Sweet Smell of Success (1957)

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.

Director:

Alexander Mackendrick

Writers:

Clifford Odets (screenplay), Ernest Lehman (screenplay)

Stars:

Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Susan Harrison

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 3 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited 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	...	The Chico Hamilton Quintet

Storyline

J.J. Hunsecker, the most powerful newspaper columnist in New York, is determined to prevent his sister from marrying Steve Dallas, a jazz musician. He therefore covertly employs Sidney Falco, a sleazy and unscrupulous press agent, to break up the affair by any means possible.

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Plot Keywords:

corrupt cop | attempted suicide | musician | press agent | power | 

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Taglines:

The almighty J.J. ...the columnist with sixty million believers ...his wrath is feared by the great and near great who worship the sweet smell of success!

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Genres:

Drama | Film-Noir

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 July 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sweet Smell of Success

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$2,600,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Norma Productions,Curtleigh Productions,Hill-Hecht-Lancaster Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Hunsecker's apartment building is actually the show-business office tower at 1619 Broadway, also known as the Brill Bldg., a famous part of Tin Pan Alley.

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Goofs

In opening sequence, when Sidney buys a newspaper, then lays it out on luncheonette counter to read it, configuration of stories and graphics on page don't match newspaper seen in closeup.

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Quotes

J.J. Hunsecker: Sidney, conjugate me a verb. For instance, "to promise."

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Connections

Referenced in Diner (1982)

User Reviews

Oh yes.

"I love this dirty town". "Match me, Sidney". "Maybe I left my sense of humour in my other suit". Great dialogue. Great script, great cinematography, great acting, great music. Christ, what do you want, blood? From the first moment we see Burt Lancaster as the impossibly sinister J.J., we know we're in for a cracking time. There he is, sitting at the restaurant table, wearing those strangely scary glasses, his face expressionless (perhaps he's smiling, just a little bit), talking to Sidney without even looking at him, firing the dialogue like bullets. When the action seeps into the New York streets, oozing menace, there's J.J. - master of all he surveys, twisting cops round his little finger, snarling and seething like some desperate animal. And there is something animal about this film: its characters writhe and twist in the lights and the shadows - demented, tortured creatures, all of them trying to maintain some semblance of normality, all of them aware, deep down, how corrupt and helpless they are. The symbols of goodness - J.J.'s sister and her boyfriend - are weak, pathetic, hopeless, unable to keep up with the neverending twists and turns of this awful labyrinth of manipulation and cruelty. Curtis and Lancaster were never better, and it's awesome to see them play such grotesque yet believable roles. How do people get like this? Where do they go from here? Perhaps it's best not to think about it, and just wallow in the brilliant nastiness of it all, before maybe going home and getting in the shower for a long, long time.