Don’t ask a dying man to lie his soul into Hell. – The Killers (1946)
The Killers (1946) – Amazing Femme Fatale
The Killers (1946)
Hook
What do you make of it, Spade? Feels like I just walked into an Nighthawks… nobody talking, but everybody saying something.
Yeah… that’s the thing—they don’t even have to pull a gun. Just stand there like they already own the room.
I don’t know… if a couple mugs like Charles McGraw and William Conrad told me to sit still, I might just stay put.
No, no… nobody’s running. That’s what bothers me. Like they already know how this ends.
Alright… we’ll see how this one plays out.
“So, let’s start at the beginning.”
Hello to all of the classic people who are returning. I am glad you are back. I want to welcome any new visitors. Today on Classic Movie Review, we are taking on The Killers (1946). This film is one of the greatest Film Noirs. I currently have this film as number 10 on my All Film Noirs list.
IMDb.com has this movie rated at 7.7[1]. On Rottentomatoes.com, this film has a 100 percent on the Tomatometer and 89 percent audience approval.[2]
Crabby old New York Times film critic Bosley Crowther said in an August 29, 1946, review:
“Back in the gangster-glutted Twenties, Ernest Hemingway wrote a morbid tale about two gunmen waiting in a lunchroom for a man they were hired to kill. And while they relentlessly waited, the victim lay sweating in his room, knowing the gunmen were after him but too weary and resigned to move. That’s all the story told you—that a man was going to be killed. ”
“With Robert Siodmak’s restrained direction, a new actor, Burt Lancaster, gives a lanky and wistful imitation of a nice guy who’s wooed to his ruin. And Ava Gardner is sultry and sardonic as the lady who crosses him up. Edmond O’Brien plays the shrewd investigator in the usual cool and clipped detective style, Sam Levene is very good as a policeman and Albert Dekker makes a thoroughly nasty thug.”[3]
This movie was nominated for four Oscars, Best Director, Best Writing, Screenplay, Best Film Editing, and Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture. However, The Killers (1946) lost in all of these categories to the great film The Best Years of Our Lives (1946).
Actors
Returning
This movie is a who’s-who of Film Noir.
The great actor Burt Lancaster was in his first film role, playing Ole ‘Swede’ Anderson. Lancaster was first covered in the prison film Birdman of Alcatraz (1962).
One of my favorites, Edmond O’Brien played insurance investigator Jim Riordan. O’Brien was also first covered in Birdman of Alcatraz (1962)
Virginia Christine, Mrs. Folgers, was in the role of Lilly Harmon Lubinsky. Christine was first covered in the campy horror film Billy the Kid Versus Dracula (1966).
Great gravel voiced actor Charles McGraw was killer Al. McGraw was first covered in the very good Film Noir, set mostly on a train, The Narrow Margin (1952)
Beautiful and talented Ava Gardner was in the role of Femme Fatale Kitty Collins. Gardner was first covered in the military suspense movie Seven Days in May (1964).
Big man and voice talent William Conrad played hitman Max. Conrad was first covered in the Film Noir Cry Danger (1951).
Albert Dekker was in the role of Big Jim Colfax. Dekker was first covered in the Film Noir Illegal (1955)
Jack Lambert played ‘Dum-Dum’ Clarke. I guess the name says it all. Lambert was first covered in the Film Noir mystery The Unsuspected (1947), alongside Edward G. Robinson.
New
Sam Levene was in the role of Police Lt. Sam Lubinsky. Levene was born in the Russian Empire in 1905. At the age of two, he moved with his family to New York City. After dropping out of high school, Levene worked as a garment cutter. In an attempt to become a better salesman, he auditioned for the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and received a scholarship. Levene made his Broadway debut in 1927.
Levene had his first credited film role in 1936. He is notable for playing a cop in After the Thin Man (1936) and Shadow of the Thin Man (1941). However, it is his spate of Film Noir roles that really standout. These films began with today’s film The Killers (1946). Other films are Boomerang! (1947), Brute Force (1947), Crossfire (1947), Dial 1119 (1950), Slaughter on 10th Avenue (1957), and Sweet Smell of Success (1957). His final film was the courtroom drama And Justice for All (1979). Levene died in 1980 at the age of 75.
Story
The credits role as two professional torpedoes, Al (Charles McGraw) and Max (William Conrad) drive to the town of Brentwood, New Jersey. On foot, they first check the gas station and then cross the street to the dinner. The two hitters waste no time corralling the owner (Harry Hayden), Sam the cook (Bill Walker), and customer Nick Adams (Phil Brown), just by using their voices as no guns were shown.
