Burt Lancaster and Ava Gardner in director Robert Siodmak's "The Killers"

The Killers (1946) is an American film noir directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Burt Lancaster in his movie debut and Ava Gardner. The film co-stars Edmond O'Brien, Sam Levine, and Charles McGraw. The film is based on The Killers, a short story by Ernest Hemingway. The cinematography is by Elwood Bredell (The Phantom Lady 1944).

A former boxer known as "The Swede" (Lancaster) is murdered by some criminal associates from his past. Insurance agent Jim Reardon (O'Brien) is assigned to find the beneficiary of the Swede's $2,500 insurance policy. By interviewing people who knew the Swede, Reardon pieces together the tragic events that led to his death. 

What Reardon discovers is that no one's life is as it seems on the surface.

Ava Gardner and Burt Lancaster

Robert Siodmak (1900 – 1973) had a very successful career in Hollywood and is best known for his thrillers and films noir. He signed a seven-year contract with Universal and directed The Killers (1946), the film that made Ava Gardner a star. He worked with some of the top movie stars during Hollywood’s Golden Age, including Deanna Durbin, Gene Kelly, Burt Lancaster, Dorothy McGuire, Yvonne de Carlo, Olivia de Havilland, and Barbara Stanwyck. Often compared to Hitchcock in his prime, he never got the recognition that the Master of Suspense did, but most of his films hold up remarkably well and are worth watching.

Burt Lancaster (1913- 1994) was an American actor and producer. He won a Best Actor Academy Award for his performance in Elmer Gantry (1960). Lancaster made his film debut in The Killers (1946). After the release of that film, he was on his way as a leading man, starring in quick succession Desert Fury (1947), Brute Force (1947), Variety Girl (1947), I Walk Alone (1947), All My Sons (1948), and Sorry, Wrong Number (1948). Other popular films starring Lancaster include The Flame and the Arrow (1950), Jim Thorpe All-American (1951), From Here to Eternity (1953), The Rose Tattoo (1955), and Birdman of Alcatraz (1962).

Ava Gardner (1922 - 1990) was an American actress who signed a film contract with M-G-M in 1941. She played minor roles in a variety of films until her breakout performance in The Killers (1946) on loan to Universal. She hit her stride in the 1950s with films like Mogambo (1953), The Knights of the Round Table (1953), Bhowani Junction (1956), The Sun Also Rises (1957), On the Beach (1959), and 55 Days in Peking (1963). Later in her career, she had a recurring role on the television series Knots Landing (1985). During her prime, Garnder was considered one of the world’s most beautiful women.

The Killers trivia

• Burt Lancaster was the third choice to play the Swede. Wayne Morris and Sonny Tufts were first and second choices but were unavailable.
• Ava Gardner was the producer's only choice to play Kitty Collins.
• The movie ran 24 hours in New York City to accommodate the crowds, breaking previous box office records.
• Ernest Hemingway was a fan of the film adaptation of his short story.

To watch the film on YouTube, click on the link below.

To join the conversation on August 22, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time, click here. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation with a link to the discussion on Zoom.

Discussion questions

1. The Killers made Lancaster a movie star overnight. What did you think of his performance?
2. Ava Gardner was under contract with MGM since 1941. On loan to Universal, the role of Kitty Collins elevated her to leading-lady status. Was she a convincing femme fatale?
3. Did you think there was any significance to Kitty's name?
4. What did you think of the narrative style? Did it remind you of any other movies?
5. Did anything in this film surprise you?
6. Would you have waited in line to have seen this film in 1946? Why do you think this movie was such a hit in its day?

Gregory Peck, Susan Hayward, and Ava Gardner star in Ernest Hemingway’s “The Snows of Kilimanjaro”

The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952) is an American drama directed by Henry King and starring Gregory Peck, Susan Hayward, and Ava Garnder. The film is based on a short story of the same name by Ernest Hemingway published in Esquire Magazine in 1936.

The plot centers around Harry Street (Peck) a man who is suffering from an infection he contracted while on safari in Africa. As he is waiting to die, he contemplates his life. His past life with Cynthia Green (Gardner) and his present life with Helen (Hayward) who is determined not to let him die.

