Party Girl (1958) User Reviews (61)

Mobsters in Chicago

[jotix100 · 7/10 · 9 November 2005]

"Party Girl" is a rarely seen movie directed by Nicholas Ray. This 1958 picture mixes styles, and at times, it achieves an originality that only a director like Mr. Ray could give any movie he directed. Basically, we are given a situation in which a lawyer who defends the criminal element is caught in the way he must deal with a situation where he has to turn against his loyalty to his mobster employer because, at last, he sees the light and the consequence of his actions.

Robert Taylor plays the lawyer, Tommy Farrell. This was his last film that marks the end of his long and successful association with MGM. Robert Taylor makes an appealing Farrell, and even though one realizes he is defending people that are at the margin of the law, his character shows redeeming qualities that make him merit our sympathy. The actor is perfect in the role.

Cyd Charisse playing a dramatic role is a surprise. In fact, she was always seen in musical roles because of her talent as a dancer. In the film she plays a chorus girl that suddenly is elevated to a starring role in front of her former colleagues because of the influence Tommy Farrell had in those circles. Ms. Charisse holds her own against an accomplished actor like Mr. Taylor. This is one of her best opportunities in the movies.

Lee J. Cobb is seen as the criminal boss Rico, who has a tremendous power over Tommy Farrell. Mr. Cobb shows he could do anything in movies as well as on the stage. John Ireland plays the evil Louis Canetto.

This is a film that fans of the work of Nicholas Ray shouldn't miss.

Ray of Colors

[fbarthet · 8/10 · 21 August 2014]

Party Girl is a superior Nicholas Ray movie. I know, I know, sounds a bit extreme but I maintain.

Boy meet Girl, they fall in Love, and the world turns nasty. It's them against the World, actually. Will Love win, in the end?

The plot is surely thin but who cares? It does not need to be elaborate or even simply complicated as it is about Love, et c'est si simple l'Amour.

Cyd and Robert play two lonely souls who simply forgot they, once, had a heart. The set is Chicago in the early Thirties and all the action occurs indoor or by night, as in "Alias Nick Beal", except for a very brief moment of pure happiness in Europe (where else?). It is love at first sight, they just do not know it. But this is not that easy of course.

Robert is a virtuoso solicitor who works for the local mafia, Cyd is a more or less washed- up dancer who survives by "partying" with the mafiosi. The first encounters are not particularly successful as he seems made of Kevlar and covered with Teflon and she is ashamed of what she became. Soon, however, Robert sees himself through her eyes like in a mirror and shame strikes him as well. Love, of course, washes everything. But the Mafia and the Law, like modern Greek gods, look at the poor lovers and decide to use them as pawns in their chess game.

I would not dare to say that Douglas Sirk could have filmed "Party Girl" but this is neither a real thriller nor a pure Film Noir, it is a melodrama. This is why, the plot, you know... What is interesting is the fact that, if the gangsters are evil, the cops, or more precisely the district attorney office, are not angels at all. The Law, as the outlaw, plays its little dirty game using dirty tricks. As we all know, the end justifies the means. But in this case, what is the actual target of the district attorney: to clean the street of Chicago of vice and crime or to get a senator's chair? Caught between the hammer and the anvil, Robert and Cyd are trapped (the name of the movie in French). In the end, there is only one way to find redemption and it is uncompromising love.

Nicholas Ray manages to be flamboyant in a minor mode, like chamber music. What is absolutely mesmerizing is his use of color. Jean-Luc Godard (an absolute fan of Ray: "Ray is Cinema") said something about the colours in movies looking more real than the colours in real life. This is definitely the case in "Party Girl". The very claustrophobic atmosphere of the movie is reinforced by the dark shades which are dominating the scenes. And then, a flash of bright red or yellow or green or blue literally pierces and tears up the screen. The incredible beauty of the colour range used by Nicholas Ray and the contrast he creates with it makes you shiver. A good example is the two dance numbers (when you have Cyd Charisse in your movie, it is a sin not to have a dance number). Of course, the choreography is not of the level of "Band Wagon" or "Silk Stockings" but we need to remember that Cyd is a dancer in a club owned by gangster not at the Ballet de l'Opera de Paris. And even if the choreography would be from your average truck driver, it is still Cyd Charisse dancing...

The three main actors are doing a very fine job. Cyd Charisse is neither Eleanor Parker or Joanne Woodward but she is playing her part with real talent. A pity her character is reduced to passivity in the second part of the movie (she is still incredibly beautiful). Robert Taylor is excellent in a more developed character. At the beginning, he is the cynical and sad solicitor who wears a mask to hide the emptiness of his soul. Then gradually, timidly, he goes back to life (the scene where he pleads with passion for the life of Cyd Charisse at the end can be put on perspective with his professional and cold pleadings at the beginning of the movie). Lee J. Cobb is also brilliant playing "Rico" (one of the numerous variations on the Capone's theme Hollywood gave us over the years). His acting is a perfect mix of "Comediante/Tragediante". His Rico plays at being on surface the vulgar, over the top gangster, who laughs a lot and looks a bit dumb. But then, when things go wrong, Rico takes off his mask and the cold-blooded killer shows his real face. The manipulative and cruel Rico is deeply chilling.