The two killers casually mention that they are there to kill Pete “Swede” Lund (Burt Lancaster) for a friend. After, Swede doesn’t arrive by 6pm as expected. The two gangsters leave the three hostages in the café and head to the boarding house where Swede is staying.
Nick, who works with Swede at the gas station, rushes to the boarding house to warn Swede of the incoming attack. Swede lays on the bed, with his face in a shadow. He shows no concern for his pending death. He tells Nick, it is because he did something wrong, once. Nick leaves before the two killers arrive and fill Swede with slugs.
Later, Atlantic Casualty, insurance investigator Jim Riordan (Edmond O’Brien) goes through Swede’s belongings at the police station. Sam and Nick look through mugshots but to no aval. Riordan finds Swede’s insurance policy, which has a payout amount of $2,500, which would be worth over $40,000 today. The policy lists Atlantic City resident Mary Ellen “Queenie” Daugherty (Queenie Smith) as the beneficiary. The policy was provided by the gas station that Swede worked for. THOSE WERE THE DAYS
Riordan also finds a green silk scarf with a harp and clovers as the design.
Riordan interviews Nick and we get the first flashback. At the morgue Nick says that Swede was a pleasant guy, who only started to call in sick after an encounter with a customer driving a Cadillac. The driver was Colfax (Albert Dekker). Colfax eyed Swede as if he was trying to confirm his identification. The past coming back for you at a gas station was used in Out of the Past (1947).
On the body, Riordan sees that Swede’s body had signs of a broken right hand. Thinking Swede was a fighter, he sends a picture into his office and asks Stella (Ann Staunton) to show the picture around Kelly’s boxing gym.
Riordan visits the hotel in Atlantic City where the deeply religious Queenie works. Queenie doesn’t remember Swede and has no idea why she would be made the beneficiary. When he shows the picture, Queenie remembers the man as Andersen. In flashback, Queenie remembers the room being ransacked by Swede. He was distraught saying that she’s gone. Swede tries to kill himself by jumping out the window, but Queenie talks him down. In his delirium, Swede repeats that Charleston was right.
Riordan returns to his office where he asks what Stella has found out about Swede. The boss, R.S. Kenyon (Donald MacBride) tries to pull the investigator off the case, but the driven investigator feels it is bigger than the $2,500 policy and insists on staying on the case. He asks about Charleston and the boss remembers him as a small-time thief.
Stella has found out that the dead man was named Ole Anderson and he was a professional fighter from 1928 through 1935. In 1938, Ole was sentenced to 3 years in prison for robbery. He was released early for good behavior. She also tells him that Philadelphia policeman Sam Lubinsky (Sam Levine) made the arrest of Swede.
Riordan goes to see Sam at his apartment. Sam tells that his and Swede’s fathers worked together on trains and the two were childhood friends. Sam begins the story of Swede’s last fight. For some reason, Swede won’t throw his right hand. In the audience, Lilly Harmon (Virginia Christine) sits on pins and needles as she watches Swede take a beating. Swede is on the mat when the final bell rings, meaning that the fight won’t go down as a KO.
The Swede is taken to the dressing room where the doctor says his hand is broken, thus ending his fighting career. Back in my Golden Gloves days, a friend broke his thumb in a fight he should have won. He was so dazed we had to explain what happened to him about 45 times over the next two days before he remembered. That was way before concussions protocols.
Packy Robinson (Charles D. Brown), Swede’s Manager and his trainer Joe Smalley (Garry Owen), leave the fighter alone with Sam, as they begin a search for a new fighter. Sam delivers the news to Swede that he can no longer fight professionally. Swede comments how many people come to see you when you win and how you’re alone when you lose. Swede sends Lilly home, beginning their breakup. Sam is slightly crushed on Lilly.
Back in current time, Sam’s wife comes out and it is Lilly. The couple hadn’t seen Swede since hers and Sam’s wedding nine years prior. Riordan asks about the breakup, and Lilly begins the story in flashback. On her final date with Swede, he takes Lilly to a hotel party hosted by Jake the Rake’s place. She doesn’t really want to be around these types of people, but Swede urges her inside.
