The Pajama Game (film)

This article is about the 1957 film. For other uses, see The Pajama Game (disambiguation).

The Pajama Game
Directed by	George Abbott Stanley Donen
Screenplay by	George Abbott Richard Bissell
Based on	novel by Richard Bissell
Produced by	George Abbott Stanley Donen
Starring	Doris Day John Raitt Carol Haney Eddie Foy Jr. Barbara Nichols
Cinematography	Harry Stradling, Sr.
Edited by	William H. Ziegler
Music by	Richard Adler Jerry Ross
Color process	Warnercolor
Production company	Warner Bros.
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date	August 29, 1957 (1957-08-29)
Running time	101 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$2.5 million (US rentals)

The Pajama Game is a 1957 musical film based on the 1954 stage musical of the same name, itself based on the 1953 novel 7½ Cents by Richard Pike Bissell. The film was produced and directed by George Abbott and Stanley Donen. The principal cast of the Broadway musical repeated their roles for the movie, with the exception of Janis Paige, whose role is played by Doris Day; and Stanley Prager, whose role is played by Jack Straw. The choreography is by Bob Fosse, who also did the choreography for the stage production.

Plot

Sid Sorokin (John Raitt) has just been hired as superintendent of the Sleeptite Pajama Factory in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He soon falls for Babe Williams (Doris Day), a worker in the factory and member of the employee union's leadership. At the company picnic they become a couple, but Babe worries that their roles in management and labor will drive them apart. She is correct. The union is pushing for a raise of seven-and-one-half cents per hour to bring them in line with the industry standard, but the factory's manager is giving them a runaround. In retaliation, the workers pull a slow-down and deliberately foul up the pajamas, but when Babe actually sabotages some machinery, Sid fires her.

Meanwhile, Sid has been wondering what secrets the manager is hiding in his locked account book. To that end, he takes Gladys (Carol Haney), the boss's assistant, on a date to the local hot spot, "Hernando's Hideaway", despite her insanely jealous boyfriend "Hine-sie" (Eddie Foy, Jr.). He gets Gladys drunk, and in this state, she lends him the key to the locked book. Returning to the factory, Sid discovers that the manager reported the raise as having been instituted months ago. He has been pocketing the difference himself. Sid threatens to send the book to the board of directors if the raise is not paid immediately.

At the union meeting that evening, amid talk of a strike, Sid arrives with the manager, who announces he has agreed to the raise. When Babe realizes that it was Sid who engineered the raise and that he has only been attempting to avert labor strife, she returns to him.

Cast

Character	Performer
Katherine "Babe" Williams	Doris Day
Sid Sorokin	John Raitt
Gladys Hotchkiss	Carol Haney
Vernon "Hine-sie" Hines	Eddie Foy Jr.
Mabel	Reta Shaw
Mae	Thelma Pelish
Prez	Jack Straw
"Poopsie"	Barbara Nichols
Myron Hasler	Ralph Dunn
Max	Owen Martin

Production

As recounted in 2016 by Janis Paige, the studio desired to use as many members of the Broadway cast as possible. But one of the leads had to be a movie star. She said that the male lead, played by Raitt, was originally offered to Frank Sinatra. Had he accepted the role, Paige said, she would have played the part that was given to Doris Day.

In this film, the calendar behind Sid Sorokin's desk, while he sings "Hey There" shows July 1954.

Songs

1. "The Pajama Game" – Ensemble
2. "Racing With the Clock" – Ensemble
3. "I'm Not At All In Love" – Babe and Ensemble
4. "I'll Never Be Jealous Again" – Hines and Mabel
5. "Hey There" – Sid
6. "Once-A-Year-Day" – Babe, Sid, and Ensemble
7. "Small Talk" – Babe and Sid
8. "There Once Was a Man" – Babe and Sid
9. "Racing With the Clock" (reprise) – Ensemble
10. "Steam Heat" – Gladys
11. "Hey There" (reprise) – Babe
12. "Hernando's Hideaway" – Gladys and Ensemble
13. "7½ Cents" – Babe, Prez, and Ensemble

Reception

The film has a 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

At the time of its release, it received a favorable review by Bosley Crowther of The New York Times. He compared the film favorably to the Broadway stage version, and said the film is "as good as it was on the stage, which was quite good enough for many thousand happy customers over a period of a couple of years. It is fresh, funny, lively and tuneful. Indeed, in certain respects—such as when they all go on the factory picnic—it is even more lively than it was on the stage."

The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:

• 2004: AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs:
  • "Hey There" – Nominated
• 2006: AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals – Nominated

See also

• List of American films of 1957
• The Pajama Game (album)

External links

• The Pajama Game at IMDb
• The Pajama Game at Rotten Tomatoes