A very short scene needs to be mentioned (it is actually a single shot): a young dancer committed suicide in her bathroom. In classic Hollywood, the girl would be shown lying in the water, her head resting on one side of the bathtub, in a very sanitized fashion. Nicholas Ray shows us (very briefly, thanks Hays Code) a bathtub full of dark red blood. The girl is kneeling with just her wrists in the water, her face is hidden by her hair. It is sinister, it looks more like an execution than a peaceful departure. The reality of death.

Nicholas Ray est le Cinema.

Weird but worth it

[AlsExGal · 7/10 · 16 January 2010]

This movie makes more sense if you watch the documentary MGM: When the Lion Roars, about the history of MGM. According to the documentary, 1936-1946 was MGM's Golden Era. However, after the war, tastes in film changed, but MGM refused to change with the times or the tastes of post-war America. By the 1950's MGM was a Lion in Winter. Thus this rather split personality film begins to make sense from the context of its manufacturer. It can't decide what kind of film it wants to be, going back and forth between the big musical spectacles that MGM was famous for since the dawn of sound, to hard-hitting gangster characters and antics in the Warner Brothers tradition, to social commentary on the plight of the disabled in modern times and a beauty and the beast romance. If you know the chaos into which MGM is plunged by 1958, this enables you just to sit back and enjoy the film, which does have a great deal to offer.

The movie is badly mislabeled, since it really is not that centered on party girls at all. Instead it is basically a prohibition era romance between a beautiful showgirl played by Cyd Charisse and a lame mob lawyer played by Robert Taylor. Already dumped by one glamor girl who just wanted his money but was repulsed by his misshaped body, Taylor's character is understandably reluctant to get involved again. However, soon the pair are in love and Taylor's character gains the confidence to want to stop being the mob's mouthpiece. However, leaving the mob is not such a quick and clean business, whether you are an attorney or just a muscle man.

Taylor gives a very good performance in this one, and Lee J. Cobb's performance as a mobster looks like it was the inspiration for Robert De Niro's portrayal of Al Capone in 1987's The Untouchables, in at least one scene anyways. This one is definitely worth your time if it comes your way.

Neat Ray Film

[harry-76 · 30 July 2004]

Most any film directed by Nicholas Ray is usually worth watching, and "Party Girl's" no exception. Ray took here what might have been a quite routine movie under another director and turned it into something quite interesting.

He extracted an unusually strong performance from Robert Taylor, who celebrated his final MGM film here, and drew equally effective work from Cyd Charisse, who also demonstrated her formidable dancing skills.

Then there was that burly "brute" Lee J. Cobb doing his no-nonsense "gangster thing," which always rang true. Yes, "Party Girl" had lots of bite.

A bit of age comparisons are interesting here. Would you believe the actors playing the "handsome leading man" and "sinister character villain" were both born the same year? It was 1911 when Taylor and (gulp) Cobb entered this world. Adding to the mix, Ray was also born the same year, making for a perfect triumvirate. (Trivia note: Taylor and Ray both expired of the same terminal illness.)

Charisse showed what a 37-year-old-dancer-in-shape can do. Dig those mobile movements: cool hip action, fast torso turns, strenuous leg extensions and fantastic full-bodied falls. Cyd seemed one of the last holdouts as the film musical glory days "bit the dust."

The post-Lewis B. Mayer period allowed for more violence than ever before at MGM, and "Party Girl" had its abundant supply in the final gangland sequences.

An unbalanced movie; all in all, not bad

[pzanardo · 6/10 · 6 May 2004]

"Party girl" is a peculiar movie, starting with its title. In fact, the title recalls a light comedy in the style of the 1930/1940s. On the contrary, we deal with a drama/gangster-story of rare toughness (for the standards of the 1950s). The violence of some scenes is really scary. We recognize the hand of director Nicholas Ray. We even have an excellent action sequence which anticipates a famous sequence of "The Godfather". The story is interesting, the cinematography is good and accurate.

Unfortunately, this is an unbalanced movie. Vicky, very well played by beautiful Cyd Charisse, is a rather innovative character. But her dance numbers, so patently instrumental to show Cyd's legendary legs and phenomenal dancing skills, are just stuck to the film. A thorough and interesting psychological study of Thomas Farrell (Robert Taylor) is made. But the film is nearly marred by a huge flaw. The badly crippled Farrell has a miracle-surgery in Europe (?) and returns perfectly healed! (alas! that's not yet possible in the 2000s, let alone in the 1930s). And then the formerly crooked corrupt lawyer Farrell turns into the noblest possible person. Come on! At any rate, Taylor gives one of the best performance of his career. John Ireland is a great thug. Lee J. Cobb (as usual looking twenty years older than his actual age) makes an outstanding job as the suave, cruel gangster Rico. The action scenes, though well-filmed, are too scarce for a gangster movie. Besides the magical surgery, other twists of the plot are unlikely.

You see, "Party girl" has remarkable merits and flaws, as well. All in all, not a bad movie.

I know a girl a girl called Party, Party Girl.

[hitchcockthelegend · 7/10 · 2 April 2010]

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

The Most Colorful Film "Noir" Ever

[ragosaal · 7/10 · 20 November 2006]

This is a late 50's gangsters movie in the line of the classical film "noires" of the 40's. The remarkable aspect here is that "Party Girl" is perhaps one of the most colorful movies ever made in the genre and perhaps out of it too. Right from the start and as a background for the titles there's an all color dancing sequence and from them on color is all around including bright red dresses Cyd Charisse wears throughout the entire film.

