Rita Hayworth performs "Poor John" - Cover Girl (1944)

[MissSandyRetro]

I love Rita's expressions while singing.... :P

[Hollandia777]

Pearly Group... Great!

[wattever333]

omigod! she looks so much like Lucille Ball. (or vice-versa?)

[PeaceNdLovee]

She looks like a doll!

This song is great!!! =]

[enaj78]

Thanks so much for the info.

[enaj78]

What was the name of the singer who dubbed for Rita. She did it in all her pictures and sounds close to Rita's speaking voice.

[coreybryant59]

The woman was Martha Mears.

[coolkid88]

@enaj78 Jo stafford i believe.

[26blanco]

i like the sound of english.

[cinerama62]

Glorious Rita, in glorious Technicolor!

[Connie193]

that's such a lovely scene! i love Rita's expression on her face when she sings...

very funny song! ;-)

[male1950]

Furthermore, they ruined the song by not allowing her to sing all of it. The song ended with:

THEN SHE WENT AND SHOOK HER HEAD AND CRIED, "OH, LOR!

I WONDER WHAT HE WANTS TO GO AND MARRY FOR."

THAT WAS QUITE ENOUGH!

UP MY TEMPER FLEW.

SAYS I, "PERHAPS IT'S SO THAT HE CAN GET AWAY FROM YOU!"

[male1950]

This is an old music hall/vaudeville that was made famous by Gertrude Lawrence. It is done is cockney because it is supposed to be about a lower class girl engaged to a boy with social connections. The clumsily worked it into the plot to provide a little period atmospehere and a good number.

[normwebs]

Male1950. You obviously know the song very well, but are you sure about Gertrude Lawrence ? What about much earlier - Vesta Victoria ? Gertrude Lawrence possibly, but certainly not the original.

[SilentRose537]

Ugh.. I love her shoes!

[XSpainOfCourseX]

sad mexicans tryin to claim rita LOL her dad was from Spain Europe u lame glory hunters i damn the day we discovered america agh

[musicalqueen101]

What style of performance/costumeage is this? Perhaps one of your Brits can tell me. I remember growing up and watching Mary Poppins and loving that bit. Enlish music hall perhaps? Thanks!

[raemckay]

Thanks for your comment.

If you read the description of the video, you'll see it's a Pearly Queen costume - of Cockney origin (London).

[jaybabes2]

@musicalqueen101 it is 1900s babes x

[leighbee13]

her shoes are so cool!

[Lorripops123]

Wicked song!

[ClassicMovieClub]

Fab!!

[AmelieMermaid]

This is addressed to the comments concerning Rita Hayworth's accent:

Have none of you seen Cover Girl? Try watching it first. This is not the way she talks through the whole movie.  She was suppose to be acting silly because she was making fun of her boyfriend's mother. She does not have an accent in most of the movie. This is not MEANT to be an accurate representation of cockney English.

[raemckay]

This is true.

Also true: This isn't Rita's voice. As the description for the video says, Rita's voice was dubbed by Martha Mears.

[AmelieMermaid]

True. It's quite sad that Rita was never allowed to sing in films. Besides this film her voice was dubbed in Gilda. It was so odd. Dorothy Dandridge, and Audrey Hepburn were also not allowed to sing their own songs in movies. Makes no sense considering they were all good singers.

[animemusicmonklover]

@AmelieMermaid  ive seen the movie that scene she was in is when her grandmother was with that cover girl magazine owner when he was younger

[russradicans]

Americans cant help sounding like Brummies living in Australia when they try and sound cockney!

[dragonessresa]

Haha, it is true that Rita Hayworth's accent leaves a bit to be desired. Still, it doesn't quite seem fair to judge all American actors by that standard, does it? ^_~

[russradicans]

Yes to be impartial I should also have mentioned that British actors when impersonating Americans tend to sound like gangsters or cowboys or both!

[raemckay]

And to nitpick - this isn't Rita's voice. But yes, clearly a diction coach could have improved this number.

[divinoy]

la excepcional Rita Haywort hace una excelente interpretacion en este video dandole un exquisito matiz comico al numero musical. gracias Rita por en herencia tanto arte esenico.

[pytko3]

You notice how much Rita Hayworth, looks like Lucille Ball?

[ynnor2z]

I'm in love! Rita you made med a teenage again. What a GERL and charming actores!

[et7waage]

Aww, Rita is so adorable and cute in this number! It's probably the best example that shows her talent as a comedienne!

[turtles394]

This movie is adorable and ive been wanting to hear this song ever since i saw it, thanks for posting it. Rita's my hero!

[fasssbinder]

hola,Rita como siempre nos sorprende,aquiella hace un numero en un estilo,coreografia,actuacion totalmente diferente y elresultado es exelente,ella baila un tap rapidisimo a la par de los exelentes bailarines,con total sincronicidad y nivel,por oto lado es muy comico el personaje q hace y lo hace con mucha gracia,roman de Buenos Aires

[Muirmaiden]

I love this number! Rita is so fabulous!