Some Like It Hot

[Metella]

ok - sorry for the delay; but life got in the way of fun again.

I'm not going to put too much of a spoiler here, as I bet some of you have not watched it on time either.

I really liked how they tied in the name - it was quiet and well done. The dialog didn't disappoint at all, lovely quips and well delivered.

I personally really liked the ending - I mean the VERY ending - the last 3 lines were a hoot and while I saw everything else coming down the line, I didnt' see that & it was very amusing to run with that thought.

[Techguy]

I completely forgot we decided to discuss this so I won't add any spoilers either. In fact I have to make some time to watch it again but I do recall the ending Metella refers to and yes indeed, it is a mighty fine closing to a real hoot of a movie. The three leads (Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, and Marilyn Monroe) are all outstanding. But darned if Joe E. Brown doesn't steal the scenes he's in. Anyone care to TANGO?

[LOCIfan]

Metella, you've got a memory like an elephant! Thank goodness for your reminder. Like Techguy, I completely forgot about this thread. And haven't re-watched the film yet, but will get right on it. Our Citizen Kane discussion was terrific.

A couple of things I plan to bear in mind before/while watching that others might also find interesting...

It was directed by that cinematic genius, Billy Wilder and the screenplay was co-written by Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond, with whom Wilder collaborated on THE APARTMENT, IRMA LA DUCE, THE FORTUNE COOKIE and LOVE IN THE AFTERNOON, among others.

Released in 1959, it's been called the most important comedy of the '50s, primarily because it's blatantly about sex, sex, and sex. It is unabashedly about sexual identity and sexual confusion. Jack Lemmon's performance and his total surrender to the female persona he's adopted was/is groundbreaking. Lemmon goes well beyond gay parody in this role -- his character actually abandons his male identity. Willingly, and with an almost audible sigh of relief. Lemmon's Jerry/Daphne IS looking for security. And in a world in which men are either gangsters, hunted by gangsters or sexual predators, the notion of giving it all up in favor of being a pampered wife is one Jerry/Daphne embraces without a hint of irony.

Upon its initial release, the film was banned in Kansas because cross dressing was deemed "too disturbing" for Kansans. Actually, the sex scene between Curtis and Monroe (as well as its accompanying double entendre dialogue) and the scene in which Monroe nearly pours out of her dress while her nipples just barely remain out of the spot that lights Monroe as she sings (with perfect, wide-eyed, literal innocence) "I Wanna Be Loved By You" were also to blame for the ban in Kansas.

Marilyn Monroe's on set behavior on this film is the stuff of legends. She routinely arrived several hours late to the set, often required 40 - 50 takes to get a single line right (i.e. the scene in which she asks "Where's the bourbon" while pulling open drawers took 59 takes. She kept saying either "Where's the whiskey" or "Where's the bonbon". Ultimately Wilder had the line taped to the inside of the drawer. Monroe then proceeded to open the wrong drawer, so Wilder had the line taped to the inside of ALL the drawers.) and ultimately alienated Wilder and Curtis as well as the crew.

When asked what it was like to kiss Monroe, Curtis famously replied "It was like kissing Hitler." Curtis' performance in the movie is all the more impressive given the fact that his scenes with Monroe took so many takes. His performance always feels spontaneous -- as does Monroe's. It's difficult to imagine, watching the final take of the scene in which she so spontaneously -- and with perfect timing -- asks "where's the bourbon?" that the scene took nearly sixty takes to get in the can.

It's a wonderful comedy. Constantly naughty, but never crude. Post-modern in its cynicism (Curtis wants nothing more than sex, Monroe wants nothing more than money, and both end up finding love) and views on sex and gender, SOME LIKE IT HOT truly is a watershed film -- and I can't wait to watch it again this weekend!

Thanks again, Metella, for reminding me to re-watch this classic!

[domenicaflor]

Eep! I forgot.

I was able to find it at my local library today (yeah - no rental fee, how cool is that? Tax dollars at work, not at rest!)

So I shall watch this week. I look forward to seeing this classic again.

D.

[Metella]

ah, I'm trying to stay silent - I'm bubbling with new insite from the background posts ...... yeah, watch it this weekend.

[LOCIfan]

Watched it this weekend. I'd forgotten what a scene stealer Joe E. Brown is! Loved the dialogue as well. So snappy, so filled with delicious double entendres. Tony Curtis' Cary Grant impersonation was another thing I'd forgotten about. All in all, a delightful watch, with lots to talk about. I'll post more tomorrow (when I'm goofing off at work!). Thanks again to Metella and Techguy for suggesting this terrific film!

[Metella]

Just that tango scene .... the start with the amost horror .... the leading .... the learning to follow .... the showing off at the end of the dance with the hand florishes .... then the plop on the bed and gushing about what a GREAT night it had been ..... Brown, didn't screach at the screen as some "scene stealers" do today - he stole the heart of the camera by being vibrant! My eyes just gravitated to him, even when I wanted to watch the others.

