Director: George Sidney
Starring: Frank Sinatra, Rita Hayworth, Kim Novak
Running Time: 109 minutes
Synopsis: Nightclub singer and crass womanizer Joey Evans (Frank Sinatra) has been thrown out of every joint he's ever worked at. He arrives in San Francisco, weasels his way into performing at a club, and is soon lusting after innocent chorus girl Linda English (Kim Novak). Joey has ambitions to open his own club, and romances rich widow (and former stripper) Vera Prentice-Simpson (Rita Hayworth) into funding his project. But trouble arises when Vera realizes Joey may really be in love with Linda.
What Works Well: The loose adaptation of a 1940 Broadway musical (based on a John O'Hara novel) is drenched in vivid nightclub ambience where performances are tacky and desperation hangs in the air. The sturdy love triangle offers sharp edges derived from character fundamentals, while in the central role a jaunty Frank Sinatra navigates the complex arc of a manipulative scoundrel confronting a new set of values. Some of the songs are imported from other musicals, and the better highlights include The Lady Is A Tramp, Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered, and There's A Small Hotel.
What Does Not Work As Well: The plot is wafer thin, and Joey's Neanderthalic attitude towards women creates a distasteful character for most of the running time. The singing voices of Rita Hayworth and Kim Novak are dubbed, and Novak never finds her footing as a naive chorus girl from a rural background. Beyond the three leads, there are no notable secondary characters to animate the surroundings.
Key Quote:
Joey (to Vera): Nobody owns Joey, but Joey.
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