‘Some Like It Hot’ is a celebrated American comedy film released in 1959. Directed and produced by the renowned Billy Wilder, who also co-wrote the screenplay with I. A. L. Diamond, the movie remains popular for its witty dialogue, hilarious situations, and memorable performances from its lead actors: Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemmon.
The Story: Fleeing the Mob
The film’s plot kicks off in Chicago during the Prohibition era of 1929. Joe (played by Tony Curtis) is a saxophone player, and his friend Jerry (played by Jack Lemmon) is a double bass player. They are struggling musicians trying to make a living. Their lives take a dangerous turn when they accidentally witness the infamous Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre, carried out by gangster Spats Colombo and his henchmen. Needing to get out of Chicago fast before the mobsters find them, they desperately look for work. They learn that an all-female traveling band, Sweet Sue and her Society Syncopators, is looking for a saxophone and bass player for an extended engagement in sunny Florida. Seeing this as their only escape route, Joe and Jerry decide to disguise themselves as women. Joe becomes “Josephine,” and Jerry becomes “Daphne.” They successfully audition and board a train south with the band. On the train, they meet Sugar “Kane” Kowalczyk (played by Marilyn Monroe), the band’s vocalist and ukulele player. Joe, as Josephine, quickly befriends Sugar, while also developing romantic feelings for her. Jerry, as Daphne, finds himself receiving unwanted romantic advances from a persistent elderly millionaire named Osgood Fielding III.
Read more
Florida Fun and Trouble
Upon arriving at a luxurious Seminole Ritz hotel in Florida, the complications multiply. Joe devises another disguise to woo Sugar. He pretends to be “Junior,” the shy and supposedly impotent heir to the Shell Oil fortune, complete with a fake accent mimicking Cary Grant. He uses Osgood’s yacht (while Osgood is ashore) to impress Sugar, who dreams of marrying a millionaire. Meanwhile, Jerry, as Daphne, gets swept up in a whirlwind courtship with Osgood, who showers “her” with expensive gifts and eventually proposes marriage. Jerry/Daphne accepts, initially planning to get money out of Osgood later. The situation becomes perilous when Spats Colombo and his gang arrive at the same hotel for a national crime syndicate meeting, disguised as the “Friends of Italian Opera.” Joe and Jerry are eventually recognized by Spats. This leads to frantic chase scenes and narrow escapes, including hiding under beds during tense moments. Ultimately, Spats and his gang are eliminated by rival gangster “Little Bonaparte.” With the immediate danger gone, Joe reveals his true identity (and his “Junior” persona) to Sugar, who accepts him anyway. Jerry tries to break off the engagement with Osgood by listing reasons why they can’t marry, culminating in the desperate confession, “I’m a man!” Osgood, unfazed, delivers the film’s iconic final line: “Well, nobody’s perfect.” The final scene shows Joe, Sugar, Jerry, and Osgood escaping together on Osgood’s motor yacht.
The Stars of the Show (Cast)
The success of Some Like It Hot relies heavily on its perfectly chosen cast:
Marilyn Monroe as Sugar “Kane” Kowalczyk: Monroe plays the band’s charming but somewhat naive singer. Sugar dreams of escaping the band life by marrying a rich man but possesses a genuine sweetness and vulnerability. Monroe performs several songs in the film, including “I Wanna Be Loved by You.”
Tony Curtis as Joe / “Josephine” / “Junior”: Curtis handles the demanding task of playing three distinct characters: the street-smart musician Joe, the sensible (compared to Daphne) female persona Josephine, and the hilariously awkward millionaire “Junior.”
Jack Lemmon as Jerry / “Daphne”: Lemmon earned widespread praise and an Academy Award nomination for his comedic performance. He portrays Jerry’s initial panic and eventual gleeful abandon in the role of Daphne, especially in his interactions with Osgood.
Joe E. Brown as Osgood Fielding III: The veteran comedian plays the perpetually cheerful and love-struck millionaire who relentlessly pursues Daphne, remaining charmingly oblivious to the truth until the very end.
George Raft as Spats Colombo: Known for earlier gangster roles, Raft plays the ruthless mob boss whose presence provides the main threat driving the plot.
Pat O’Brien as Detective Mulligan: He plays the determined lawman trying to track down Spats Colombo.
Joan Shawlee as Sweet Sue: The practical leader of the all-female band.
Behind the Camera: Making the Movie (Production)
‘Some Like It Hot’ was a product of the successful partnership between director Billy Wilder and writer I. A. L. Diamond. The story was loosely inspired by an earlier French film. A key creative decision made by Wilder was to shoot the film in ‘black and white’. Although color filmmaking was common by 1959, Wilder felt that the male leads’ appearances in drag, particularly their heavy makeup, looked unconvincing and garish in color tests. Black and white also helped evoke the 1929 period setting.
While set in Chicago and Florida, much of the film was shot at the Samuel Goldwyn Studios in Hollywood. The famous exterior shots of the Florida hotel were filmed on location at the historic ‘Hotel del Coronado’ in San Diego, California.
The costumes, designed by ‘Orry-Kelly’, were crucial. Marilyn Monroe’s outfits were famously glamorous and daring for the era, requiring clever design work to pass the industry’s Production Code standards while highlighting her figure. Equally important were the dresses and wigs designed to transform Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon into believable members of an all-girl band.
