There was once a time when newspaper columnists were powerful and feared hahaha. Burt Lancaster plays the Manhattan scribbler with the juice to make or break. Tony Curtis is the hustling press agent trying to curry favor and not lose his soul in the bargain. They battle it out with Clifford Odets’ zingy dialogue amid James Wong Howe’s moody cinematography. A bitter masterpiece. -Lee Gardner

1957 Alexander Mackendrick 1.66:1 B&W DCP 96 min.