There’s a select group of movies that take on a life of their own. Casablanca & The Wizard Of Oz, are two that have continued to be celebrated with the passing of time and Some Like It Hot, has joined the ranks as one of the most popular films of all time.
It’s become one of the most discussed and written about movies in history and in recent years has even topped the poll as the greatest comedy film ever!
This book, to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of it’s release brings together the story of how it all came to be and what went on behind the scenes of that infamous shoot in the summer of 1958 with Marilyn, Tony and Jack and the amazing cast that Billy Wilder assembled to complete the film, how each one was an important facet to the movies success, casting George Raft, Joe E. Brown in roles that would revive and in the end define their careers from earlier successes.
The book explores the many myths surrounding the film from the early stages of the stories development, the films that inspired the “drag” element of the story and Wilder’s own genius input to the films finished concept. There’s also sections on Chicago Jazz and Florida in the 1920’s, costume designer Orry-Kelly, Hotel Del Coronado etc.
We’ve all read or heard about Monroe’s tardiness or her inability to remember the simplest of lines but it wasn’t like that all the time and indeed we read here that Marilyn could, on a good day, do a three-page dialogue scene perfectly and in one take! But then on one line like “It’s me, Sugar” would need multiple takes, often to the frustration of the other principle players as Wilder told them, “Whenever she gets it right, I’m gonna print it.” He knew their performances might curdle doing take after take, but this was the hand he was dealt: a queen beats a jack- and a Tony too!
Whilst filming the immortal scene with Jack Lemmon in the upper berth of the train, Lemmon recalls “Billy shot it in one take. And that was it. It was five past eight and we’re done.” Marilyn had been on time that morning. Marilyn would go on to win her second of three Golden Globe awards for her part in the film as did Jack Lemmon and Billy Wilder and the film won for Best Comedy.
Nominated for five Academy Awards it won Best Costume Design.Wilder holds a significant place in the history of Hollywood censorship for expanding the range of acceptable subject matter. He is responsible for two of the film noir era’s most definitive films in Double Indemnity and Sunset Boulevard. Along with Woody Allen, he leads the list of films on the American Film Institute’s list of 100 funniest American films with 5 films written and holds the honor of holding the top spot with Some Like it Hot.
Also on the list are The Apartment and The Seven Year Itch which he directed, and Ball of Fire and Ninotchka which he co-wrote.The book itself is visually stunning & you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s just another picture book but the text is actually very informative and would make an interesting book on it’s own merit. I found it fascinating, in particular the gangster element and the films from the 30’s.
It’s not the first book to explore the film and it’s difficult to imagine anything could compare with Taschen’s deluxe edition boxed book from 2001 but I’d say this book is easier to read and the style makes it more accessible and the price more affordable.
By Fraser Penney
