Some Like It Hot (film)
"Some Like It Hot" is a classic comedy film directed by Billy Wilder, released in 1959, and is often regarded as one of the greatest comedies of all time. The film stars Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon as two male musicians who witness a mob hit and subsequently disguise themselves as women to escape the gangsters, joining an all-female band led by the character Sugar Kane, played by Marilyn Monroe. The narrative features a blend of various genres, including buddy film, screwball comedy, and gangster parody, showcasing Wilder's adeptness at genre fusion.
Set against the backdrop of Prohibition-era Chicago, the film draws inspiration from the German musical "Fanferen der Liebe." It was notable for its innovative cross-dressing theme and complex character dynamics, particularly regarding gender and identity. Despite initial mixed reactions during previews, "Some Like It Hot" became a commercial success and received critical acclaim, earning six Academy Award nominations and winning for Best Costume Design.
The film's lasting impact is reflected in its accolades, including being preserved in the United States National Film Registry for its cultural significance. With memorable performances and sharp wit, it has solidified its status as a cultural touchstone, influencing future works and popularizing phrases like "some like it hot."
Some Like It Hot (film)
- Release Date: 1959
- Director(s): Billy Wilder
- Writer(s): I. A. L. Diamond; Billy Wilder
- Principal Actors and Roles: Tony Curtis (Joe); Jack Lemmon (Jerry); Marilyn Monroe (Sugar Kane Kowalczyk); Marilyn Monroe (Sugar Kane Kowalczyk); Joe E. Brown (Osgood Fielding III); George Raft (Spats Colombo)
- Book / Story Film Based On: Some Like It Hot by Robert Thoeren; Michael Logan
Some Like It Hot, a comedic film, is widely seen as one of director Billy Wilder’s finest works and one of the best comedies of all time. Featuring Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon as cross-dressing males and Marilyn Monroe in what is generally considered her best performance, the movie combines elements of buddy movie, dark comedy, screwball comedy, sexual comedy, chase movie, and gangster picture parody. Film historian Wes Gehring says that Wilder’s blending of genres is a key to the film’s success.
Some Like It Hot is based on the German musical Fanferen der Liebe (Fanfares of Love), which Wilder knew from his time in Germany before World War II. He secured the rights to the story and over a year co-wrote the screenplay with I.A.L. Diamond, with whom he had recently written Love in the Afternoon. In the German original, two poverty-stricken male musicians pose as black, gypsy, and female musicians to gain needed work. Wilder focused on the cross-dressing aspect and shifted the setting to Prohibition-era Chicago, taking advantage of the city’s reputation for gang violence in that period to find the catalyst for the male leads’ cross-dressing.
Wilder approached Lemmon early in the project, and the actor eagerly agreed. Frank Sinatra expressed some interest in joining the cast but eventually Tony Curtis was signed. Marilyn Monroe contacted Wilder to ask for the female lead—they had worked together on The Seven-Year Itch a few years before—but the producers had to agree to give her ten percent of the film’s gross to sign her on.
Plot
Some Like It Hot opens in a Chicago speakeasy early in 1929. Near-broke musicians Joe (saxophone) and Jerry (string bass) are playing in the band and looking forward to being paid. When Jerry realizes that Detective Mulligan is about to shut down the speakeasy for violating Prohibition, they escape. They learn that a band about to leave for Florida for an extended booking needs both a saxophone and a bass player, but it is an all-female band. In a garage to borrow a car, they become unwilling witnesses to a gangland shooting reminiscent of Chicago’s notorious St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. "Spats" Colombo—owner of the speakeasy raided earlier—and his gang kill a group of rivals, one of whom had tipped off Mulligan to Spats’s illegal operation. Joe and Jerry escape the gangsters and, in desperation, decide to dress as women and take the jobs in the all-girl band.
Joe (as Josephine) and Jerry (as Daphne) meet the members of the band, including the no-nonsense leader Sweet Sue and the shapely Sugar Kane Kowalczyk. When Sugar drops a flask of liquor, Jerry saves her from Sue’s punishment by saying it was his. A nighttime drinking party follows, during which Sugar tells Joe of her weakness for tenor sax players and dream of marrying a millionaire. When the band reaches their destination hotel in Miami, Jerry (as Daphne) must rebuff the advances of the wealthy Osgood. Joe meets Sugar at the beach dressed in yachting clothes and posing as an oil-company heir, gaining her interest. He then uses Osgood’s yacht to woo Sugar while Osgood dates Daphne. When he returns to the room, Jerry informs him that he is engaged to Osgood, with the intention of getting a hefty divorce settlement after the wedding when he reveals he is a man.