But beautiful color aside, Nicholas Ray ("King of Kings", "55 Days in Peking") delivers an interesting and entertaining gangsters movie about a crippled "Mafia" lawyer (Robert Taylor) -a sort of predecessor of "The Godfather"'s Tom Hagen- gets involved with a cabaret dancer (Cyd Charisse) and they try to start a new life together far from the man's dangerous clients; but the big man (Lee J. Cobb) is not willing to set Taylor free because he is a genius in his work that can keep him away from the electric chair and also because the lawyer "knows too much".

There's a fine performance by Taylor as the bitter-ed attorney and also by beautiful and "classy" Charisse who also has the chance of exhibiting her undeniable dancing skills (and her famous legs too). Cobb is perfect in a role with no secrets for him pretty much like the one he played before in the classic "On the Waterfront" and a year later in "The Trap". John Ireland and Kent Smith complete the main cast.

Though not perhaps a great film -not much action sequences for the genre- "Party Girl" stands as a good one in its line worth watching no doubt.

A Revelation

[abooboo-2 · 9/10 · 24 January 2000]

Interesting movie. Very interesting, though the title is inexcuseably misleading. Nicholas Ray directs and, not surprisingly, makes novel use of shadows, bold colors and wild camera angles. There is a bravura montage of an explosion of mob violence which is sudden and startling. Ray, best known as the director of "Rebel Without a Cause", takes a smart, tough script and; unlike many crime movies which contain similar ingredients but fail to resonate, gives the movie a soul. There's something about its tone and feel, some simmering menace and creeping regret that reminds one of another mob movie which would be released 15 years later: "The Godfather". And as in that classic, the Lawyer/Mob Boss relationship is complex and fascinating.

While much of the credit deservedly goes to Ray's maverick methods and genius, the cast is also very good. Robert Taylor never developed the kind of easily identifiable screen persona of a Bogart or Jimmy Stewart, but he was a sturdy leading man who usually served the material and could be depended upon to anchor a film. He pours his heart into this part, his last as an MGM contract player. Cyd Charisse was never known as a great actress but she is capable in her role as a feisty Show Girl, and she gets a good opportunity to show off perhaps the most eye-popping, perfectly sculpted figure in the history of motion pictures. And of course, nobody was better at playing hot-tempered thugs than the great Lee J. Cobb.

Turner Classic Movies is such a goldmine. It's so satisfying to see movies, such as this one, that know how to introduce plot points and convincingly tie them up and bring things full circle. "Party Girl" may not be quite a great film, but it is very, very good.

A Film Noir/Romance/Non-Musical Musical Set in a 1930s that Looks Like the 1950s

[ascheland · 6/10 · 18 November 2013]

I wasn't surprised to read that director Nicholas Ray was allowed little creative control of "Party Girl." His sensibilities peek through here and there, but it's more of a MGM film than Nicholas Ray's. The movie is set in the 1930s, but it looks like the 1950s. It's been called a film noir, but it looks like a musical-a musical with no music, though leading lady Cyd Charisse (the titular party girl Vicki) gets a couple dance numbers. A large portion of the movie bogs down on Charisse's relationship with a reluctant mob lawyer (Robert Taylor), at which point "Party Girl" turns into a romantic melodrama. Then in the final act it once again becomes a crime film.

"Party Girl" is fairly gripping when it focuses on its seedier elements - some of the violence is startlingly bloody for its day - but it's hampered by the tonal shifts. The script, as other reviewers have pointed out, has more than a few ludicrous moments, like a "miracle" surgery and some unrealistic beliefs about how the justice system operates. The acting is fairly solid, especially by Taylor and Lee J. Cobb, as mob boss Rico Angelo. John Ireland and Corey Allen also make strong impressions in their roles as sleazy, hot-tempered hoods. For me, the weakest performance is from Charisse. She's beautiful and she's got the legs, but I found her performance a little stilted (according to a review by critic Glenn Erickson, Charisse resisted being directed by Ray). I kept thinking if you dropped the dancing, Ida Lupino or Ray's ex Gloria Grahame would've been more interesting choices for the role of Vicki (though understandably there are reasons why Grahame would never be hired). All and all, "Party Girl" is notable for some effective scenes and performances, but it's one of Nicholas Ray's lesser films.

A tough little film that's well worth watching.

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 3 May 2010]

It's interesting that Robert Taylor's last film under his long MGM contract ended so well with this tough little movie. While "Party Girl" is filmed in color and lacks the gritty dark look and unusual film angles of film noir, it is a nice near-noir film. Taylor plays an attorney with no soul. He has spent his career working for the mob and doesn't mind working for scum--as it pays very well! However, when Taylor meets a dancing girl who turns out to be quite decent (Cyd Charisse), his amoral attitude is shaken and he wants to leave his lucrative practice and do something decent with his life.

What makes this film is the excellent supporting cast working with Taylor (who, by the way, is quite good here). Lee J. Cobb is wonderful as the Al Capone-like mob boss and his henchmen (John Ireland, David Opatashu and Corey Allen) are all exceptional actors. Together, combined with a wonderful script and exceptional direction, it makes for a very good film indeed. Tough, cynical and a quality production throughout, this is a great swansong to his MGM career. The only deficits are the dancing numbers by Charisse and a mistake in the final scene where acid pours on Cobb's face but he's not the least bit burned. The dancing just wasn't necessary and tended to disrupt the dark tone of the film.

