The Joker Is Wild (1957)DVD VHS | Cast list | | Frank Sinatra | as | Joe E. Lewis | | Mitzi Gaynor | as | Martha Stewart | | Jeanne Crain | as | Letty Page | | Eddie Albert | as | Austin Mack | | Beverly Garland | as | Cassie Mack | | Jackie Coogan | as | Swifty Morgan | | Barry Kelley | as | Capt. Hugh McCarthy | | Ted de Corsia | as | Georgie Parker | | Leonard Graves | as | Tim Coogan | | Valerie Allen | as | Flora, Chorine | | Hank Henry | as | Burlesque comedian | | Ned Glass | as | Johnson (unconfirmed) |
| | Crew list: | | Charles Vidor (Director) | | Art Cohn (Writer) | | Oscar Saul (Writer) |
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Review
Frank Sinatra plays Joe E. Lewis, a famous comedian of the 1930s-50s. When the movie opens, Lewis is a young, talented singer who performs in speakeasies. When he bolts one job for another, the mob boss who owns the first speakeasy has his thugs try to kill Lewis. Lewis survives, but his vocal cords are cut and he cannot sing. Several years later, his buddy tracks him down and tries to help him with little success. That attempt, though, leads to Lewis meeting Letty Page (Jeanne Crain). They fall in love and she inspires him to follow up on an offer to become a comedian (a result of his buddy's failed attempt to rejuvenate his singing career). Lewis has problems, though. The assault that nearly cost him his life also helped turn him into an alcoholic and an inveterate gambler. These two character defects become the basis for his act and help to make him a smash success. Unfortunately, they also work to wreak havoc in his personal life. |
Other resources: Wikipedia, IMDB |
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