The Joker is Wild (1957)

This is certainly one of my favourite Frank Sinatra performances not least because his “Joe” character actually gets to do some crooning. Indeed, it’s how this charmer makes his living, along with pianist “Austin” (Eddie Albert) singing in a nightclub. When he gets a better offer though, his boss makes it clear that moving isn’t an option. When he defies him, well surgery ensues and a period in the wilderness of New York follows with his friends, including “Austin”, unaware of his location. Then a chance encounter sets in train a bit of a reconciliation as he discovers he has a knack for patter that gets the audiences laughing. Gradually, he gets his confidence back and falls in love with “Letty” (Jeanne Crain) and all looks set fair. Success, as they say, is a two-headed beast though and with his fame, celebrity and a wartime entertainment posting, comes an addiction to gambling and to the bottle, too. With a self-destructive path stretching out before him, maybe it’s only “Martha” (Mitzi Gaynor), one of his dancers, who can stop his implosion - but that’s a very big maybe! Sinatra is at his most natural here, as is Albert, when they are on the stage and those scenes give us a good excuse to listen to the likes of “All the Way” and “I Cried for You” as well as a small dose of cyclorama-shaded Bing Crosby too! The dialogue for the stand up routines is a bit dated now, but still has some natural pith to it, especially when being heckled - “Last time I saw a mouth like that, it had a hook in it!”. The story ends quite effectively in a way that nowadays might scream sequel but then just meant that life goes on, and as an observation of the flaws of a man faced with trauma, drama and success Sinatra delivers well whilst eliciting a little sympathy too.