Yankees haters are just as numerous today as they were in 1958, when this picture was released (following the successful run of the Broadway musical). Just about everything else has changed, though.
A rookie baseball star turning his back on fame to go home to his wife? A big home-run hitter not suspected of being on steroids? Pay phones— with dials, no less! — that require a pocketful of change? Who even carries change these days?
Ray Walston honed his skills playing the devil before he got stuck being a Martian (I will admit that I kept expecting to see his antennae pop up every time he appeared). He’s suave, sly, and delivers his lines with superb restraint.
“Hey, how’d you pull that off?” asks innocent Joe Boyd, watching the devil light his cigarette without a match.
“I’m handy with fire,” deadpans Walston.
They don’t make temptresses like Lola anymore. And nobody has pulled off a number like “Who’s Got the Pain” since Gwen Verdon and Bob Fosse choreographed it together — that’s him dancing with her in the film, by the way.
On top of this, you get Tab Hunter, a sterling actor. And such fine harmonizing by the team and their manager in “You Gotta Have Heart!”
Sorry, just couldn’t resist. The devil made me do it.
Deathless Prose 
I watched this movie when I was eleven years old, and just loved it. The songs, and the energy! And Lola, of course; now there’s a character for a girl to aspire to (whatever Lola wants, Lola gets). It should be so much better known than it appears to be (in the UK, at least). Great to see it reviewed here.
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Thanks for stopping by, Janet. I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who loves this corny musical.
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See, the clue’s in the film: you’ve gotta have heart 🙂
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Great Review!! Such a fun film, really brings me back to my childhood 🙂
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So glad it made you smile.
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