Today, as we honor Dr. Martin Luther King and celebrate the achievements of the African-American community, we take another look at Stanley Kubrick‘s The Killing (1956). Hipster racehorse assassin Nikki Arcane sweet-talks the justifiably suspicious racetrack parking lot attendant (James Edwards) into letting him stay in his car during the race.

As I’ve mentioned previously (in fact, I’m about to plagiarize myself), Edwards was one of the first African-American actors in Hollywood to receive substantial film roles beyond the stereotypical mammies and Uncle Toms of the pre-World War II era. He made his film debut in Robert Wise‘s The Set-Up (1949), an auspicious beginning to a distinguished career. I especially enjoyed him in Sam Fuller‘s The Steel Helmet (1951).