Sweet Smell of Success (1957)

Director:

Alexander Mackendrick

Writers:

Clifford Odets (screenplay) and
Ernest Lehman (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

27 June 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Film-Noir

Tagline:

They know him - and they shiver - the big names of Broadway, Hollywood and Capitol Hill. They know J.J.- the world-famed columnist whose gossip is gospel to sixty million readers! They know the venom that flickers in those eyes behind the glasses - and they fawn - like Sid Falco, the kid who wanted "in" so much, he'd sell out his own girl to stand up there with J.J., sucking in the sweet smell of success! This is J.J.'s story - but not the way he would have liked it told!

Plot:

Powerful but unethical Broadway columnist J.J. Hunsecker coerces unscrupulous press agent Sidney Falco into breaking up his sister's romance with a jazz musician.

Plot Keywords:

Press Agent | Jazz | Musician | Power | Newspaper Columnist

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Burt Lancaster	...	J.J. Hunsecker
Tony Curtis	...	Sidney Falco
Susan Harrison	...	Susan Hunsecker
Martin Milner	...	Steve Dallas (as Marty Milner)
Jeff Donnell	...	Sally
Sam Levene	...	Frank D' Angelo
Joe Frisco	...	Herbie Temple
Barbara Nichols	...	Rita
Emile Meyer	...	Lt. Harry Kello
Edith Atwater	...	Mary
The Chico Hamilton Quintet	...	Themselves
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Nick Adams	...	Customer at hot-dog stand (uncredited)
Jay Adler	...	Manny Davis (uncredited)
Nicky Blair	...	Patron at Toots Shor's (uncredited)
Ralph Brooks	...	Patron at 21 (uncredited)
Robert Carson	...	Lou - Headwaiter at Toots Shor's (uncredited)
Lewis Charles	...	Al Evans (uncredited)
Buddy Clark	...	Bassist in Chico Hamilton Quintet (uncredited)
Joe Di Reda	...	Patron at Toots Shor's (uncredited)
Lawrence Dobkin	...	Leo Bartha (uncredited)
John Fiedler	...	Counterman at Hot Dog Stand (uncredited)
William Forrest	...	Sen. Harvey Walker (uncredited)
Joseph Forte	...	Waiter at Toots Shor's (uncredited)
Robert Fuller	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Joe Gray	...	Patron at 21 Club (uncredited)
Chico Hamilton	...	Himself - Chico Hamilton Quintet (uncredited)
James Hill	...	Man Outside Theatre (uncredited)
Paul Horn	...	Himself - Chico Hamilton Quintet (uncredited)
Charles Jordan	...	Man at Hot Dog Stand (uncredited)
Fred Katz	...	Himself - Chico Hamilton Quintet (uncredited)
Mike Lally	...	Patron at Toots Shor's (uncredited)
Joseph Leon	...	Joe Robard (uncredited)
Thomas Martin	...	Waiter at 21 (uncredited)
Forbes Murray	...	Patron at Toots Shor's (uncredited)
William H. O'Brien	...	Waiter at 21 (uncredited)
Clifford Odets	...	Man Outside Theatre (uncredited)
Bill Raisch	...	Patron at Toots Shor's (uncredited)
Jane Ross	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Autumn Russell	...	Linda James (uncredited)
Charles Sherlock	...	Bartender at Toots Shor's (uncredited)
Carson Smith	...	Himself (uncredited)
Queenie Smith	...	Mildred Tam (uncredited)
Bert Stevens	...	Patron at 21 (uncredited)
Arthur Tovey	...	Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
Lurene Tuttle	...	Loretta Bartha (uncredited)
Harry Tyler	...	Coffee Shop Counter Man (uncredited)
Philip Van Zandt	...	Radio Program Director (uncredited)
David White	...	Otis Elwell (uncredited)
H.M. Wynant	...	Patron at Toots Shor's (uncredited)

Directed by
Alexander Mackendrick

Writing credits
Clifford Odets		(screenplay) and
Ernest Lehman		(screenplay)
Ernest Lehman		(novella)
Alexander Mackendrick		uncredited

Produced by
James Hill	....	producer
Tony Curtis	....	executive producer (uncredited)
Harold Hecht	....	executive producer (uncredited)
Burt Lancaster	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Elmer Bernstein

Cinematography by
James Wong Howe		(photographed by)

Art Direction by
Edward Carrere

Set Decoration by
Edward G. Boyle		(as Edward Boyle)

