Second Takes -- Billy Wilder

June 15, 1951: "Ace in the Hole" opens in Los Angeles.

April 7, 1950: Billy Wilder is casting a film with the working title "Human Interest Story" and renames it "Ace in the Hole."

April 13, 1950: Jan Sterling is cast in the film.

Hedda Hopper, who had a small role in Wilder's last film, "Sunset Boulevard," plugs "Ace in the Hole."

June 16, 1950: Casting for the film continues.

Aug. 20, 1950: The Times finally interviews Billy Wilder. Wilder tells The Times' Philip K. Scheuer: "Class in pictures nowadays has to be smuggled in like contraband and artistry is a nasty word" ... "The question about a picture is not whether it is good or bad but whether it is alive or dead....  'Casablanca' was full of holes as a story, but it was alive as a film and the public loved it."

June 10, 1951: An early example of damage control. Paramount obviously knew a movie as bitter and caustic as "Ace in the Hole" would be a tough sell.

June 16, 1951: The Times' Edwin Schallert praises "Ace in the Hole": "Controversial and challenged as this Paramount production will prove to be, it has a singular power and fascination. The writing ... seems extraordinarily potent."

June 20, 1951: Hedda Hopper pans "Ace in the Hole."

Aug. 19, 1951: "Ace in the Hole" is renamed "The Big Carnival." The movie will languish in obscurity for decades.