Blinky Franklin (Jeff Corey) is serving drinks. Jake introduces Kitty Collins (Ava Gardner) as the party hostess. Swede is hit by lightning bolts when he sees Kitty. Kitty throws some real jabs at Lilly about watching Swede be hurt while fighting, saying she could never watch a man she cares about be hurt. Lilly watches Swede, while he watches Kitty sing. Blinky tells Lilly that the apartment belongs to Big Jim Colfax, who is currently in jail.
They pop back to current time before Sam goes into another flashback about some stolen jewelry. Kitty is at a table with Jake and some others, and she is wearing a horrible hat. She is also wearing a stolen brooch, that is apparently stolen.
Sam talks to a pair of small-time criminals, Charlie (Wallace Scott) and Mrs. Bryson (Gabrielle Windsor) about what he knows. Sam asks about Kitty, and Charlie uses a match to signal Kitty to get rid of the hot brooch. Charlie says that Kitty was Colfax’s girl, but she is now with Swede.
Kitty dumps the brooch in some soup, but Sam has seen it all and goes to arrest Kitty. Swede comes in and he has had a substantial increase in wealth based on his clothes. Sam says Swede is in the numbers racket. Kitty begs Swede to help her. He tries to get Sam to let Kitty go as a favor, but Sam is a by the book cop. Swede confesses to stealing the jewelry before slugging Sam and running away.
Back in current time, Sam says that the jewelry arrest is what led to Swede’s three year prison sentence. They all leave for Swede’s funeral. There are three other people in attendance not including the priests. They are former manager Packy Robinson, former trainer Joe Smalley, and Charleston (Vince Barnett). Sam asks to be in on the pinch if Riordan finds the killers.
Later, Riordan meets Charleston. Charleston is drinking heavily and says that he really doesn’t talk. Nevertheless, Charleston flashes back to when he and Swede were in a prison cell together for almost two years. Charleston gives a class on the planets and stars. I will discuss this further in the Conclusion.
We see that Swede is in procession of the green silk scarf. Swede asks Charleston to visit his girl Kitty when he gets out, because he hasn’t heard from her in a while. Charleston comes back and tells him why she hasn’t been writing but Swede doesn’t hear the truth.
Charleston begins another flashback that is set a couple of days after Swede is released from prison. Colfax wanted Charleston to bring the Swede to a meeting. At the meeting are Colfax, Blinky, and ‘Dum-Dum’ Clarke (Jack Lambert). Swede shows up last. Sitting on the bed is Kitty and Swede looks like he has been hit with a bat.
Colfax is planning a $250,000 payroll heist. He says he is taking $100,000 and the others can divide what is left. Dum-Dum thinks Blinky twitches too much because he has a monkey on his back, a drug habit. Colfax says he is clean. Charleston opts out not wanting to get involved in such a large robbery at his age. Swede looks at Kitty and agrees to go on the robbery. Charleston advises Swede to stop listening to those golden harps. Charleston never saw Swede after the meeting.
Back at his office Riordan asks Stella to find info on Kitty. He shows his boss some newspaper clipping about the $250,000 hat factory robbery. As the boss reads, the robbery is shown in flashback. Although it is not well shown, one of the men is said to be wearing a green silk scarf with harps on it.
Riordan is sure that Swede and Kitty were involved in the robbery. The night of the robbery Swede and an identified women check into a hotel in Atlantic City. Two days later the woman leaves and Queenie stops Swede from killing himself. Six years later Swede is killed by two professional killers. The boss says again that the investigation is not worth the effort.
Riordan gets a call from Sam saying Blinky has been shot and is near death. Blinky is babbling about Swede, Dum-Dum, and Kitty, so Sam wants Riordan to hear. Blinky’s story flashes back to the night before the hat factory robbery. Colfax, Blinky, and Dum-Dum are playing cards while Kitty flits around. Swede comes out from a nap in the back room. Colfax starts to hit Kitty, but Swede stands up for her. Swede is told to leave it alone as she is Colfax’s girl.
The men settle down at the card table, and their anger is played out in the betting. Swede has two pairs and Colfax claims a full house. He reaches for the pot before showing his cards. Swede hits Colfax accusing him of cheating. They almost draw guns. However, the robbery takes precedence over revenge. Swede is shown to be wrong as Colfax had a full house. Blinky transitions from the flashback to current time saying that Swede shouldn’t have hit Colfax.
The police find a newspaper article about Swede’s murder and a bus ticket to Brentwood in Blinky’s coat pocket. Blinky dies thinking about the getaway and the money they will have at the safe house.
