My topic is not a late 16th century play based on an Italian love story, but a 1957 film noir classic, The Sweet Smell of Success. The alluded aroma is not the fragrance of a rose, but the stench of entertainment's underworld of gossip columnists, press agents and mendacity.
The film did poorly in the box office. From the title, moviegoers expected to see Tony Curtis in a light-hearted comedy. Burt Lancaster fans expected a hero role. The film disappointed the audience. It's definative film noir full of unsavory characters, collusion and New York City neon juxtaposed against gritty street scenes. Martin Milner of Route 66 and Adam-12 portrays a jazz guitar player. He maintains his integrity while being unjustly smeared as a "marijuana smoking communist." West Coast jazz combo, the Chico Hamilton Quintet acts the part of the band. Milner replaces John Pisano, who's left hand was used in the movie. This only adds to my personal fondness for the film.
The pièce de résistance for me is the language. (A piece of Baltimore trivia associated with the film is the character in Barry Levinson's Diner who speaks only in quotes from this movie) Here are some of my favorite bon mots:
Steve (Milner) to J.J. (Lancaster): "You've got more twists than a barrel of pretzels."
Steve to Sidney (Curtis) after Sidney feeds him some press agent fast talking: "That's fish four days old; I won't buy it."
J.J. to Sidney: "I'd hate to take a bite out of you. You're a cookie full of arsenic."
Sidney to J.J. - "The cat's in the bag and the bag's in the river."
I watched this film again Sunday afternoon and you can expect to hear these phrases added to my pathetic patois soon - as ever BB
"A lot of musicians aren't proud; they'll do other work, just to be able to play music. I guess that's the way it's always going to be - musicians will have to suffer to a certain degree in order to obtain their outlet. " - Chico Hamilton
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