Discover
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Tony Curtis
Executive Producer -
Burt Lancaster
Executive Producer -
Janet Leigh
Executive Producer -
Elmer Bernstein
Original Music Composer -
Ernest Lehman
Screenplay -
James Wong Howe
Director of Photography -
Robert J. Schiffer
Makeup Artist -
Edward Carrere
Art Direction
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Nutshell 6/23/2021 3:58:38 PM
A better title might be The Sad Stench of Desperation. Was Burt Lancaster ever better than in this riveting late-fifties noir from director Alexander Mackendrick? That's a tough question. But it's a no-brainer that Tony Curtis' performance here is top-level craft at its best (as in The Boston Stangler). The supporting cast also turns in some beautiful work, notably Susan Harrison and Martin Milner. This uncomfortable story breaks many rules and comes out the better for it. The jazzy score is perfect, setting the film's nervous tone and fitting the period like a glove. A totally unique and daring film-noir for the period, and one of my all time favorites.
Tony Curtis
Sidney FalcoJohn Fiedler
Hot Dog Stand Counterman (uncredited)Emile Meyer
Lt. Harry KelloBurt Lancaster
J.J. HunseckerMartin Milner
Steve DallasBess Flowers
Patron at 21 (uncredited)Lawrence Dobkin
Leo Bartha (uncredited)H.M. Wynant
Toots Shor's Patron (uncredited)