In another flashback, Blinky and Dum-Dum arrive at a farm. Waiting at the farm are Colfax and a farmer (Charles Middleton). They all look at the money with the greed expected from people in their line of work.
Swede silently climbs across the roof and enters the second floor through a window. He is armed with a revolver. He gets the jump on the four men below and takes all the robbery money. Dum-Dum makes a move, but Swede beats him down.
Swede says the gang had a great idea of leaving him at the safe house while they split the money at the farm. Colfax says the safe house burned during the night. To which Swede says he should have been told. Colfax comes back with, you were told, you’re here. Swede shoots out the tires of the other cars before speeding away in his car.
The question Sam and Riordan have now is which gang member got to Swede first and had him murdered. Riordan heads to Swede’s room in Brentwood to look for the answer. Riordan, with the help of the landlady hides in an adjacent room. It is not long until Dum-Dum arrives and rents the room. As soon as he is inside, he begins tearing the room apart presumably looking for the money from the robbery.
Riordan gets the jump on Dum-Dum and questions him about the robbery getaway. Riordan is pretty sure Dum-Dum killed Blinky. Under questioning, Dum-Dum says, just after midnight, Kitty delivered the message that the safe house location was changed. He says when Swede robbed them, he claimed he was not informed.
Dum-Dum says neither he nor Blinky would have killed the one guy who knew where the money was located. Dum-Dum then gets the jump on Riordan. Riordan tells him that Swede and a women took the money to Atlantic City and later, the woman skipped out on Swede taking the money along. Dum-Dum gives Riordan a couple of hard kicks to the head before escaping onto the roof. The cops are outside and fire at Dum-Dum but he still manages to get away.
Sam meets up with Riordan on a train heading to Pittsburg. He says that Colfax is there and they are going to pay him a visit. He also mentions that Dum-Dum is wounded. Sam says Colfax has gone straight and is a contractor. Riordan receives a telegram saying that the safe house burned after 2:00 am.
Riordan goes to see Colfax at his plant. Colfax at first denies any knowledge of the robbery. He later asks about Kitty and says that’s who he wants to know about. Riordan tells Colfax that Kitty is the one who pulled the double cross. He bluffs that a chambermaid from the hotel can id Kitty. Colfax says he hates double crossing dames. HA.
Jake the Rake calls Colfax and asks about Kitty. Riordan says to Colfax that he put out the word that he wanted to talk to her or if not he will turn everything over to the police.
Sam and Riordan wait in their hotel room and eventually Kitty calls. She wants to meet at The Green Cat. Of course she does, she’s Kitty. Riordan says they can meet outside the Adelphi theater. Riordan says he will send a man, but he goes himself.
There is a small man leaning against the wall. He is holding a cane and smoking a cigarette. Kitty arrives wearing a stylish lady’s fedora. They get in a cab and head straight out. The small man follows in another taxi.
Killers Al and Max arrive outside of the theater but appear to be too late. Kitty says Jake the Rake called her and she flew into town. Riordan has the taxi drive to The Green Cat. The little man arrives at the club as well. Kitty orders milk. Of course she does, she’s Kitty. Inside, the little man goes upstairs.
Riordan says between Blinky’s deathbed confession and the imaginary chambermaid at the hotel, the police would have enough to convict Kitty. She says she will do anything to stay out of trouble including giving back $70,000. She says she has a home and husband now that she wants to protect. Riordan says he wants Colfax as a fall guy. She says she won’t rat, but when Riordan gets up to leave Kitty says she will tell the details.
Under questioning, she says Colfax planned the robbery. When asked if Swede was in love with her, Kitty says he was always looking at her and he carried a scarf she gave him. Riordan pulls the scarf out of his pocket. Kitty is shaken and switches over to being the victim, saying she hated her life and wanted out.
In flashback, Kitty goes to Swede’s apartment just before 2:00 am, she concocted a story that the others were going to rip him off for his share of the loot. She says it was Colfax’s idea, but Blinky and Dum-Dum went along. She plays Swede like a cheap violin.
Back in current time, she knew Swede would get the money and that she could get it from him later in Atlantic City. Kitty sees the small man at the bar and excuses herself to the restroom. The music is frantic as Al and Max enter the club.
Unseen until now, Sam is also in the bar. When Al and Max make their move to gun down Riordan, the investigator flips the table over. Sounds like a song.
