Thursday, September 6, 2012

Cover Girl (1944) vs. Pal Joey (1957)


Both of these classic musicals feature bombshell Rita Hayworth. Find out the winner after the cut. (SPOILERS)

 
Cover Girl
The rap sheet.
Cover Girl has a 90% rating on RottenTomatoes.com. It received 5 Oscar nominations, and won for Best Musical Score. Pal Joey has a 75% rating on RottenTomatoes.com. It received 4 Oscar nominations, and Frank Sinatra won a Golden Globe for his performance.
Winner: Cover Girl

The setup.
In Pal Joey, a night club singer (Sinatra) falls in love with a chorus girl (Kim Novak), but he must deal with the jealousy of his new club's benefactor (Hayworth). In Cover Girl, a chorus girl (Hayworth) becomes an overnight sensation as a cover girl, when her boyfriend and fellow performer (Gene Kelly) is against it.
Winner: Pal Joey

Pal Joey
The execution.
Both films have various musical numbers and flashy costumes. Cover Girl has a bit more stylish flare, with a scene where Gene Kelly dances with himself. Seriously, there are two Gene Kellys dancing! Pal Joey has more likable characters and better pacing. It's the longer film, but it goes by a lot quicker.
Winner: Pal Joey

The ending.
In Pal Joey, the singer and the chorus girl walk down the street, planning their new stage act as soon-to-be Mr. and Mrs. In Cover Girl, the chorus girl runs out on her big shot fiancé at their wedding, and she goes back to her old boyfriend.
Winner: Pal Joey

The wild card:
Cover Girl has a scene-stealing performance from Phil Silvers as Hayworth's and Kelly's best friend. Along with better songs, Pal Joey has this little fella below.
"Fluffy" from Pal Joey
Winner: Pal Joey

Pal Joey
Winner: Pal Joey beats Cover Girl 4-1

Ratings: Cover Girl - **1/2, Pal Joey - ****
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11 comments:

  1. AnonymousSeptember 6, 2012 at 9:54 AM

    I just saw Pal Joey and really, really liked it...I have yet to see Cover Girl though.

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    Replies
    1. JoshSeptember 6, 2012 at 7:37 PM

      Isn't it so much fun? I loved Sinatra in it.

      Delete
  2. AnonymousSeptember 6, 2012 at 9:55 AM

    Oh, I see that you saw Love in the Afternoon! What did you think of Hepburn?

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    1. JoshSeptember 6, 2012 at 7:38 PM

      Here, I'll copy and paste a comment I posted on my review of Tape.

      "By the way, I saw Love in the Afternoon over the weekend and loved it! It's my #3 of the year, and will go on my updated top 100 list. Hepburn gets a third Best Actress win for it, and I've updated my '50s Actress post accordingly. (It hasn't changed any of my winner stats though.)"

      Delete
    2. AnonymousSeptember 7, 2012 at 9:40 AM

      YAY!

      Delete
  3. ruthSeptember 6, 2012 at 9:57 AM

    [sigh] I wish I had seen these. I haven't seen a single Rita Hayworth movie. I wanted to see her as Gilda as it's so famous, but now I'm curious about Pal Joey. I've never seen Sinatra acting either.

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    Replies
    1. JoshSeptember 6, 2012 at 7:42 PM

      This is more of a Sinatra showcase than a Hayworth one. For your first Hayworth, I'd go with Gilda. But this isn't a bad way to start with either performer. :)

      Delete
    2. AnonymousSeptember 7, 2012 at 9:41 AM

      I thought that Hayworth was delicious in this movie though (Pal Joey). She really is sensational and steals every scene she is in. She plays of Sinatra perfectly. It's a smaller role, for she isn't the lead, but she makes her moments really count.

      Delete
    3. JoshSeptember 7, 2012 at 2:21 PM

      That's fair. I thought she was fine in the film, but Gilda is her shining moment.

      Delete
  4. danyulengelkeOctober 8, 2014 at 1:48 PM

    Great review!

    We're linking to your article for Rita Hayworth Wednesday at SeminalCinemaOutfit.com

    Keep up the good work!

    ReplyDelete

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