The Joker Is Wild

The Joker Is Wild is a 1957 American musical drama film directed by Charles Vidor, starring Frank Sinatra, Mitzi Gaynor, Jeanne Crain, and Eddie Albert, and released by Paramount Pictures. The film is about Joe E. Lewis, the popular singer and comedian who was a major attraction in nightclubs from the 1920s to the early 1950s.

Lewis soon develops an acerbic and witty sense of humor and is given a break as a standup comedian from singer Sophie Tucker playing herself. Soon, Lewis makes a career for himself, but heavy drinking and a selfdestructive streak leads him to question his way of living and what his life has become.Sinatra read Art Cohns book The Joker Is Wild The Story of Joe E. Lewis during the mid50s, was immediately taken by the story, and bought the rights to the book after Lewis himself turned down a reported 150,000 from MetroGoldwynMayer for the film rights to his story. Variety reported in November 1955 that Paramount Pictures would finance what was, for all intents and purposes, an independent feature film which was headed by Lewis and Sinatra along with director Charles Vidor and author Art Cohn. Each of the four partners were paid a reported 400,000, along with 75 of the films net profits. The New York Times would report that Sinatras share was in the region of 125,000 along withof the films profits. ........

Source: Wikipedia