The Killers (1946)

Director:

Robert Siodmak

Writers:

Ernest Hemingway (story)
Anthony Veiller (screenplay)

Release Date:

28 August 1946 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Mystery | Romance

Tagline:

THE MOST SUSPENSEFUL PICTURE OF ALL TIME! (re-release print ad - all caps)

Plot:

Hit men kill an unresisting victim, and investigator Reardon uncovers his past involvement with beautiful, deadly Kitty Collins.

Plot Keywords:

Small Town | Insurance | Gas Station | Flashback | Insurance Investigator

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 2 wins

Cast

Burt Lancaster	...	'Swede' Andersen
Ava Gardner	...	Kitty Collins
Edmond O'Brien	...	Jim Reardon
Albert Dekker	...	Big Jim Colfax
Sam Levene	...	Lt. Sam Lubinsky
Vince Barnett	...	Charleston
Virginia Christine	...	Lilly Harmon Lubinsky
Charles D. Brown	...	Packy Robinson
Jack Lambert	...	'Dum-Dum' Clarke
Donald MacBride	...	R.S. Kenyon
Charles McGraw	...	Al
William Conrad	...	Max
Phil Brown	...	Nick Adams
Queenie Smith	...	Mary Ellen Daugherty
Jeff Corey	...	'Blinky' Franklin

Also Known As:

A Man Alone
Ernest Hemingway's The Killers (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Norway:16 | West Germany:16 (nf) | Finland:(Banned) (1947-1949) | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Unrated

Company:

Mark Hellinger Productions

Trivia:

This was Burt Lancaster's first important movie role. He was the third choice for the part of The Swede, and was signed only after actors Wayne Morris and Sonny Tufts proved unavailable. Lancaster was an ex-circus acrobat from Union City, New Jersey. When producer Mark Hellinger saw the first rushes of Lancaster's performance in a private screening room, he was so pleased that he yelled "So help me, may all my actors be acrobats!"

Goofs:

Factual errors: There were several errors involving the firearms used. When Burt robs his cohorts, the gun is obviously not real, probably rubber, because the barrel is pointed downward from the frame. If he were to shoot at someone's chest, the bullet would probably hit below the belt. When Edmond O'Brien is holding his pistol at the bad guy, he says it is a .45, but a trained eye can see that it is either a .32 or .380, most likely of Spanish origin. When Edmond asks Sam Levine if he has another .45 for him, Levine says yes, but the gun turns out to be a .38 revolver instead.

Quotes:

[last lines]
[after Reardon has wrapped up the investigation, Kenyon congratulates him]
R.S. Kenyon: Owing to your splendid efforts the basic rate of The Atlantic Casualty Company - as of 1947 - will probably drop one-tenth of a cent.
[he shakes Reardon's hand]
R.S. Kenyon: Congratulations, Mr. Reardon.
Jim Reardon: I'd rather have a night's sleep.
R.S. Kenyon: Why don't you take a good rest. I must say you've earned it.
[Reardon starts to leave]
R.S. Kenyon: This is Friday... don't come in 'til Monday.
Jim Reardon: Thanks.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in A Dying Breed: The Making of 'The Leopard' (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

THE MORE I KNOW OF LOVE

Expanding A Hemingway Classic

The Killers is an expansion of a short story by Ernest Hemingway. The first ten minutes of this film is pure Hemingway with two contract gunman occupying and terrorizing a greasy spoon diner. Two of the most malevolent character actors around, Charles McGraw and William Conrad are the hit men.

They're there to kill Burt Lancaster, known to the town as just a simple garage mechanic. Because he left a small insurance policy, his death was investigated by insurance cop Edmond O'Brien. Naturally Lancaster was no simple garage mechanic by any means. O'Brien comes up with Burt's real identity and the reason why a few people wanted him dead.

The Killers was a big break film for Burt Lancaster. He had only done one previous film and that was Desert Fury for Paramount studios which had signed him. Because Universal was looking for an unknown to play the victim, Lancaster's agent was able to land him the part. And because Desert Fury was held up, The Killers became his debut film and he was a star from his first film.

This was also a milestone film for Ava Gardner as well. After The Killers, Louis B. Mayer was most reluctant to lend her out any longer due to the notice that she got.

The plot of The Killers is very similar to that of Out of the Past with Lancaster in the luckless Robert Mitchum role. As for Ava Gardner in her portrayal, she's taking a couple of pages from the Mary Astor school of double crossing, two timing dames. At least Mary had Sam Spade's promise he'd wait for her.

The Killers is a must for Burt Lancaster fans who want to see the film that launched his career.