Notable Changes
The happy ending of the film contrasts with that of the stage musical, where Joey is left alone at the end.
The transformation of Joey into a "nice guy" departed from the stage musical, where Joey's character was notable for being the anti-hero.
The film varies from the stage musical in several other key points: the setting was changed from Chicago to San Francisco, while the stage Joey was a dancer. The plot of the film drops a blackmail attempt and two roles prominent on stage were changed: Melba (a reporter) was cut and Gladys became a minor character. Linda became a naive chorus girl instead of an innocent stenographer and some of the lyrics to "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" were changed.
In the film, Vera Simpson is a wealthy widow and a former stripper (billed as "Vanessa the Undresser") and thus gets to sing the classic Hart name-list song "Zip". (As that number required an authentic burlesque drummer to mime the bumps and grinds, the extra playing the drums is disconcertingly switched with a professional musician in a jump cut).
Read more about this topic: Pal Joey (film)
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