Ever notice how so many "hosts" of tv shows or actors are nearly screaming in volume? Like I don't have a volume control so if they yell at me I will be sure to hear and pay attention? bluk.

This was a really enjoyable trot. But VA-VOOM - what about that DRESS!? holy cow, sister. the back of the dress was designed to look like it was UNZIPPED, I think, & then the front looked painted on over her nipples. my my my

[LOCIfan]

Ahhhh, that DRESS!! Yes, no wonder the film was too hot for Kansas in the 1950's!! It is an absolutely gossamer creation. And how fantastic to see it on a marvelously curvy and voluptuous and SEXY Monroe!

I loved the Monroe/Curtis talk about the sweet/fuzzy end of the lollipop. I'm amazed that such double entendres re: oral sex didn't get the movie banned in more places than just Kansas. Love, also that the lollipop metaphor plays so well into the larger theme of sexual confusion and sexual identity. Jerry/Daphne might be a bit uncertain about which end of the lollipop he'd ultimately prefer, but Sugar and Joe are quite certain which end each of them wants.

I just love the scene where Jerry, still shaking his maracas after a night of tango and wine and Osgood, returns and announces to Joe that he's engaged. When Joe asks why on earth a guy would want to marry another guy, Jerry responds, with absolute sincerity "Security." LOVE IT!

Jerry is, after all, the practical one. At the very beginning, he's the one who plans to use his paycheck to pay off debts and go to the dentists. Then he lets Joe convince him to sell their coats to put money down on a "sure thing" at the dog track. Jerry's sick and tired of being broke and worrying about having enough to eat and wear. So, when Osgood comes along, it's like the answer to his unwhispered prayers. And all it requires is a complete abandonment of his gender and immersion in the feminine. I love the wounded look on Daphne's face when Sugar says she envies Daphne for being so flat-chested. Fantastic stuff!!

[Patcat]

Jack Lemmon is wonderful in this film--you can see why he was Billy Wilder's favorite actor. Lemmon is totally free and abandons himself to play Daphne. It's a brilliant and courageous performance.

Sexual roles, confusion, and mores are constant themes in Wilder's films. He was frequently accused of salaciousness, but critics finally came to realize that his films aren't about voyeurism or sex for sex's sake. His films are actually quite moral and romantic.

Patcat

[Techguy]

Nice to read the previous comments from posters who obviously enjoyed this movie a lot. Yes it is a bit raunchy and ribald for its time, but what a lot of fun it has with HOT topics like sex, jazz, skimpy costumes and one-liner double entendres. And let's not forget the other great supporting players, including George Raft, Pat O'Brien, Nehemiah Persoff, and Mike Mazurki et al.

I read somewhere that Marilyn Monroe was pregnant during the filming of this movie. As I watched it again, I was reminded of how the camera absolutely loved her. Her closeups reveal a galaxy of emotions, of sexuality and vulnerability and everything in between. I don't think any female star before or since has been able to capture the complexity of all those elements in quite the same way. "Some Like It Hot" was Ms. Monroe's second film with Billy Wilder, the first being "The Seven Year Itch". Both these comedic films are vastly different from Wilder's earlier and darker films "Double Indemnity" and "Sunset Boulevard"

Another observation--how "ordinary" the male Jack Lemmmon character Jerry is compared to his alter ego Daphne. Jerry is, well, sort of blah until he gets in touch with his feminine side and then...WOW! The maracas and tango scenes are priceless, as is Tony Curtis doing a Cary Grant accent when he poses as a millionaire to impress the Marilyn Monroe character Sugar.

And then there are the references to other movies. The scene in the berth in the crowded train car, with the girls mixing drinks, is very reminiscent of the crowded stateroom scene in the Marx Brothers' "A Night At the Opera" plus there are at least three homages to classic gangster/crime movies:
--when Spats (George Raft) grabs a coin in mid-air that was tossed by a younger gangster, this is a direct reference to Raft's signature, coin-flipping role from "Scarface". BTW, the young gangster Johnny Paradise was played by Edward G. Robinson, Jr., the son of one of Raft's greatest film rivals.
--when Spats threatens to stuff a grapefruit half into the face of one of his henchmen (Mike Mazurki), this is a deliberate reference to the famous scene with James Cagney and Mae Clarke in "The Public Enemy"
--Little Bonaparte (Nehemiah Persoff) is a definite reference to Edward G. Robinson's Rico in "Little Caesar"

As was said in this movie, "Nobody's perfect" but "Some Like It Hot" just might be one of the most perfect film comedies of all time, if for no other reason than seeing Marilyn Monroe in that DRESS...