A huge commercial and financial success when first released, it was the number two box office hit of 1952, second only to The Greatest Show on Earth that went on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Henry King (1886 - 1982) was an American actor and director. He was nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Director and seven films that he directed were nominated for Best Picture including The Song of Bernadette (1943) where he directed Jennifer Jones to a Best Actress Academy Award. While under contract to Twentieth Century-Fox he directed many films starring Tyrone Power and Gregory Peck. Some popular films directed by King include Lloyd's of London (1936), In Old Chicago (1937), Jesse James (1939), Twelve O'Clock High (1949), The Gunfighter (1950), David and Bathsheba (1951), The Sun Also Rises (1957), and The Bravados (1958).

Gregory Peck (1916 – 2002) was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. He had three Best Actor nominations early in his career for The Keys to the Kingdom (1944), The Yearling (1946), Gentleman’s Agreement (1947), and Twelve O’Clock High (1949). He had non-exclusive contracts with David O. Selznick and Twentieth Century-Fox, which gave him great flexibility in the roles he chose to play. Other classic Peck film roles include Roman Holiday (1953), The Big Country (1958), The Guns of Navarone (1961). He finally won a Best Actor Academy Award for his iconic portrayal of Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962).

Susan Hayward (1917 – 1975) was an Academy Award-winning actress for her role as Barbara Graham in I Want to Live (1958). Hayward worked as a fashion model but traveled to Hollywood in 1937 to try out for the role of Scarlett O’Hara. She didn’t win that coveted role, but she secured a film contract. Hayward’s career took off in the late 1940s when she was nominated for Best Actress for Smash-Up, the Story of a Woman (1947). She received four more Best Actress nominations for My Foolish Heart (1949), With a Song in My Heart (1952), I’ll Cry Tomorrow (1955), and I Want to Live. Later in her career, Hayward replaced Judy Garland as Helen Lawson in Valley of the Dolls (1967).

Ava Gardner (1922 - 1990) was an American actress who signed a film contract with M-G-M in 1941. She played minor roles in a variety of films until her breakout performance in The Killers (1946) on loan to Universal. She hit her stride in the 1950s with films like Mogambo (1953), The Knights of the Round Table (1953), Bhowani Junction (1956), The Sun Also Rises (1957), On the Beach (1959), and 55 Days in Peking (1963). Later in her career, she had a recurring role on the television series Knots Landing (1985). During her prime, Garnder was considered one of the world’s most beautiful women.

The Snows of Kilimanjaro trivia:

• Gregory Peck threw out his knew while lifting up Ava Gardner during filming. Production was shut down until he recovered. 
• There was substantial location shooting in Kenya, but most of the main stars filmed their scenes in Hollywood.
• Actors considered for the role of Harry Street include Humphrey Bogart, Richard Conte, and Marlon Brando.
• The highest grossing film for Twentieth Century-Fox that year and the third highest overall at the box office.
• Gene Tierney and Anne Francis were under consideration for the Ava Gardner role.
• Bullfight footage is from Blood and Sand (1941).

Gregory Peck and Susan Hayward had a hit the year before
with David and Bathsheba.

Why watch this film?

• The film features the second pairing of Hayward and Peck who scored a previous box office success with David and Bathsheba (1951).
• It serves as an example of 1950s popular cinema as envisioned by popular studio director Henry King.
• Besides Peck and Hayward, the film also features the star power of Ava Gardner.
• The color cinematography is by multiple Academy Award winner Leon Shamroy.
• The legendary film composer, Bernard Herrmann wrote the film score.

To watch the film on YouTube, click the link below.

To join the discussion on November 29, 2021, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time, click here. Once you RSVP, you will receive an email invitation with a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

Discussion questions:

1. What did you think of the film overall?
2. Who had the better chemistry with Peck? Hayward or Gardner?
3. From what you know of Ernest Hemingway, does this film seem Hemingwayesque?
4. The was the second time Peck played a Hemingway hero; what did you think of his performance?
5. Did the film’s flashback narrative work for you?

Screening of “East Side, West Side” at Daystar Center June 19

East Side, West Side (1941)

Where: Daystar Center, 1550 S. State Street, Room 102

When: June 19, 2018

Time: 6:30 p.m.