Meanwhile, the Chicago gangsters and Mulligan have arrived at the hotel. Spotted by Spats, who realizes they witnessed the garage killing, Jerry and Joe run. Hiding in a banquet hall, they witness yet another mass murder when mob leader Little Bonaparte—angry over the Chicago massacre—has a henchman machine gun down Spats and his gang. Once again, Joe and Jerry flee for their lives and plot an escape on Osgood’s yacht. Joe, as Josephine, warns Sugar off men, but when they kiss, she realizes he is the oil heir and follows him. Joe sheds his disguise, and Sugar accepts him. As Osgood takes Daphne off to the yacht in a speedboat, Jerry offers several objections to the engagement that Osgood dismisses. Finally, Jerry pulls off his wig and utters the line he believes will end the matter for good—"I’m a man." The movie ends as Fielding replies, "Well, nobody’s perfect!"
Significance
Wilder shot the film in studios and on location at the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego for the Miami scenes. He filmed the movie in black and white to make the male stars’ makeup more believable, but the device also conjures images of classic Hollywood gangster films of the 1930s. That association was reinforced by his use of well-known actors from that genre, including George Raft and Pat O’Brien. Though shot in only about two months, the film went over schedule and over budget, largely because Monroe needed dozens of takes for some scenes, causing tension with both Wilder and Curtis.
When the film was first previewed, only one member of the audience reportedly laughed—perhaps because the preview followed a showing of the drama Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Wilder made only a minor edit and tried again with a new audience, which was far more receptive. The film was a commercial and generally a critical success. Shot for $2.8 to 3.5 million, it earned more than $7 million in its first year of release, giving it the third best gross of the year and the top gross for any comedy to that time. Most reviews were strongly favorable.
Some Like It Hot was nominated for six Academy Awards, though its only win came in the category of costume design for a black-and-white film. It did win three Golden Globe awards (best comic film and both best actress and best actor—Lemmon taking that prize) in a musical or comedy. Wilder, Diamond, and Lemmon worked together several more times, including on The Apartment the following year. The musical Sugar, based on Some Like It Hot, premiered on Broadway in 1972 and had just over 500 performances before closing. The phrase "some like it hot," though not original with the movie, was popularized by the film, as was the closing line.
The movie has gone on to be considered a classic. Widely esteemed for its screenplay, pacing, and performances, Some Like It Hot has been named by the American Film Institute as the best film comedy and the twenty-second best film of any genre. In 1989, the Library of selected the film for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 1989, one of twenty-five titles so honored in the year the registry was formed.
Awards and nominations
Won
- Academy Award (1959) Best Costume Design (Black-and-White): Orry-Kelly
- Golden Globe (1960) Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy)
Nominated
- Academy Award (1959) Best Art Direction (Black-and-White)
- Academy Award (1959) Best Cinematography (Black-and-White)
- Academy Award (1959) Best Director: Billy Wilder
- Academy Award (1959) Best Actor: Jack Lemmon
- Academy Award (1959) Best Screenplay (Adapted): I. A. L. Diamond, Billy Wilder
Bibliography
Bradshaw, Peter. "Some Like It Hot Review—Close to Perfect." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 18 July 2014. Web. 3 Nov. 2015. <http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jul/17/some-like-it-hot-review-monroe-lemmon-curtis-wilder>.
Castle, Alison. Billy Wilder’s Some Like It Hot. Cologne: Taschen, 2009. Print.
Gehring, Wes D. "The Hotter the Better." USA Today Magazine 140.2798 (2011). Print.
Hopp, Glenn. Billy Wilder: The Complete Films, The Cinema of Wit, 1906–2002. Cologne: Taschen, 2003. Print.
Masion, Laurence. Some Like It Hot: The Official 50th Anniversary Companion. New York: HarperCollins, 2009. Print.
Phillips, Gene. Some Like It Wilder: The Life and Controversial Films of Billy Wilder. Lexington: U of Kentucky P, 2010. Print.
"Some Like It Hot (1959)." Turner Classic Movies. Turner Entertainment Networks, 2015. Web. 3 Nov. 2015. <http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/16637/Some-Like-It-Hot/>.