The Joker Is Wild (1957)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Charles Vidor

Writers:

Art Cohn (book)
Oscar Saul (writer)

Release Date:

October 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Musical

Plot:

Frank Sinatra plays Joe E. Lewis, a famous comedian of the 1930s-50s. When the movie opens, Lewis is a young...

Plot Keywords:

Speakeasy | Chicago Illinois | Jazz | Based On Book

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Frank Sinatra	...	Joe E. Lewis
Mitzi Gaynor	...	Martha Stewart
Jeanne Crain	...	Letty Page
Eddie Albert	...	Austin Mack
Beverly Garland	...	Cassie Mack
Jackie Coogan	...	Swifty Morgan
Barry Kelley	...	Capt. Hugh McCarthy
Ted de Corsia	...	Georgie Parker
Leonard Graves	...	Tim Coogan
Valerie Allen	...	Flora, Chorine
Hank Henry	...	Burlesque comedian
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ned Glass	...	Johnson (unconfirmed)

Also Known As:

All the Way (USA) (reissue title)
The Joker (USA)

Runtime:

126 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #18482) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Company:

AMBL Productions

Trivia:

In real life, Danny Cohen owned the club in which Joe E. Lewis first worked. When Lewis defected for more money, Cohen gave mobster Jack "Machine Gun" McGurn (real name: Vincenzo Antonio Gebhardi), a lieutenant in Al Capone's mob, a 25% share in the club in return for his persuading Lewis to stay. McGurn's method of persuasion was the beating which Lewis received.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Joe is looking at the building directory, the close-up shows "MORRIS WILLIAM". Yet in the next shot as Joe turns to go to the elevator, it says "MORRIS Wm"

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Batman: The Joker Is Wild (#1.5)" (1966)

Soundtrack:

I Love My Baby (My Baby Loves Me)

My first Sinatra film

When The Joker Is Wild first came out I saw it at the Nostrand Theatre in Brooklyn, New York. It was the best possible first exposure to Frank Sinatra. He is first rate in this biographical film about the life of Joe E. Lewis. Later on in his film career, Sinatra walked through a lot of roles, but not in this. This is a perfect blend of his persona being tailor made for the part. The supporting cast of Eddie Albert, Jeanne Crain, Mitzi Gaynor, Jackie Coogan, Beverly Garland are also well cast and give Frank excellent support. I have a bootleg copy of this movie, but hopefully Paramount will put this out one day.

The song All the Way is interestingly used in the film. When Joe E. Lewis is a cabaret singer, Sinatra sings it and of course first rate. Later on after the mobsters try to cut his throat and damage his vocal cords, it's used in the background as a reminder of what he had lost.

I don't know if the real Joe E. Lewis ever did any records from back in the twenties. I have heard him do some of his stand-up routines in that gravelly voice the gangsters left him with. Sinatra might have ruptured his own valuable vocal cords if he ever tried to really imitate Lewis. Still it's a marvelous performance.

All the Way won the Oscar in 1957 for Best Original Song, it was the first time a Sinatra song was so honored. Frank was never in better voice and it remains to this day my favorite Sinatra record.

Don't ever miss The Joker Is Wild when it's broadcast.