By the way, if you like this film, try also watching John Garfield in "Force of Evil". Its plot is very similar and is also an exceptional film.

YOU CAN GET WHAT YOU WANT BUT THERE'S A PRICE...!

[masonfisk · 7/10 · 12 July 2018]

Not to be confused w/the Parker Posey starrer from the 90's, this rare color noir from the 50's shot in widescreen & directed by Nicholas Ray concerns a mob lawyer finding love & vowing to try one more case & then head for the hills but his boss comes in the guise of Lee J. Cobb, who definitely won't take 'no' for an answer. With a rare dramatic turn by Cyd Charisse (she does dance here but there's definitely some meat on the bone part-wise) the tale has its share of crosses & double crosses but it really is entertaining as heck w/a great star turn by Robert Taylor who's all control & menace. Worth a look!

Classy, intelligent film about crime and friendship

[funkyfry · 8/10 · 22 September 2008]

This film was made at a time when the classic "studio" system was in collapse, and journeyman genius Nicholas Ray -- who had previously made masterpieces like "In a Lonely Place" for Bogart's Santana Productions, "Johnny Guitar" for Republic Pictures, and a whole slew of top notch film noirs for RKO -- found himself highly employable but somewhat unable to get his own productions off the ground. As such, I think it's fair to describe the film less as a labor of love than a labor of discovering love, and you can almost see the process of Ray finding the secret of various scenes with his actors. It's a better film than any of his subsequent "epic" efforts that I've seen, and perhaps you could even say that in its rather simple story of a disabled mafia lawyer (Robert Taylor) who meets the love of his life (Cyd Charisse) at a tacky mob party the director found an opportunity to comment on the dissolute state of his life and career.

The story follow's Taylor's character's attempts to extricate himself from his deep involvement with mafia kingpin Rico Angelo (Lee J. Cobb), who relies on his legal skills to keep him and his buddies -- including the opportunistic Louis (John Ireland) and sadistic, unstable Cookie La Motte (Corey Allen) -- out of prison. One of the things about the film that really interested me was that the DA (Kent Smith) is perhaps more unscrupulous and ambitious than any of the mafia figures. In one of the film's best dialog sequences and one that is most charged with Ray's signature style, we see the DA Stewart trying to convince Tommy (Taylor) to become a "fink." It's as if the two are back in the courtroom, where we first saw Stewart, but with only the audience as judge. Tommy acquits himself well in his own defense: "my expertise is in defending the guilty man, and you've made it your business to make the innocent man seem guilty." Stewart remonstrates him: "when are you going to get smart and play along?" Tommy has an answer for that too: "when are they going to start making you a Senator?" Stewart: "As soon as you start talking." What's fascinating about this scene, and also the scenes between Cobb's character and Taylor's, is the awareness of how a conversation can be like a battle, and in all cases between equal and respectful opponents.

Tommy plays on his sincerity, even to the audience, while holding forth with the most insincere of ruses like his continual appeals to the sentiment associated with his "father's watch", which he actually orders in bulk to use as a courtroom prop. It kind of reminded me of Chris Nolan's "Dark Knight" in the way that each time he tells the story of the watch he gives a different version specific to whatever situation he's in at that point, but always involving his father and this idea of a "hardscrabble" upbringing in Chicago. There's a strong thread of nostalgia running through the film, which is itself set in the 1930s Chicago of director Ray's childhood. One of the most remarkable scenes in the film is when Tommy tells Vicki (Charisse) about the injury that made him lame, all while they stand next to the very bridge where it occurred.

The film features exceptional performances by Taylor, Cobb and Ireland and the very best performance I've seen by Cyd Charisse. I was able to see it at the Castro Theater in SF as a commemoration of the passing of Ms. Charisse a few months ago, on a double bill with Minnelli's "The Band Wagon." Unfortunately a direct comparison such as that makes her musical sequences in "Party Girl" seem pretty half-baked. The songs and dances are not very imaginative, and are not integrated into the film in any interesting way. Nick Ray seems to be able to get more kinetic power and more of a musical sort of excitement out of the violent montage of mob killings that plays like a color operatic version of the meltdown in Hawks' "Scar Face."

"Party Girl" deserves a better fate than its had so far -- it should be released on video so that movie fans can assess its unique contributions to the gangster genre that place it firmly between "Scar Face" and "The Godfather", and yet infused with the "noir" atmosphere that was Ray's expertise. For the director Ray, this was perhaps the last film in which he was able to tell a story based around small and intimate moments as opposed to the huge European productions he would soon become just a small part of himself.

Top notch mob lawyer falls in love with a classy dance hall girl

[Ed-Shullivan · 7/10 · 9 March 2017]

Of course we have all seen this type of story line a few times, especially if you enjoy the film 'noire of the 1940s and 1950s era. What sets this crime/film 'noire/romance apart from others is the first class performances of the four main characters. The gorgeous gams of professional dancer Cyd Charisse are on full display in her role as Vicki Gaye and she is the love interest of the smartest criminal defence attorney Thomas Farrell played to perfection by Robert Taylor who unfortunately died in the prime of his life and in his career as a first rate Hollywood star.

