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.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.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.
- Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
- 3 wins & 3 nominations total
Martin Milner
- Steve Dallas
- (as Marty Milner)
Chico Hamilton
- Self
- (as The Chico Hamilton Quintet)
Buddy Clark
- Self
- (as The Chico Hamilton Quintet)
Jay Adler
- Manny Davis
- (uncredited)
Mary Bayless
- Bar Patron
- (uncredited)
Nicky Blair
- Patron at Toots Shor's
- (uncredited)
Nick Borgani
- Waiter
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaPublicity materials for the film noted cinematographer James Wong Howe spread a film of Vaseline on Lancaster's glasses to create a shine and make his stare more menacing.
- Goofs(at around 2 mins) When Sidney peruses J.J. Hunsecker's 'The Eyes of Broadway' column on page 21 of the New York Globe newspaper, it can be seen that several of the paragraphs are repeated. Of the nine paragraphs visible, it can be seen that paragraph 7 is an exact copy of paragraph 2; 8 is a copy of 5, and 9 is a copy of 4.
- Quotes
J.J. Hunsecker: I'd hate to take a bite outta you. You're a cookie full of arsenic.
- Crazy creditsintroducing Susan Harrison
- ConnectionsFeatured in Mackendrick: The Man Who Walked Away (1986)
Featured review
Another poster "stole" the one line summary I wanted to use: "Match me, Sidney." Damn. It's one of the best lines in the movie. Oh, well.
"Sweet Smell of Success" is a great, wildly entertaining movie. It reminds me of "Dangerous Liasons" in both it's subject ("bad" people making life worse for more decent folk) and how swiftly and imaginatively directed it is. It's juicy from beginning to end. Burt Lancaster is once again terrific as J.J. Hunsecker, Walter Winchell-esque writer of a "society" column which is more of a tool of destruction for those who cross his path.
But it's Tony Curtis who holds the movie together. Always scheming and plotting and never letting a decent human emotion take precedence over his drive to succeed at any cost. He's Marvelous and was never again to achieve what he did here.
But there's a third star to this production and it's New York City itself. The on location photography is stunning. What is amazing is that at the time the movie was made (1957) on location filming was just becoming "in vogue". For a film like this, it HAD to filmed on location or else it's power would be substantially diluted. I work in Manhattan near where a lot of this film was made (J.J. lives in the Brill Building which is on Broadway between 49th and 50th Streets, right around the corner from me). To see what the neighborhood looked like over 40 years ago is amazing. Surprisingly, it's the astonishing on site photography that prevents the film from really feeling dated. Also, the themes in the film are timeless as well.
"Sweet Smell of Success" is a classic from top to bottom.
"Sweet Smell of Success" is a great, wildly entertaining movie. It reminds me of "Dangerous Liasons" in both it's subject ("bad" people making life worse for more decent folk) and how swiftly and imaginatively directed it is. It's juicy from beginning to end. Burt Lancaster is once again terrific as J.J. Hunsecker, Walter Winchell-esque writer of a "society" column which is more of a tool of destruction for those who cross his path.
But it's Tony Curtis who holds the movie together. Always scheming and plotting and never letting a decent human emotion take precedence over his drive to succeed at any cost. He's Marvelous and was never again to achieve what he did here.
But there's a third star to this production and it's New York City itself. The on location photography is stunning. What is amazing is that at the time the movie was made (1957) on location filming was just becoming "in vogue". For a film like this, it HAD to filmed on location or else it's power would be substantially diluted. I work in Manhattan near where a lot of this film was made (J.J. lives in the Brill Building which is on Broadway between 49th and 50th Streets, right around the corner from me). To see what the neighborhood looked like over 40 years ago is amazing. Surprisingly, it's the astonishing on site photography that prevents the film from really feeling dated. Also, the themes in the film are timeless as well.
"Sweet Smell of Success" is a classic from top to bottom.
- How long is Sweet Smell of Success?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Dein Schicksal in meiner Hand
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $3,400,000 (estimated)
- Gross worldwide
- $7,704
- Runtime1 hour 36 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.66 : 1(original ratio)
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