Sam opens up from the side, hitting first Max and then Al. Riordan runs to the restroom only to find Kitty has escaped out the window.
Riordan, Sam, and some local cops rush to Colfax’s mansion. When they enter, they hear gunfire. Dum-Dum falls to the bottom of the stairway dead. Riordan finds Colfax further up the stairs wounded and dying. Riordan explains that Kitty delivered the message about the safe house change hours before the original safe house burned. From this Riordan knew Kitty had a partner and it could only be Colfax.
Kitty is escorted in by a policeman after being caught outside. Riordan says he knows that Colfax and Kitty were married. Sam asked why Colfax sent the killers after Swede. The dying man says if anyone discovered Swede, they would know that he and her were the double crossers. If he left Swede alive, Swede would begin to question why.
Kitty switches to pure self service begging her dying husband to give her an alibi, with no concern for the man.
Sam says, “Don’t ask a dying man to lie his soul into hell.”
Colfax dies. She still begs the dead man to give her an out.
Riordan explains to his boss that Swede never knew Kitty went back to Colfax. Really having always been with him. The boss then says all of Riordan’s work, the death, and misery uncovered, will lower their rates 1/10 of a percent. The boss tells him to take a break. Since it is Friday, he shouldn’t come back in until Monday.
Conclusion
This film is based on a 1927 short story written by Ernest Hemingway. However, Hemingway’s story only covered the first part of the film where the murder took place. Writer Anthony Veiller didn’t receive onscreen credit so they could splash Ernest Hemingway as the author on the screen. Also, Richard Brooks and John Huston were uncredited screenwriters.
Hemingway may have based his short story on a mob hit of boxer Andre Anderson. Anderson was shot in a Chicago speakeasy in March 1926. Earlier he fought future heavyweight champ Jack Dempsey to a draw in 1916.
Burt Lancaster was amazing in this film especially since this was his film debut.
I have said many times that the best Film Noirs are told in flashback. This movie has 11 flashbacks that tell Swede’s story, always with Swede as a background character. These flashbacks are:
When Colfax treating Swede rudely at the gas station,
when Swede almost takes his life after Kitty robs and abandons him,
when Swede is pummeled in the boxing ring and the aftermath,
when Kitty hooks Swede like a Rainbow Trout at the party,
when Swede takes the rap for Kitty at the restaurant,
when Charleston teaches Swede about the planets,
when the others are planning the heist and Swede is the last to arrive,
when Swede sleeps before the robbery,
when Swede is not a major player at the hat factory robbery,
when Swede is the last to arrive at the hideout after the robbery,
and when Kitty makes Swede think the others are betraying him before the robbery.
In one of the best examples of allegorical storytelling I have seen, while in jail, Charleston explains to Swede about the stars and planets. He points out the constellation Orion and pronounces its name quite oddly before calling it the great bear. Of course, Orion is the hunter, and the Big Dipper is the Great Bear. He also says that Betelgeuse in Orion is the brightest star in the sky. In fact, Sirius, AKA the Dog Star, is the brightest star, and now you know why Sirius Radio has a dog logo with a star in its eye.
I’ll give an important point about these mistakes after I go over the nine planets. Since 2006, Pluto is no longer listed as a planet, but when this movie was made there were nine planets. There are nine characters who narrate flashbacks around Swede.
These are Nick Adams at the garage, Mary Ellen “Queenie” Doherty at the hotel, Sam Lubinsky at the boxing match, Lilly Harmon Lubinsky at the Colfax party, Sam Lubinsky once more with the stolen jewelry at the restaurant, Charleston at the jail and during the recruiting for the heist, Swede during the robbery, Blinky Franklin before and after the robbery, and Kitty tricking Swede the night before the robbery.
So, it would seem like Swede is Sun and all the planets revolve around him. But looking at the ending of Swede and the mistakes in Charleston’s description of the stars and planet, Swede had the illusion of being the Sun, when in reality he was an exo-planet just like Pluto, only to be used and abused.
Finally, to the Femme Fatale. On my Great Femme Fatales List, I currently have Kitty Collins (Ava Gardner) slotted at number 14. I think she holds this position because she is smooth and doesn’t seem malicious in most of the movie, unlike Vera in Detour (1945) for example. You never see the narcissistic behavior of Kitty until the end, when she is begging the dying Colfax to give her an alibi with total disregard for the dying man.
World-Famous Short Summary – A pretty face don’t mean no pretty heart
Beware the moors.
[1] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038669/