Thomas Farrel is the lead counsel for mob boss Rico Angelo played by Academy Award best actor nominee Lee J. Cobb who rules his crime empire and the streets below him by fear of death or serious injury to anyone who would even consider double crossing him. Now lawyer Thomas Farrell does have a close working relationship with the mob boss Rico Angelo who pays him top dollar for keeping him and his cronies out of jail even when they are up on murder charges. Such is the case with Louis Canetto played by John Ireland who is charged with murder but gets off due to the masterful defence strategy used by his lawyer, Thomas Farrel.

Louis Canetto has his eyes set on the pretty party girl Vicki Gaye but so does defence lead counsel Thomas Farrel. It does not take the gorgeous Cyd Charisse who plays Vicki Gaye long to assess that she will have a much more loving relationship with lawyer Thomas Farrel than she would with the mob underling Louis Canetto.

So you can see that this film 'noire has the typical seedy criminal element who require a smart lawyer to continuously defend them, and it has the party girl turned love interest of the brilliant lawyer who is used by the mob boss to get what he wants out of his top notch lawyer Thomas Farrell. Where I see this film excels and where other similar pictures of the era falter is with the high caliber acting of these four main characters such that the film has ended when the audience wants to see more.

I give the film a pretty good 7 out of 10 rating.

for the specialist or the veteran? a good but flawed noir with a unique pairing of its top stars

[oparthenon · 5/10 · 17 February 2008]

Party Girl is one of those films that can satisfy either the veteran film-goer (who may remember it or its era) or the specialist (who watches a film with a critical eye towards its particular qualities.) Fans of director Nicholas Ray or of stars Robert Taylor or Cyd Charisse (in one of her few dramatic roles, she acquits herself well) will enjoy the fine, well-crafted performances and the superb finish to the pacing of scenes and the cinematography. The film also has a certain heft due to the presence of Lee J Cobb as Rico, the gangster 'heavy,' although Taylor's skill in portraying the heavy's 'consigliaro' Tommy Farrell should be noted as well, avoiding as it does both cliché and bathos. It is a fine performance indeed, in a film marked by good, if not outstanding performances all around. There is as well a compelling understatement to Ray's directing that highlights both the strengths and (unfortunately) the weaknesses of a fairly less-than-original script -- the most glaring weakness being the way shyster lawyer Taylor readily submits to arrest and threat of imprisonment for having been associated with one of Cobb's henchmen, as though lawyer-client privilege were unknown to the state's attorney, a bit preposterous considering that Cobb's character Rico is wanted for the murder of the henchman anyway. The script thus plays to a perceived need to provide conflict outside that which already exists between Rico and Farrell, missing the opportunity to give some dimension to Rico's one-sided gangster. Some may find the surgery Taylor's character undergoes to restore a shattered hip a bit hard to believe, but in fact the description given the surgery, and the length of time required for the hip to heal, are in line with hip restoration surgery of the film's era (set in the 1930's.) And Taylor's character does not return from his stay in Europe miraculously healed; he still leans on his cane, but is less dependent on it. In fact Taylor does a very good job of being more married to the cane than to his on-screen wife (who makes only one thankless appearance) and of losing the cane gradually, and regaining the strength to walk without it, as he gains momentum against Rico and towards Cyd Charisse's character (dancer vs. near cripple; dancer drops dancing career and goes with near cripple, who gradually regains the strength to walk -- a nice metaphor for the growth of a relationship, filmed without melodrama.) The so-called 'happy' ending is certainly less than story-book, but probably will not satisfy a generation raised (reduced?) on Kill Bill Vols. 1 and 2 and three rather sickening 'Godfather' films. In fact, it is rather gratifying to see middle-aged Taylor (and near middle-aged Charisse) successfully build their relationship out of mutual trust. Both still have their looks, but both are mature enough not to be self-conscious about them -- a refreshing change from a youth-obsessed post 9/11 culture.

Ray rises above the material.

[bobsgrock · 13 February 2013]

Quite possibly Nicholas Ray's most visually eloquent film, the poorly- named Party Girl focuses not on the Cyd Charisse titular character but her romantic interest, mob lawyer Tom Farrell, played with great intensity and dedication by Robert Taylor.

Charisse is even more luminous than usual thanks in part to the mesmerizing lighting and camera work utilized by Ray in two major dance numbers obviously included to showcase MGM's most talented dancer. However, Ray was also able to elicit a rather touching albeit somewhat unrealistic performance from Charisse in playing a lonely showgirl drawn to Taylor's disfigured lawyer trapped in the world of defending known criminals.

Such a story had been done before many different ways, yet under Ray's direction the film achieves a certain sense of nobility and appreciation. It is not flashy, but not boring either. It is, as much of Ray's work was at the time, workman-like and beautifully crafted. Compared to much of the other features released at the time, Ray's films stand out today as rising above the material he was given to work with.

odd film

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 8 August 2006]

"Party Girl" is a B film in A wrapping paper - even the title suggests a tawdry B picture. But it's in color and stars Robert Taylor, Cyd Charisse, Lee J. Cobb, and John Ireland. Taylor plays an attorney whose hip was damaged in a boyhood accident. He's become a powerful mob mouthpiece when he falls in love with a showgirl (Charisse). When he wants out of the mob life, he finds that the mobster (Cobb) is unwilling to let him go.

Directed by Nicholas Ray, the film flirts more with film noir than B status and has some excellent performances, particularly by Taylor and Lee J. Cobb. Cobb is quite terrifying as a violent thug who doesn't telegraph his violence, making him all the more frightening - you just never know what he's going to do. And the violence doesn't leave much to the imagination.

