63: Pal Joey, Part 1 - The Beauty of Lorenz Hart

For part one of our Pal Joey deep dive, we look at the life of gay lyricist Lorenz Hart. We explore Hart's writings, philosophy, and history as a closeted artist living a painfully contradictory double life. We also discuss the benefits of irredeemable characters in art, setting the stage for a closer look at how the 1940 musical Pal Joey—and the 1957 Sinatra-starring film adaptation—came to be.

Sources:

• The Art of Burning Bridges: A Life of John O’Hara by Geoffrey O’Brien
• Lorenz Hart: A Poet on Broadway by Frederick Nolan
• A Song in the Dark: The Birth of the Musical Film by Richard Barrios
• A Ship Without a Sail: The Life of Lorenz Hart by Gary Marmostein
• Pal Joey: The novel and libretto and lyrics, John O’Hara, Lorenz Hart, Richard Rogers
• Novellas by John O’Hara
• Selected Short Stories by John O’Hara
• Pal Joey, History of a Heel by Julieanne Lundberg
• Rodgers and Hart, Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered: A Dual Biography by Samu