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 Samuel Marx and Jan Clayton

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