The Big Knife is an American play by
Clifford Odets. Directed by
Lee Strasberg, who had worked with Odets at the
Group Theatre, and starring fellow Group Theatre alumnus
John Garfield. The play debuted at Broadway's National Theatre on 24 February 1949 before closing on May 28th after 109 performances.
The Big Knife marked the return of Odets to Broadway after a six-year hiatus in which he toiled in Hollywood as a screenwriter and motion picture director. The play concerns the disillusionment of a movie star with the Hollywood's studio system and disgust with himself, as he has lost his idealism in the pursuit of success.