Burt Lancaster

Burt Lancaster and his producing partners initially considered Orson Welles for the role of J.J. Hunsecker in "Sweet Smell of Success" (1957), but after the success of "Trapeze" (1956),"Lancaster decided to play the role himself and give Tony Curtis the role of Sidney Falco. Although Lancaster is given top billing, Curtis has a lot more screen time and carries more of the film's plot.

After Ernest Borgnine tried to break his contract with Lancaster's production company, Lancaster tried to force him to appear in this film in a supporting role, but Borgnine refused to do so.

Publicity 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.

After writer Ernest Lehman withdrew from the project because of a stomach problem, much to the chagrin of Lancaster, the producers hired Clifford Odets for rewrites. The noteworthy writer reconstructed every scene. As soon as he had finished writing a scene in his hotel room, it was rushed to the location for Alexander Mackendrick to shoot. According to Lancaster biographer Gary Fishgall, pages were distributed to the crew after they had been shot.Lancaster blamed Lehman's withdrawal due to illness for the film's box-office failure. At the after party for the premiere, Lancaster said, "'You didn't have to leave - you could have made this a much better picture. I ought to beat you up". The witty scribe replied, "Go ahead, I need the money."

Happy Birthday, Burt Lancaster!