After the film was released, it got bad reviews and lost money. The studio, without Billy Wilder's permission, changed the title to "The Big Carnival" to increase the box office take of the film. It didn't work. On top of that, Wilder's next picture, "Stalag 17 (1953)," was a hit and he expected a share of the picture's profits. Paramount's accountants told him that since this picture lost money, the money it lost would be subtracted from the profits of "Stalag 17".
Billy Wilder's wife Audrey Young came up with the line, "I don't go to church. Kneeling bags my nylons."
This film's utter and unrelenting cynicism so repulsed 1951 movie audiences that it lost Paramount a fortune. Writer/director Billy Wilder later admitted that it had a negative impact on his career...while also citing it as one of the best films he ever made.
Is the second Billy Wilder film to feature a character who works for the fictitious 'Pacific All-Risk Insurance Company,' the first being Double Indemnity (1944).
Residents of Gallup, New Mexico, were hired as extras. They were paid 75 cents an hour for a ten-hour day. Extras earned an additional three dollars if they could bring an automobile to the set.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content