Taylor does a terrific job as an attorney who all his life has believed he's nothing but a cripple, an outsider, and has given up on having any kind of a personal life. He tells Charisse the story of how his hip came to be damaged in his youth and talks about it being a mark of bravery - until he was older and the other guys were getting the dates. I really can't see any woman looking at Robert Taylor being deterred by a limp - or anything else - but perhaps this is more a statement about the power of a negative self image and how it allowed him to be ridiculed by his wife.

Charisse is very good and has two great dance numbers that show off her great talent, gorgeous figure, and those to-die-for legs.

The script has some huge problems. The story is preposterous, the Swedish surgery being one aspect that defies reality. The other is the DA expecting a lawyer to breach attorney-client privilege. Also, the film is set in the '30s but some of it has a '50s aura to it - I blame the color more than anything else.

"Party Girl" is still worth seeing. It's a Nicholas Ray film, it's Taylor's last MGM film as a contract player, and he turns in a wonderful performance.

A Very Untypical Gangster Movie

[seymourblack-1 · 7/10 · 13 January 2015]

Untypically, for a gangster movie, the main focus of attention in "Party Girl" is on the unlikely love affair that develops between two very different people who work for a notorious gangster in 1930s Chicago. Both lovers are cynical and bruised by their pasts but together find the courage and determination they need to try to extricate themselves from the firm grip that the gangster holds on them.

Tommy Farrell (Robert Taylor) is the brilliant lawyer who works for gangster boss Rico Angelo (Lee J Cobb) and regularly displays his talents in court by getting Rico's thugs free of the charges brought against them. Vicki Gaye (Cyd Charisse) is a showgirl who works at Rico's nightclub and makes some extra money by being paid $100 for each of Rico's parties that she attends. At the end of one of these parties, Tommy takes her home where she discovers that her pregnant roommate has committed suicide because her married boyfriend has deserted her. Tommy helps Vicki through the difficult time she has being interviewed by the police following her friend's autopsy and they then start to see each other regularly.

The experiences of being crippled in a childhood accident and then suffering the breakdown of his marriage to a woman who became repulsed by his disability made Tommy very bitter and his growing contempt for his employer had only made his disposition worse. A bad experience when she was a 15-year-old had left Vicki with a jaundiced view of men and led to her keeping them at arm's length ever since. The happiness they find together brings some unexpected warmth into their lives and Vicki's loyal to Tommy during the extended period that he takes off to have surgery on his crippled leg. After Tommy makes a successful recovery the couple reunite.

When he returns to work in Chicago, Rico wants Tommy to represent an associate of his called Cookie La Motte (Corey Allen) but Tommy initially refuses because his potential client is known to be an extremely violent psychopath. Rico then leaves Tommy with no choice in the matter when he threatens to disfigure Vicki with acid unless Tommy does what he wants. A little later, La Motte jumps bail and Tommy and Vicki get arrested when the state prosecutor takes action against everyone associated with Rico. Pressure is then put on Tommy to disclose everything he knows about Rico's organisation and the decisions he subsequently takes, put his and Vicki's lives in danger before the action that follows eventually leads to the movie's violent conclusion.

Robert Taylor and Cyd Charisse are both very convincing in their roles and skilfully make the changes that their characters go through seem perfectly natural. Lee J Cobb is also very powerful in his larger-than-life portrayal of Rico Angelo.

In "Party Girl", it's not only the focus of the story that's unusual for a gangster movie as it also features a couple of impressive dance numbers and certain passages in which the whole style of presentation is far more typical of the legendary musicals for which MGM is so well known. Fortunately, these seemingly incongruous elements don't ultimately detract from what is essentially , a very compelling crime drama.

Crime Drama with Dancing

[JamesHitchcock · 6/10 · 16 June 2012]

Tommy Farrell is a leading criminal lawyer in Prohibition-era Chicago who specialises in defending gangsters. He has a particularly close relationship with leading Mafia boss Rico Angelo, loosely based on Al Capone. Farrell's practice is a lucrative one, but when he falls in love with Vicki Gaye, a beautiful showgirl, he tries to cut his ties to organised crime. Angelo, however, is not a man to take "no" for an answer, and Farrell quickly realises that by leaving the racket he could be placing both Vicki and himself in danger.

That sounds like the plot of a standard film noir. "Party Girl", however, does not really fit into that category. For a start it was filmed in colour, which makes it unusual among fifties crime dramas and rules it out from being considered as film noir. The use of low-key black-and-white photography is generally regarded as an essential noir characteristic, and director Nicholas Ray had earlier made a number of successful films of this type, most notably "In a Lonely Place", but in the later part of his career he became known for his skillful use of colour in films like "Johnny Guitar". Vicki's profession is used as an excuse to introduce extended dance sequences of a type not normally associated with serious crime drama and more reminiscent of scenes from musicals such as "Singin' in the Rain" or "Silk Stockings", both of which also starred Cyd Charisse. Even the title "Party Girl" seems more suited to a comedy than to a serious drama.

