It may well have been the Devil's cleverest trick to have persuaded us that he does not exist,but it is a relatively recent one.Even 50 years ago when "Whatever Lola wants" was released the concept of an anti - Christ was widely accepted in the West and the possibility of entering into a diabolical bargain for earthly riches and success was not considered seriously - "get thee behind me,Satan",as my Auntie Edie used to say.Now,it appears,almost everybody will do anything to be rich and famous and looking at the richest and most famous of them all it is hard to discern any particular talent or merit they might possess. Accordingly,Faustian compacts may have been entered wholesale thus assuring the Devil an endless supply of souls like Joe Hardy whose relatively harmless vice was the Great American Game. Portrayed by Mr R.Walston as an earthly form with a certain raffish charm and an All-American name "Mr Applegate",the Devil is a" can do" kind of guy.His assistant - Lola - played by Miss G.Verdon is the epitome of feminine seductiveness employed to keep Joe in line. As a Brit to whom baseball is little more than a more butch version of the rather girlie game of rounders the back story and plot of the movie have little cultural significance.It's significance to me is purely based on its merits as a musical - and they are considerable.Certainly Miss Verdon got me very hot under the collar as an 18 year old,and Mr Walston made me laugh a lot.Mr Tab Hunter was very good - looking and had already been in the "Top Twenty" in the U.K. with "Young Love",so it had a whole lot going for it.I had a 78 of "Heart" by the Four Aces and my friends and I had a lot of fun copying the harmony parts so it would be fair to say that I was quite involved in the whole "Whatever Lola wants" experience.Time,sadly,has not been very kind either to me or the movie,and,when I saw it recently only "Heart" moved me as it had done originally,the other songs - although remaining clever - lacked much substance and only the dancing of the wonderful Miss Verdon raised the level to that I remembered .Nevertheless it remains a nostalgic favourite,and a movie with "Heart" - in both meanings.