth's yacht and Joey's dream sequence when both his loves sashay around him like bees to honey. Worst of all is Hayworth's "Sugar Mommy" backing out of the competition for Joey by personally fetching Novak for their hold-hands, run-at-the-camera, big love shot at the conclusion.

On the plus side, as indicated, the stars all look great, Sinatra too, being in the middle of his classic Capitol series of recordings, even getting to quote one of his catch-phrases "Ring-a-ding-ding" at one point. The San Francisco locations are also easy on the eye and the musical numbers excellent, including "The Lady Is a Tramp", "My Funny Valentine" and "Bewitched Bothered and Bewildered" amongst them. Unfortunately, the movie dialogue too rarely matches the sharpness of Lorenz Hart's lyrics. Damon Runyan, this ain't.

A missed opportunity them and I'm not sure I can tell quite why. Some shows may just work well on stage, I'm guessing this is one of them.

When I read up on the original play for "Pal Joey" (1940),I was surprised how much it differed from this 1957 film. In fact, instead of a film version, it's more like the play was used for a starting point and that is all. Some of the songs have been retained but many were omitted and some were included from other plays! In addition, in the play, Joey was a heel from start to finish and his girlfriend was STILL married! Nice guy, huh? And, he was a dancer (Gene Kelly) not a singer. Here, Frank Sinatra sings beautifully in the lead but doesn't dance. And, while he is a womanizer and a bit of a jerk, he has buried deep within some decency--but he does a good job of hiding it through most of the film!

Joey is a lounge singer and emcee at a San Francisco nightclub. There, he chases the nice girl, Kim Novak, and when he's just about won her heart, he drops her like a hot potato for a rich widow (Rita Hayworth). At first, Joey seems very happy--he gets to run his own club and is on top of the world. But this dream isn't all it's cracked up to be. What's next? See the film! Whether you like this film's plot or not, it's well worth seeing the picture because of its songs. Sinatra is in his prime and belts out some nice songs like "The Lady is a Tramp" and "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered". And, the lip synced songs by both female leads (Novak and Hayworth) are quite nice as well. As for the story, it's nice but I would wonder what a movie more like the play would have been like. The main character sure would have been a whole lot less likable! As it was, I liked the film and thought it an interesting character study for Sinatra--combining SOME of his real-life persona with Joey's. Well worth seeing and very well made.

Anybody who loves Frank Sinatra, Rita Hayworth and Richard Rodgers will be in their element here. Sinatra is the standout of the film, Joey was more cynical in the original stage version but Sinatra still brings a caddish persona and does so with great charm and energy. And of course his singing is divine, of the mellow and rich kind- most lovely to listen to- and with great circular breathing technique. Hayworth is not at her best but she is still breathtakingly beautiful, one of the most beautiful actresses on film, and sassy. And the songs are great, Pal Joey like most Richard Rodgers scores is one of those musicals where every song works but Lady is a Tramp is a real standout here. Sinatra, Hayworth and the songs are not the only things to enjoy. Pal Joey also has opulent production values, Hayworth's figure-hugging dresses are to die for, fluid photography, George Sidney's enigmatic and not heavy-handed direction, a witty script, a charming if watered-down story and smart energetic choreography. For this viewer the only things that came across as flaws were the out-of-kilter happy ending and while beautiful Kim Novak's performance is rather pallid. All in all, a very good underrated film. 8/10 Bethany Cox