Glossy, empty musical adapted from John O'Hara's stage success, now a star-vehicle for Frank Sinatra, who can't work up a head of steam over role as Joey Evans, nightclub singer/ladies' man who hopes to open his own club. Rita Hayworth, playing Joey's ex-girlfriend and benefactor, gets the worst of it: she still loves Joey (I guess) and wants him on a tight leash, but she's given no sympathetic scenes and is put down at every opportunity. The Rodgers and Hart songs are nice (with Kim Novak's vocals dubbed by Trudy Stevens and Hayworth's partially dubbed by Jo Ann Greer), but the inane plot takes them nowhere. Novak is charismatic in a nothing part, while Sinatra is Sinatra, walking through too-snugly. The film has colorful costumes, slick settings and lots of smarmy talk; it's all style in a pseudo-jaded key. Four Oscar nominations with no wins. **1/2 from ****
Review of Pal Joey