As a crime drama the film is nothing out of the ordinary, certainly not in the same class as "In a Lonely Place" or Ray's great melodrama, "Rebel without a Cause". Lee J. Cobb as Angelo makes an effective villain, as he normally did, but Robert Taylor is rather staid as Farrell. As for Charisse, although she was one of the most beautiful actresses in the Hollywood of the 1950s, few people would have regarded her as one of the most talented, and she doesn't do a lot here to contradict that opinion. Except, of course, in dance sequences, where she gets the chance to show yet again that although her acting skills may have been limited, there were few leading ladies of the period who could dance so well or who could look so sexy while doing so.

It is, in fact, these scenes which make "Party Girl" still watchable today; they were not only those superbly choreographed but also superbly photographed, allowing Ray to make good use of his gift for colour. He is generally associated with serious films, but on the evidence of this one he could perhaps also have had a career as the director of more light-hearted fare. 6/10

A Classy Film Noir From Nicholas Ray.

[JohnWelles · 8/10 · 20 November 2010]

The last film noir I saw was "Party Girl" (1958), directed by Nicholas Ray and stars Robert Taylor, Cyd Charisse and Lee J. Cobb.

The screenplay (by George Wells) is hardly anything unusual: Lawyer Thomas Farrell (Taylor) has made a career of defending gangsters and crooks in trials. But when he meets showgirl Vicki Gaye (Charisse) at a mob party held by racketeer Rico Angelo (Cobb) that he starts to come out of his shell. Farrell tries to quit, but Rico, whose partner is going to be indicted and needs Farrell more than ever, threatens to hurt Gaye badly if he quits.

The rather passé script, however, is enlivened to tremendous effect, not just by Jeff Alexander's lush, Jazzy score, and Robert J. Bronner's vibrant cinematography, but cult director Nicholas Ray brings a measured grace to the proceedings that really lifts the motion picture out of the ordinary. Robert Taylor is very good as the lawyer but Lee J. Cob, as a Capone like mobster chews up every scene he's in with vigour. Although Chaisse hasn't much to do and John Ireland is slightly two dimensional, this is a classy, exciting film noir deserves to be ranked among Ray's best.

Film belies the title...

[jljacobi · 7/10 · 19 December 2021]

I was expecting something with Cyd Charisse to be a bit lighter. You know, the typical dance thing. But it's a surprisingly serious and well-acted.

Of course, you get to see Cyd do a couple of her numbers, and she's well... Very attractive doing it. Robert Taylor's great, so are the others. A lot, and I mean a lot more enjoyable than I was expecting.

Good stuff.

1958 30's era Chicago gangster film in Metrocolor

[RanchoTuVu · 8/10 · 26 October 2007]

Party Girl starts out in a Chicago club sometime after the repeal of prohibition, with a big dance number. It looks as if it might be primarily a musical in luscious color, but the club is owned by a crime boss (Lee J Cobb), and one of the dancers (Cyd Charisse) gets involved with the lawyer (Robert Taylor) who is the legal mastermind behind the organization. Already a lieutenant is the part played by John Ireland, and later there is a merger with another organization led by youthful and psychotic Corey Allen. The wardrobe department really came through amidst an ultra-rich decor. Yet in the midst of all this splendor a fairly intriguing drama is more or less intelligently played out. Taylor, who walks with a cane, maybe has never been better, as he tries to get out of the mob, but has ties from his youth with Cobb. John Ireland stands out as well, but just about the entire cast is excellent.

colorful late '50s potboiler

[mjneu59 · 6/10 · 24 December 2010]

The setting is supposed to be Chicago during the early 1930s, but the scenario is pure late '50s Hollywood, in widescreen Metrocolor with young Marlon Brando look-alikes stepping out to some splashy stage numbers not far removed from 'West Side Story'. Robert Taylor plays an urbane lawyer forced to defend unscrupulous mobster Lee J. Cobb, and Cyd Charisse is the nightclub dancer of the film's title, a truly tough cookie who, unfortunately, crumbles all too quickly and mends her wicked ways after falling in love with the benevolent attorney. The romantic subplot is strictly by the (melodramatic) numbers, but the Windy City crime angle is never less than entertaining, in particular during the long, climactic shoot-out, with Taylor and Cobb wrestling over a deadly vial of hydrochloric acid.

Film noir with spectacular color and performances all around.

[mamalv · 9/10 · 13 March 2005]