Costume Design by
Mary Grant

Makeup Department
Robert J. Schiffer	....	makeup artist (as Robert Schiffer)

Production Management
Richard McWhorter	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Richard Maybery	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Robert G. Carlisle	....	sound effects editor (as Robert Carlisle)
Jack Solomon	....	sound recordist

Editorial Department
Alan Crosland Jr.	....	editorial supervisor

Music Department
Elmer Bernstein	....	conductor
Lloyd Young	....	music editor
John Pisano	....	musician: guitar dubbing, Martin Milner (uncredited)

Other crew
Harold Hecht	....	presenter (as Hecht)
James Hill	....	presenter (as Hill)
Burt Lancaster	....	presenter (as Lancaster)
Thom Conroy	....	dialogue director (uncredited)
Ruth McCrough Miller	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Norma Productions (as Norma-Curtleigh Productions)
• Curtleigh Productions (as Norma-Curtleigh Productions)
• Hill-Hecht-Lancaster Productions (uncredited)

Distributors

• United Artists (1957) (USA) (theatrical)
• United Artists (1958) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Nova Film (1958) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• MGM/UA Home Video (1988) (USA) (VHS) (included in the "Hooray for Hollywood" series)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Chapel Distribution (2000) (Australia) (theatrical) (new 35mm print - re-issue)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• Criterion Collection, The (2011) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Blue Dolphin Film Distribution (????) (UK) (theatrical)

Other Companies

• Solters & Digney  publicity (uncredited)
• Sunset Digital Studios  DVD transfer
• Turner Entertainment  VHS package design

Also Known As:

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:Approved (PCA #18585) | USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | West Germany:16 (f) | UK:A (original rating) | Netherlands:16 (original rating) (1958) | USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

Soundstage 6, Goldwyn Studios, Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Norma Productions

Trivia:

The movie's line "I'd hate to take a bite outta you. You're a cookie full of arsenic" was voted as the #99 of "The 100 Greatest Movie Lines" by Premiere in 2007.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the theater confrontation scene, Hunsucker is writing on a small note pad, but the pad and pen suddenly vanish from his hands as he and Falco move up onto the stage.

Quotes:

Sidney Falco:You're walking around blind, Frank, without a cane.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Matlock: The Critic (#5.13)" (1991)

3 Good Reasons To Watch This Film

There are three reasons that movie fans should check this film out, if you haven't seen it yet:

1 - Outstanding dialog. I can't recall a film in which I heard so many clever film-noir lines as this one. Almost everyone in the movie has a unique way of expressing their feelings. It makes the movie one that you want to go back and HEAR again. Clifford Odets and Ernest Lehman wrote the screenplay and deserve special recognition as well as the people below.

2 - Fabulous acting, led by the two male leads: Tony Curtis and Burt Lancaster. Curtis is the star of the film with many more lines than anyone else, and many consider this to be his greatest acting achievement. I have no quarrel with that. It's one of the finest acting jobs I've ever witnessed by anyone. It's that good.

Lancaster is memorable and plays to his strengths as a tough guy, not only with his physical presence but his tactless and cutting verbal assaults. He has the best and most brutal lines in the film.

The minor characters in here, from the cop to the comedian to the cigarette girl to the young romantic couple are all top-notch.

3 - The cinematography. A big name in the film business, James Wong Howe, more than lives up to his reputation. This is beautifully photographed and looks absolutely stunning on DVD. I have watched hundreds and hundreds of black-and-white films and this ranks with the best of them. He captured nighttime New York City as well as anybody ever has done.

"Well," you might ask, "if this movie is so great, why haven't I heard more about it?"

Maybe because it never did well at the box office. It wasn't promoted a lot, from what I heard, and the storyline is not a pleasant one. Basically, this is about two immoral people who smear a nice guy so that it will ruin the romance between he and Lancaster's sister.

Lancaster plays an absolutely ruthless newspaper columnist who makes and breaks careers and Curtis plays his slimy press-agent who will do anything to please his powerful boss, including doing the worst of his dirty work.

Furrther details of the film can be read by many of the other fine reviewers here on this website, so no need to go into that.

I am not one who generally likes films that feature mostly nasty people but this was done so well that it fascinates me every time. A final tip of the hat to director Alexander Mackendrick. Why he wasn't given more films to direct is a mystery to me. Highly-recommended.