The Helen Morgan Story

The Helen Morgan Story (1957) starring Ann Blyth, Paul Newman, Richard Carlson, Gene Evans, Alan King. Directed by Michael Curtiz. There really was a Helen Morgan, and she was a big star during the 1920s and '30s. This largely fictionalized movie focuses on Morgan's (Blyth) romances and alcoholism. Although she performs a number of songs, her career as a torch singer seems to be in the background in this film. Newman plays a cheap hood who she falls in love with early on and can never stop loving -- in contrast to her real life, where she was married three times. This film is billed as a Paul Newman movie, but it's one he'd probably rather forget. (English subtitles for the hearing-impaired are available on the disc.) Grade: B-