Nicolos Ray uses color in this movie like some directors use dialoge. It is spectacular to look at with reds and blacks predominate all through the film. It is old-fashioned in it's appeal to the film noir lover. This is the last film Robert Taylor did for MGM, and it is a great performance. The character of Tommy Farrel is, if you excuse the pun, tailor made for Taylor. Again he is the man with a secret past, as he has been in other film noir classics such as the High Wall, and Rogue Cop, two of his better roles. He is a mob attorney who is drawn to the "fastest way," which in this case is working for Rico Angelo (Lee J Cobb). Cobb is always wonderful to watch and his role here is one of overstated ignorance, and brutal power. Tommy walks with a limp due to a childhood accident, and hates women because of his ex-wife's repulsion of his crookedness. She destroyed his masculinity, by denying him access to both her bed and her love. He meets Vicki, played well by Cyd Charisse, at a party given by Angelo, takes her home to find her room mate dead in a bloody tub scene. He is drawn to her, but chases her away telling her "a girl deserves what she can get," after Vicki wants him to return money given to her by John Ireland at the party. She follows him to court and watches as he uses his limp to get sympathy from the jury, freeing murderer Ireland. His unique approach also includes the use of an old simple watch that he tells the jury was given to him by his father while he was in the hospital as a boy. It is the secret to his success with the jury. She tells him if that is what he wants "pity" then he has hers. He snarls at her telling her to get out. Afterwards he goes to the club where she is a dancer, every night finally taking her home, and telling her about his past with the wife. They fall in love and that is the beginning of the end for Farrel. She wants him to quit, he can't. He does go to Europe to have his hip fixed and they vacation, until Rico summons him back to Chicago. There is finds that Rico has a job for him, defending a young gangster who Farrel refers to as a "dog with the rabbies." He tries to leave only to find that Rico will disfigure Vickie if he doesn't go along. Reluctantly he agrees and in the pursuit there is a massive machine gunning down of the young gangster and his associates. Farrel escapes unharmed, and goes to Vicki, telling her they must run. She refuses, and the cops take them both to jail. In the end he rats on Rico to save Vicki, he thinks, until he is taken to a broken down meeting hall, where Rico presents Vicki to him, wrapped in bandages. They unveil her still perfect face, but also a bottle of acid, which Rico tells Tommy he will use if he doesn't take back the testimony. The cops were tipped where to find Rico, and they attack the hall with a hail of bullets causing Rico to tip the acid on his own face, falling to his death through a plate glass window. Vicki and Farrel leave, meeting the District Attorney on the way, with Farrel giving his watch to Kent Smith, "as a remembrance." The wonderful thing about this performance by Taylor is that his looks only add to the sadness of the character, his blue eyes showing the conflict within this man. Still magnificent to look at we feel for his plight with the crooked body, not be able to love again until Charisse loves him as is. Taylor is just great here, a mature, restrained Tommy Farrel, in love at last but conflicted about his job, and how he gets his money. A must see film noir.

Glamor, Girls, Guns, Goons, and...'56 Fords?

[davidcarniglia · 7/10 · 9 July 2018]

Really a stunning production. The use of color, especially during the dance sequences, was mesmerizing. It seems odd to say that about what is essentially a film noir, but the fireworks of sets and costumes make Party Girl unique.

Still, it takes at least an hour for the plot to get rolling. Then the sociopath Cookie suddenly puts Robert Taylor's character in jeopardy; and Taylor isn't in the clear until the last scene. All the while we're left wondering if Cyd Charisse's character is going to be doused with acid. Fortunately, the prosecutor comes up with a clever strategy to force Lee J. Cobb's hand.

It would seem obvious, though, that Vicki (Cyd Charisse) will be abducted by Angelo's (Cobb's) goons. Also, after Taylor's released from jail and finds Cobb, why would the police launch an all-out assault on the building, since Taylor could easily get killed too? The fact that he had a sentimental talk with the cops at the very end shows that they were on the same side.

The movie almost lost me with the side-trip to Europe. What was the purpose of Taylor's having an old injury that needed surgery anyway? If we had gone directly from Taylor's romance with Charisse right to the complications with Cobb and Cookie we would have lost nothing. We would've been spared the rare on-location driving scene from the doctor's office in which (as noted in the Goofs column) all the other cars are from the 1950s.

Which leaves me wondering: why the movie was set in the 30s? There were still plenty of ruthless gangsters to worry about in 1958. And, well, why not make Cobb an Irish gangster? He looks about as Italian as a Viking.

Taylor's plea to Cobb that, despite all his bravado, the gangster is really a decent guy, who wouldn't stoop so low as to disfigure a woman, is full of tension. It's clear that Cobb is fascinated by Taylor, almost spell-bound; but never has the courage to stop striking out against his perceived enemies. Except for that well-written scene, though, Taylor's performance isn't very nuanced, not even as much as Cobb's. The fact that Taylor's Farrell is married has almost no bearing on the plot. That would be strange in any era, even more so in the '30s or '50s.

A strange, awkwardly-paced, but extremely watchable movie. Charisse's dancing is great stuff, and that nightclub just glows beautifully. Cobb is at his caged-animal best, and there's plenty of wild gun-play. Party Girl is definitely worth looking at. 7/10.

Would Be Better With More Gangster Material (And A Widescreen DVD Option)

[ccthemovieman-1 · 5/10 · 31 January 2008]

The first third of this classic-era film was pretty good. Robert Taylor does an effective job of playing a lawyer for the mob. Some think Taylor was too much of a "pretty boy" but I thought he always was good as a tough guy (i.e. "Bataan," "Johnny Eager," etc.). Besides, he was past 45 years of age when he made this.

The story loses its edge when "Tommy Ferrell" (Taylor) falls for dancer "Vicki Gaye" (Cyd Charisse) and the film turns into a love story. It tries to recapture its spark with a few gangster/action scenes later but it is too little0too late and the story really never recovered. Having Cyd dance a few numbers is one example of why this film lost its gangster feel. I have no complaints looking at this woman and her great legs, but something is not right here. I hate to say this but the story needed more action scenes and less of our girl Cyd, less melodrama.

Speaking of "looks," this movie was shot in 2.35:1 widescreen and is still available in that format. I saw it on the formatted-to-TV style of the VHS and I am sure this would be much more watchable in its original ratio. With the cinematography and wide-angle shots, this is crying out for a DVD release, even if the story is disappointing. I blame that on the overly melodramatic script, not the performances of Charisse or Taylor, or Lee J. Cobb, who plays his normal thug role, and does it well.