P.S. I LOVE the movie, regardless! Here are some of the memorable quotes:* http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0022403/quotes*
Bruce On Thu, Sep 30, 2010 at 8:55 PM, Bruce Hershenson <[email protected] > wrote: > It had an interesting genesis. Ernest Lehman, the master screenwriter, had > written the source novella (based on his days working with gossip > columnists, and J.J. Hunsecker is obviously based on Walter Winchell, whom > Lehman had interacted with a great deal). He wrote a screenplay of it, and > sold it to Lancaster's company on the condition he get to direct it (he had > never directed at that time). > > He later stated he believed Lancaster knew from the start he would never > let Lehman direct, but that he intentionally lied to get the property. After > the movie started shooting, Lancaster fired Lehman (citing personal > differences) and Alexander Mackendrick was brought in to direct, and > Clifford Odets re-wrote the screenplay. > > One can only imagine what the movie would have been like had Lehman's > version been filmed, and hat he directed. It surely would have been a vastly > different movie! > > I like the back story, because it seems like an awful sneaky move that J.J. > Hunsecker would have heartily approved of! > > Bruce > > > > On Thu, Sep 30, 2010 at 8:34 PM, Dave Rosen <[email protected]> wrote: > >> Thanks for posting. A great film. Personally, I believe the reason it >> didn't do well had more to do with the theme, which was that bad people can >> wield great power through the media alone. Its cynicism (and honesty, in my >> opinion) wasn't something a lot of people wanted to hear in the 50s. It was >> a broadside at the blacklist and a drive-by aimed at newspaper columnists >> like the weaselly Walter Winchell. >> >> But, of course, that's why I love it. Its "hero" is a heel and a toady and >> a supremely well-played one by Curtis. The script pops and snaps, the >> cinematography is beautifully film noir and it has a great jazz soundtrack >> to boot. One of the greats. >> >> Btw, I agree with your take on the posters. The wc, style B half-sheet and >> insert are the best. >> >> Dave >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> *From:* Neil Jaworski <[email protected]> >> *To:* [email protected] >> *Sent:* Thursday, September 30, 2010 9:09 PM >> *Subject:* [MOPO] ON TOPIC: TONY CURTIS / Sweet Smell Of Success >> >> Hallo MOPO-ers >> >> It's hard to be depressed about the death of Tony Curtis, in the sense >> that he lived a full, long and largely happy life in the company of some >> beautiful women and left us with several films to treasure. >> >> That said, he is one of my favourite actors of all time and - frankly - >> blistered the screen in (one of my All Time Top 5 films) *The Sweet Smell >> Of Success*. It was a risky move for a teenster icon to be cast against >> type and - in retrospect - the film's failure at the time can probably be >> traced to the public's unwillingness to accept Curtis as anything other than >> "the boy with the ice cream face." >> >> Bringing things back on topic: I think that the campaign for TSSOS is >> fascinating in that this unsuccessful film had a fantastic print campaign. >> In this sense, the film's failure is markedly dissimilar to the >> contemporaneous-ish *Night Of The Hunter* (great film / diabolical, >> garish, inappropriate, awful campaign). >> >> I own a window card for TSSOS and I think this is the best paper for the >> film, in that it features the key "21" scene between JJ and Sidney. This >> may be the only time I have ever favoured a WC over other paper. It also >> has some great 'hep' blurb. >> >> http://granadamovieposters.com/photos/sweetsmellwcreduced.jpg >> >> After the WC I think the Style B half-sheet is very strong: both our >> 'heroes' look good, it references several of the key scenes and feels very >> New York. There's great (and different) 'hep' blurb here also: >> >> http://movieposters.ha.com/common/view_item.php?Sale_No=694&Lot_No=28800 >> >> It's much stronger than the 1/2 sheet Style A which seems a bit arty and >> oblique and doesn't convey any of the energy of the film. >> >> http://www.emovieposter.com/imagearchive/poster/158745.html >> >> Likewise, I can't warm to the 1sh. The faces - especially Curtis - are >> not particularly well rendered or specific to the film. Curtis looks like >> Liberace: >> >> http://movieposters.ha.com/common/view_item.php?Sale_No=58021&Lot_No=51354 >> >> In fact, I even prefer the military 1sh to the regular 1sh: >> >> http://www.movieposterdb.com/poster/8eabb542 >> >> After the WC and the Style B 1/2 sheet, I think the best poster is the >> insert: >> >> >> http://movieposters.ha.com/common/view_item.php?Sale_No=510073&Lot_No=53364 >> >> the three sheet is similar, but it dispenses with Sidney's cigarette (big >> mistake) which makes (for me) the insert much more desirable. >> >> >> http://movieposters.ha.com/common/view_item.php?Sale_No=510091&Lot_No=51372 >> >> also, the insert has it's own 'hep' blurb (again different to the other >> styles!) whereas the 3sh is merely 'the motion picture that will never be >> forgiven or forgotten' >> >> >> http://movieposters.ha.com/common/view_item.php?Sale_No=510091&Lot_No=51372 >> >> the 6sh and 24sh merely pose the lead's faces against eachother from >> across the paper without any of the whipcrack, pseud-odets blurb that the >> better paper carries in spades. that said, i think the 6sh is far more >> successful. >> >> http://www.emovieposter.com/imagearchive/poster/158167.html >> >> the rendering of the star's faces on the 24sh (especially in the case of >> Lancaster) - much like the 1sh - make this poster feel like a design for a >> different film (although at least Sidney's cigarette is back in his mouth). >> >> >> http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/sweet-smell-of-success-lancaster-curtis-57-24 >> >> Those are just my thoughts on this classic film/campaign. I'm sure many >> will disagree. And ignore what I said in my opening sentence, I'm totally >> gutted that TC is dead. >> >> Neil >> >> >> Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com >> ___________________________________________________________________ How >> to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: >> [email protected] In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF >> MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content. >> >> Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com >> ___________________________________________________________________ How >> to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: >> [email protected] In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF >> MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content. >> >> > > > -- > Bruce Hershenson and the other 28 members of the eMoviePoster.com team > P.O. Box 874 > West Plains, MO 65775 > Phone: 417-256-9616 (hours: Mon-Fri 9 to 5 except from 12 to 1 when we take > lunch) > our site <http://www.emovieposter.com/> > our auctions <http://www.emovieposter.com/agallery/all.html> > -- Bruce Hershenson and the other 28 members of the eMoviePoster.com team P.O. Box 874 West Plains, MO 65775 Phone: 417-256-9616 (hours: Mon-Fri 9 to 5 except from 12 to 1 when we take lunch) our site <http://www.emovieposter.com/> our auctions <http://www.emovieposter.com/agallery/all.html> Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: [email protected] In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content.
