San Francisco in Cinema: Pal Joey

A real cable car on Jackson Street between Taylor and Mason.
The Spreckles/Danielle Steel mansion, 2080 Washington Street, is Frank Sinatra's Chez Joey nightclub in the 1957 musical comedy Pal Joey. Frank is Joey Evans, a handsome heel. Rita Hayworth is the heiress, Mrs. Prentice Simpson, aka Vera Vanessa, a former showgirl. Prior to her Hollywood career, Hayworth herself was a San Francisco showgirl, Rita Cansino. In addition to some great Rodgers and Hart songs including My Funny Valentine and The Lady is a Tramp, there is almost no plot here except whether Sinatra will bed Hayworth or Kim Novak. While the Spreckles mansion is a commonly cited Pal Joey location, Mister SF has unearthed a lesser known gem. The apartment building where Sinatra and Novak live (with shared bath) is 1250 Taylor Street. The location marks San Francisco's second famous Kim Novak residence in cinema, the first being the Brocklebank apartments of Vertigo. Pal Joey also includes great footage of the Ferry Building and foot of Market Street including a glimpse of the Ensign Cafe, formerly of 1 Market Street. Scenes in front of the Barbary Coast nightclub (533 Pacific Avenue) provide a priceless archive of the long gone International Settlement nightlife district along the 500 block of Pacific at Kearny. A few false notes are included such as footage on Jackson Street with a cable car that's as phony as both of Sinatra's leading ladies' singing voices. Also seen are the marina near the Golden Gate Yacht Club. The Cliff House is mentioned but not seen. Directed by George Sydney, Pal Joey is based on the Broadway musical, which was in turn based on a series of stories for The New Yorker by John O'Hara.

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Copyright 2001 Hank Donat
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