August 28, 1946 –
Universal’s film-noir classic version of Ernest Hemingway’s story, The Killers, opened in NYC on this date.
Burt Lancaster was the third choice for the part of The Swede, and was signed only after actors Wayne Morris and Sonny Tufts proved unavailable. Lancaster was an ex-circus acrobat from Union City, NJ. When producer Mark Hellinger saw the first rushes of Lancaster’s performance in a private screening room, he was so pleased that he yelled “So help me, may all my actors be acrobats!“
The Haus of Dcaligari 