I really wish they'd done the Gene Kelly film. And stuck to the original story. I can never really get around the way they turn Joey into a nice if slightly irresponsible guy, instead of the a self-centered louse with charm, and maybe the tiniest core of a conscience he mainly opts not to use. Vera is depicted as a jealous aging bitch in this film--in the stage play, she not only doesn't threaten to take the club away from Joey over his attachment to Novak's character (who she's come to like), she makes a peace offering of it to him. She has to dump Joey (who she's been living with on the side) because she was blackmailed--unsuccessfully, but she has to figure it will happen again, and she can't let the affair become public knowledge, or her rich husband will divorce her. He just has to say thank you very much, and he's on Easy Street--and what does he do? Being Joey, he insults her, because his ego is wounded that she's giving him the heave-ho. The truth is, he liked the siren better than the ingenue. (Well, she was played by Vivienne Segal in the first two stage versions, and Rita Hayworth was something, but Segal was more). So her olive branch flung in her face, she writes him off entirely, sings a new version of Bewitched, making it clear the spell he cast on her once is broken forever, and he can forget about having the club. Linda approaches him later, not angry about the way he treated her, wanting to be friends--and he's already checking out another girl. That's the real Joey Evans. That's the way Pal Joey should be. But Hollywood didn't have the guts to do it right. And given that Rita Hayworth's Vera was depicted as having her time beaten by Novak, is a classic older woman scorned for a fresher face--not at all the person Vera was onstage--I'd say she had every right to top billing. She gives a fine performance. But of course she could not sing the songs herself. And as for Sinatra, yes, he was one of the alltime great singers, but The Lady Is a Tramp is not from Pal Joey, and was written for a freespirited teenaged girl. That's the song Judy Garland should have gotten to sing in Babes in Arms. Along with My Funny Valentine. Hollywood had no balls at all where Rodgers & Hart were concerned.
Miss you, dear Robert.
Love your intros. ROBERT! 😊
Say what you want about Frank Sinatra but that was a very kind gesture he did for Rita Hayworth
Truly
I really wish they'd done the Gene Kelly film. And stuck to the original story. I can never really get around the way they turn Joey into a nice if slightly irresponsible guy, instead of the a self-centered louse with charm, and maybe the tiniest core of a conscience he mainly opts not to use.
Vera is depicted as a jealous aging bitch in this film--in the stage play, she not only doesn't threaten to take the club away from Joey over his attachment to Novak's character (who she's come to like), she makes a peace offering of it to him. She has to dump Joey (who she's been living with on the side) because she was blackmailed--unsuccessfully, but she has to figure it will happen again, and she can't let the affair become public knowledge, or her rich husband will divorce her.
He just has to say thank you very much, and he's on Easy Street--and what does he do? Being Joey, he insults her, because his ego is wounded that she's giving him the heave-ho. The truth is, he liked the siren better than the ingenue. (Well, she was played by Vivienne Segal in the first two stage versions, and Rita Hayworth was something, but Segal was more).
So her olive branch flung in her face, she writes him off entirely, sings a new version of Bewitched, making it clear the spell he cast on her once is broken forever, and he can forget about having the club.
Linda approaches him later, not angry about the way he treated her, wanting to be friends--and he's already checking out another girl.
That's the real Joey Evans. That's the way Pal Joey should be. But Hollywood didn't have the guts to do it right. And given that Rita Hayworth's Vera was depicted as having her time beaten by Novak, is a classic older woman scorned for a fresher face--not at all the person Vera was onstage--I'd say she had every right to top billing. She gives a fine performance. But of course she could not sing the songs herself.
And as for Sinatra, yes, he was one of the alltime great singers, but The Lady Is a Tramp is not from Pal Joey, and was written for a freespirited teenaged girl. That's the song Judy Garland should have gotten to sing in Babes in Arms. Along with My Funny Valentine. Hollywood had no balls at all where Rodgers & Hart were concerned.