Hosted by Stephen Reginald

East Side, West Side (1949) is a melodramatic crime drama that stars Barbara Stanwyck, James Mason, Van Heflin, and Ava Gardner. Mason is Brandon Bourne, the unfaithful husband of Jessie Bourne (Barbara Stanwyck). Mason is infatuated with the beautiful and manipulative Isabel Lorrison (Ava Gardner). Jessie does her best to keep her marriage together, but when Isabel is murdered, all bets are off. Police officer Mark Dwyer (Van Heflin) sets out to find the murderer, while finding himself drawn to Jessie in the process.

This all-star M-G-M production features direction by Mervyn Leroy (Gold Diggers of 1933, Random Harvest (1942), Little Women (1949), Quo Vadis (1951)) with a supporting cast that includes Cyd Charisse, Gail Sondergaard, William Conrad, William Frawley, and future First Lady, Nancy Davis Reagan.

Barbara Stanwyck and James Mason in East Side, West Side

Have some Joe and Enjoy the Show!

You can bring food and beverages into the auditorium; we even have small tables set up next to some of the seats. General Admission: $5 Students and Senior Citizens: $3.

Join the Chicago Film club; join the discussion

Twice a month we screen classic films and have a brief discussion afterward. For more information, including how to join (it’s free), click here. The Venue 1550 is easily accessible by the CTA. Please visit Transit Chicago for more information on transportation options.

Stephen Reginald is a freelance writer and editor. He has worked at various positions within the publishing industry for over 25 years. Most recently he was executive editor for McGraw-Hill’s The Learning Group Division. A long-time amateur student of film, Reginald hosts “Chicago Film Club,” a monthly movie event held in the South Loop, for the past two years. Reginald has also taught several adult education film classes at Facets Film School, Chicago.

Book Review: "Ava: A Life in Movies"

This new biography of screen legend Ava Gardner is one pretty package. Authors Kendra Bean and Anthony Uzarowski, while focusing on Gardner’s “life in movies,” also smoothly weave in pertinent information on the star’s personal life. The book is loaded with gorgeous photographs—some candid, some studio generated—that remind us what a beautiful woman Gardner was.

Gardner was born in “a five-bedroom clapboard house in Johnston County, North Carolina on Christmas Eve, 1922.” Her rise to stardom and iconic stature during Hollywood’s Golden Age is the stuff of fairy tales. Gardner never having any ambition to be an actress of any stripe got noticed by Barney Duhan, a Loews Incorporated employee (parent company of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer). Gardner’s photo was prominently displayed in her brother-in-laws photographic studio in New York and Duhan, looking for a date, inquired about the beautiful girl in the window. In a phone call to the photo shop, Duhan mentioned that he worked for MGM. Gardner wasn’t in New York so she never met him. Based on Duhan’s interest, Gardner’s brother-in-law decided to deliver her photos to MGM’s New York office. This led to a screen test and a contract in 1941. She was only 18 years old.

Ava: A Life in Movies details the actress’s rise from bit player to major movie star with words and pictures. And as mentioned before, the photographs are plenty and beautiful. Many haven’t been seen before. My favorite is a studio test shot of Gardner taken in 1942  (page 31). This headshot was attached to her MGM employment questionnaire. She already looks like a movie star; it’s obvious that the camera loved her. I don’t know how many pictures of Gardner Bean and Uzarowski looked at, but all the pictures in their biography are pretty amazing. The woman apparently never took a bad picture.

A studio publicity photo of Gardner in fashionable beachwear

Not meaning to take anything away from the text—which is engaging, well researched, and easy-reading—I would be negligent if I didn’t mention what a beautiful package this book is. The cover, the endpapers, the typography, all make it the perfect book for your coffee table (it’s too beautiful to put on your bookshelf). If you’re interested in Ava Gardner and classic Hollywood, I think you’ll enjoy Ava: A Life in Movies.


Ava: A Life in Movies
Hardcover: 264 pages
Publisher: Running Press (July 11, 2017)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0762459948
ISBN-13: 978-0762459940
Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 1.2 x 10.4 inches
Price: $30.00

Happy Fourth of July!

Ava Gardner wishes you and our military a Happy Fourth of July