Crime

Drama

Romance

Party Girl

Euterpe Productions

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

United States of America

English

Robert Taylor

Cyd Charisse

Lee J. Cobb

John Ireland

Kent Smith

Claire Kelly

Corey Allen

Lewis Charles

David Opatoshu

Kem Dibbs

Patrick McVey

Barbara Lang

Myrna Hansen

Betty Utey

Leon Alton

Hy Anzell

Herb Armstrong

Walter Bacon

Steve Benton

Margaret Bert

Herman Boden

Peter Bourne

Marshall Bradford

Bob Calder

Pat Cawley

Barrie Chase

Dick Cherney

Jack R. Clinton

Gene Coogan

Russell Custer

John Damler

Jack Dodds

Burt Douglas

Michael Dugan

Charles Fogel

John Franco

David Garcia

Jack Gargan

Ed Haskett

Tom Hernández

Harry Hines

Stuart Holmes

Jimmie Horan

Michael Jeffers

Paul Keast

Donald Kerr

Jack Lambert

Rusty Lane

Herbert Lytton

Thomas Martin

Philo McCullough

Sam McDaniel

Harry Tom McKenna

David McMahon

Harold Miller

Hans Moebus

Charles Morton

Forbes Murray

Maggie O'Byrne

Sanita Pelkey

Charles Perry

Albert Petit

Carmen Phillips

Michael Pierce

José Portugal

Paul Power

Dolores Reed

Edwin Rochelle

Benny Rubin

Georges Saurel

Aaron Saxon

Jeffrey Sayre

Jerry Schumacher

Vito Scotti

Floyd Simmons

Ralph Smiley

J. Lewis Smith

Sydney Smith

Charles Sullivan

Hal Taggart

Vaughn Taylor

Carl Thayler

Arthur Tovey

Herb Vigran

Erich von Stroheim Jr.

Geraldine Wall

Sandra Warner

Guy Way

Marc Wilder

Robert B. Williams

Nicholas Ray

George Wells

Joe Pasternak

Bobby Webb

Robert J. Bronner

Jeff Alexander

John McSweeney Jr.

Helen Rose

Sammy Cahn

Wesley C. Miller

Richard Pefferle

Nicholas Brodszky

Lee LeBlanc

William A. Horning

Henry Grace

Randall Duell

Sydney Guilaroff

Charles K. Hagedon

William Tuttle

Leo Katcher

Robert Sidney

I know a girl a girl called Party, Party Girl. 

Crippled Lawyer Thomas Farrell (Robert Taylor) has made a career defending crooks in trials, so much so he's now the front line defender for the Chicago mob. But into his life comes dancer Vicki Gayle (Cyd Charisse), who as he starts to fall in love with her, makes him see that his life is worth so much more than that. However, mob king Rico Angelo (Lee J. Cobb) is keen to retain Farrell's services, at any price it seems.

There's no getting away from it, Party Girl (a euphemism for a prostitute) features a very standard formulaic plot. It's also a very misleading title in that it doesn't scream out this is a crime picture. Directed by Nicholas Ray for MGM (his last for one of the big hitting studios), it's adapted by George Wells from a story by Leo Katcher. Supporting the three principal actors are John Ireland & Kent Smith. Robert J. Bronner (Jailhouse Rock) provides photography and the film is a CinemaScope/Metrocolor production.

Set as it is in prohibition Chicago, it allows Ray to rise above the simple formula and blend his knack for visual touches with interesting characterisations. If we really are going to cement this in the film noir genre? Then it's more down to the director than anything in the story. Yes there's themes such as alienation, vulnerability and the core essence potential for tragi-love-born out of two characters stuck in differing forms of prostitution. But the script is so weak it needed Ray to put an almost surreal sheen over it. There's exotic dancing featuring prominently, some what a given with the weak Charisse starring (in fairness to her it's one hell of a cliché riddled role), but again Ray crafts in such a way it doesn't let the film feel too sprightly. Which is something that this lush production is in danger of being at times. Yet line those dance numbers alongside scenes such as a portrait of Jean Harlow being shot to pieces, or of Charisse being questioned by a policeman's Silhouette - and you get an oddity. And a very enjoyable one at that.

This was Taylor's last contract film for MGM, and fittingly it's one of his very best performances. Again one tends to think this is probably down to Ray's coaxing, but regardless, Taylor plays Farrell with vulnerable elegance and a steely eyed determination that carries Charisse along with him. Thus the romance is believable, and yes, engaging. Cobb does another in his long line of larger than life characters. Chewing the scenery as much as his Rico character chews on his cigars. While Ireland is a by the numbers thug for hire and Kent Smith a talking prop. There's a fleeting performance from Corey Allen as baby faced psychopath Cookie La Motte, a character that the film could have definitely done with more of. Here's the main problem with Party Girl, it's just not edgy or dangerous enough. Which in a film involving gangsters, murders and crooked court cases, is an issue is it not? But thanks to Ray and Taylor the film overcomes the many flaws to wind up being a very enjoyable crime-love story based picture. Film noir though? Well that's debatable really. But lets not get into that... 7/10

Party Girl (1958) Original Trailer [FHD]

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Party Girl

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Cast

Robert Taylor

Cyd Charisse

Lee J. Cobb

John Ireland

Kent Smith

Claire Kelly

Corey Allen

Lewis Charles

David Opatoshu

Kem Dibbs

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