In Search of A Pearl

L-R: Phil Silvers, Rita Hayworth, and Gene Kelly

Cover Girl (1944) is a musical starring Rita Hayworth, Gene Kelly, Phil Silvers, and Eve Arden. The film tells the story of a chorus girl named Rusty Parker (Hayworth) who works at a nightclub run by her boyfriend Danny McGuire (Kelly) and wins a contest to appear on the cover of a magazine. The publicity exposes her to the public eye and she is given the chance to become a star.


To be honest, this was my first Gene Kelly movie and was ironically his big breakthrough as well. In this movie Kelly establishes himself as an able actor, singer, and of course, dancer. The chemistry between him and Hayworth is absolutely believable and they are perfect for each other on-screen. In the "Put Me To The Test" number the two dance alone in an elegant and fun fashion, quite in sync with the upbeat tune. I was really amazed at how the two were able to make the best of a small stage and use it to their advantage; jumping the steps, falling into each others' arms, and running down a mini-slope. The cute lyrics of the song were also a big help.


Phil Silvers plays a character actor by the name of Genius and brings lovable comedy to the picture. Watching his act "Who's Complaining" actually made me wish I could have been able to experience a live vaudeville show of that time! He describes himself as being "a genius at everything, except minding his own business". Every Friday night Rusty, Danny, and Genius go to a restaurant and order oysters with the sole intention of finding a pearl in one of them. They believe finding a pearl is an omen and will cause their present situation to change for the better. This desire is an ongoing theme throughout the movie.

Besides Phil Silvers' act, the oyster scene along with the number following it, "Make Way For Tomorrow" is my favorite part of the movie. The clever conversation between the trio and the waiter is perfectly comical and lively, as is the dance number.


Kelly's famous "Alter-Ego Dance" is simply brilliant. From what I've read, this was Kelly's own idea to use trick photography in order to enable him to dance with his own reflection.

One thing I really didn't take to in the movie were the flashbacks. The owner of the fashion magazine that Rusty becomes the cover girl for, John Coudair (Otto Kruger), was in love with her grandmother who was also a dancer. I think there were about three flashbacks regarding the two (with Hayworth playing her grandmother) and all were so-so except the one including the "Poor John" number. That was painful to watch. Hayworth attempts some sort of Scottish-Irish-German accent and is not successful. I won't even bother to mention the choreography or the clothing.


John Coudair's assistant is played by Eve Arden. She is perfect for the role and brings just the right amount of street-smart comedy when needed (Arden is famously known for her role as the principal of Rydell High School in Grease).

After gaining publicity, Rusty is approached by Noel Wheaton (Lee Bowman) who owns a theater and asks her to be the star of his new show. This is where the confusion begins (sort of). Danny becomes suspicious and jealous while suspecting that Rusty will leave him and the nightclub, not knowing that Rusty is willing to stay loyal to him if he would only ask her to. Not wanting to stand in the way of her success, he starts an argument and she ends up (somewhat reluctantly) leaving for Broadway. This sort of miscommunication and misunderstanding in old movies (and new ones for that matter) always frustrates me. Why don't they just come out clean and tell each other their true motives and feelings and save us all the worry and anticipation? Oh, I know why. Because then we wouldn't have a movie. (Disclaimer: I still love old movies despite what I just said.)


Overall, it's a lively story about going after your dreams but also remembering where you came from and where you truly belong. I hope you'll take time to see it, even if it's just for the sake of a dancing Gene Kelly or the lovely outfits Rita and Eve wear!