Pal Joey

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Pal Joey

1957

1h 51m

Musical

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

89%

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55 Reviews

60%

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2,500+ Ratings

Joey Evans (Frank Sinatra) is a philandering San Francisco-based singer with big dreams of starting his own nightclub, Chez Joey, but chasing women keeps him even more occupied. Despite making a meaningful connection with lovely chorus girl Linda English (Kim Novak), it doesn't stop him from seducing the wealthy widow, and ex-burlesque dancer, Vera Simpson (Rita Hayworth), who he hopes will bankroll his club. Ultimately, Joey has to decide who -- and what -- he most wants in life.

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Critics Consensus

Anchored by a charismatic Frank Sinatra, Pal Joey thrives as a slick, song-driven musical, even as it tones down the bite of its stage origins.

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Audience Says

With a shoe-tapping soundtrack, this predictable love triangle shines thanks to the powerful performances of Rita Hayworth and Kim Novak opposite a philandering Pal Joey played by Frank Sinatra.

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Sumner Rand

Orlando Sentinel

Apr 1

Pal Joey...contains the best score Rodgers and Hart ever turned out for a Broadway show, and Frank Sinatra really does it justice.

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Kate Cameron

New York Daily News

Apr 1

3.5/4

Columbia has given the film a slick and lavish production and Sinatra does full justice to "There's A Small Hotel," "I Didn't Know What Time It Was," "The Lady Is a Tramp," "I Could Write a Book," and "Do It the Hard Way."

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TIME Staff

TIME Magazine

Apr 1

The show is saved by Frank Sinatra, who does a tremendous job in the title role. Pal Joey was a hoofer in the play, and Sinatra does not dance a step in the film, but somehow he crowds the screen with rhythm every time he moves.

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Wanda Gibson

Fresno Bee

Apr 1

Pal Joey, a watered down motion picture version of the Broadway musical, is a pleasant evening's entertainment, especially for fans of Frank Sinatra, but Hollywood's superlatives do not apply.

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Irvine J. Vidacovich Jr.

Times-Picayune

Apr 1

Actor-crooner Sinatra was probably the only star who could play Joey on the screen, and with Rita Hayworth and Kim Novak providing the curves - well, why elaborate.

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Ray Oviatt

Toledo Blade

Apr 1

...this is a pretty tangy show retaining, within the limits of motion picture propriety, the earthiness of Mr. O'Hara's book.

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Jarrod R

@RT27243469 Jun 30

Great music and solid performances throughout. Was especially taken in by the visuals from late 1950s San Francisco. Sinatra is cocksure, but the audience also sees that's he's flying by the seat of his pants, and there is a certain charm there, too. Kim Novak is wonderful as the up and coming performer and Rita Hayworth is a force to be reckoned with. All in all, a nice time capsule of that era

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D. P

@RT96675217 12/30/2024

Classic! & iconic song/tunes, incl 'BEWITCHED, BOTHERED, & BEWILDERED". I've known about this movie since it came out in '57 (1957). But I don't recall ever seeing any of it. Til now, on the tv set, 12/29/24. 67 years later. & WOW! GREAT CAST! Never wanted to see it before. The title sounded stupid. But it's good. Very famous when it cameout.

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Alain E

@AlainE 11/30/2024

I never expected to like this. I collect LPs and have 3-4 versions of the soundtrack. Never listened to it or watched the movie in 35 years. Big mistake. This is an excellent fairy tale for adults, with the constraints of the code that didn’t allow any nudity. Sinatra, Hayworth and Novak are all excellent, as well as the guy who plays the nightclub manager. And a cute little doggie. Very well photographed as well. If someone approaches this as a realistic representation of the nightclub or music business, they are watching the wrong movie.

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Alec B

@Alec97 01/08/2024

Like a lot of musical adaptations of the mid 20th century, the filmmakers attempted to completely rewrite the source material but ended up with something barely coherent.

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David F

@dfulmer 12/31/2023

It was enjoyable for the musical numbers but the plot about a crooner who tries to open a nightclub in San Francisco wasn't that interesting.

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Sam K

@RT89617234 02/14/2023

Marvelous Sinatra, great Rodgers and Hart songs The "Lady is a Tramp" scene with Rita Hayworth is iconic. Rita Hayworth and Kim Novack are gorgeous. Haworth got top billing, then Sinatra, then Novack - unsusual as Sinatra was a superstar. he said "I don't mind being in the middle of that sandwich". The movie is flawed by the tacky "dream sequence" and sanitized ending walking into the sunset, but still a must see. Enjoy!

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George Sidney

Director

Rita Hayworth

Vera Simpson

Frank Sinatra

Joey Evans

Kim Novak

Linda English

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Synopsis

Joey Evans (Frank Sinatra) is a philandering San Francisco-based singer with big dreams of starting his own nightclub, Chez Joey, but chasing women keeps him even more occupied. Despite making a meaningful connection with lovely chorus girl Linda English (Kim Novak), it doesn't stop him from seducing the wealthy widow, and ex-burlesque dancer, Vera Simpson (Rita Hayworth), who he hopes will bankroll his club. Ultimately, Joey has to decide who -- and what -- he most wants in life.

Director: George Sidney
Producer: Fred Kohlmar
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Columbia
Genre: Musical
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 25, 1957, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 1, 2010
Runtime: 1h 51m

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