PAL JOEY (1957)

PAL JOEY was originally born in the pages of The New Yorker and then translated into a hit Rodgers and Hart Broadway musical. By the time it reached the big screen, the callous heel dancer (Gene Kelly) had been replaced by a naughty scamp singer (Frank Sinatra). Despite the drastic Hollywoodization of the title character – or perhaps because of it – PAL is worth getting acquainted with, thanks to a dynamite song score and an explosion of talent and glittering star power. Sinatra, at the apex of his cocky, world-on-a-string popularity, glides through the film with breezy nonchalance, romancing showgirl Kim Novak (Columbia Pictures' then-new sex symbol) and wealthy widow Rita Hayworth (Columbia Pictures' former sex symbol). The film also benefits from location shooting in San Francisco, caught in the moonlight-and-supper-club glow of the late '50s. Sinatra croons Rodgers and Hart classics like "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" and "I Could Write a Book," and his performance of "The Lady Is a Tramp" is flat-out genius. In short, PAL JOEY fits Frankie like a fedora. (Trivia notes: When Sinatra is singing "Tramp" to a first insulted, then flattered Hayworth, he replaces the lyrics “but it’s oke” after “She’s broke” with a mere shrug; pure Sinatra, pure cool!. This was Hayworth's final film for Columbia; Sinatra insisted she go out in style with top billing.)