When broke Chicago musicians, Joe (sax player) and Jerry (on bass), witness the St. Valentine’s Day massacre, they need to get away from the gangster responsible (Spats Colombo). They’re desperate to get a gig out of town, but the only job available is with an all-girl band heading to Florida. They show up at the train station as “brand new” girls-Josephine and Daphne. They really enjoy being around the troupe of young, pretty women (esp. Sugar Kane Kowalczyk, who sings/plays ukulele). Joe (a ladies man) sets out to woo Sugar. Jerry/Daphne is wooed by an eccentric/sweet millionaire, Osgood Fielding III. Mayhem ensues as the two pals try to keep their true identities hidden. Then Spats and his mafia men show up for a gathering with other crime bosses.
This is one of my faves; if you need a laugh (or a dozen), definitely have a watch! I’ve seen the film several times on TCM; I also have it on DVD. Some Like It Hot was voted the 9th greatest film of all time by Entertainment Weekly magazine, and, is ranked on this list high enough to be the greatest comedy of all time.
The costumes Monroe wears are simply stunning! One of the evening gowns is SO revealing that even modern viewers wondered (on Twitter) HOW it got past censors. When Curtis and Lemmon saw the costumes that would be created for Monroe, they wanted to have beautiful dresses, too. Monroe wanted the movie to be shot in color (her contract stipulated that all her films were to be in color), but Billy Wilder (the director/co-writer) convinced her to let it be shot in black and white after costume tests revealed that the makeup that Curtis and Lemmon wore gave their faces a green tinge.
The co-leads, though opposites w/ regards to acting education and personal backgrounds, make a GREAT comedy team! Lemmon’s Jerry has nervous energy and is a fast-talker, while Curtis’ Joe is self-assured and able to charm others easily. However, its actually Jerry’s idea for them to disguise themselves as women! When the actors first put on the female make-up and costumes, they walked around the Goldwyn Studios lot to see if they could “pass” as women. Then they tried using mirrors in public ladies rooms to fix their makeup, and when none of the women using it complained, they knew they could be convincing as women. There is a scene on the train recreating this moment.
I recently learned that Wilder, the actors, and crew had a VERY tough time on this movie b/c of Monroe’s behavior. She was heavily into drugs during this time, so kept forgetting her lines, and MANY takes had to be shot before she got even the simplest lines correct. There is something meta about Monroe’s performance as Sugar, who smuggles in alcohol (though she claims she can stop drinking anytime) and laments her pattern of falling for the wrong kind of men (particularly sax players).
Lemmon got along with Monroe and forgave her eccentricities. He believed she simply couldn’t go in front of the camera until she was absolutely ready. “She knew she was limited and goddamned well knew what was right for Marilyn,” he said. “She wasn’t about to do anything else.” He also said that although Monroe may not have been the greatest actor or singer or comedienne, she used more of her talent, brought more of her gifts to the screen than anyone he ever knew.
One of the MOST hilarious scenes in the film involves Jerry/Daphne and Sugar in Daphne’s bunk. Jerry is SO excited about Sugar sidling up to him, but she sees him as Daphne. The expressions on Lemmon’s face are just priceless! They are soon interrupted by almost all of the other girls, who want to join in the fun. Jerry Lewis was offered the role of Jerry/Daphne but declined because he didn’t want to dress in drag. Lemmon received an Oscar nomination for the role (well-deserved).
Another great thing about this film is the goofy accent that Joe (as Shell Oil Jr.) adopts to impress Sugar. Jerry exclaims:”Nobody talks like that!” Curtis said he asked the director if he could imitate Cary Grant; Wilder liked it and shot it that way. When Grant saw the parody of himself, he jokingly said: “I don’t talk like that.”
While Shell Oil Jr. and Sugar were making out on the yacht, Daphne and Osgood were dancing tango at a Cuban nightclub. They danced VERY well, too! The music used in the film contributes to its atmosphere; portions of the following tunes were used: Sweet Georgia Brown, By the Beautiful Sea, Randolph Street Rag, La Cumparsita and Park Avenue Fantasy (AKA Stairway to the Sky).
Despite her gold-digging instincts, Monroe’s Sugar is cozy, vulnerable and altogether loveable, getting a lot of mileage too out of her solo singing spots, which include the kinetic “Running Wild,” the torchy “I’m Through With Love,” and her classic “boop-boop-a-doop” signature song, “I Wanna Be Loved by You.”
Lemmon really steals the movie here. He invests Daphne with such enthusiasm that we can understand why he’s falling for Osgood. He’s having way too much fun and it’s great to watch him.
Why a would man would want to marry another man? asks Tony Curtis. Security! Jack Lemmon replies without missing a beat. Clearly, he had put the question to himself before and had arrived to a perfectly sensible conclusion.
The movie’s surprisingly suggestive and risque content is at odds with the time frame of the movie, and even with the period of the movie’s creation. The many smart double-entendres and plays on words are very well-written, and alternate between low-brow and high-brow comedy,
-Excerpts from IMDB reviews
Knightleyemma 