SOME LIKE IT HOT

(March 1959, U.S.)

Just what is it about straight men dressing up as women that makes us laugh so much? Those of my generation will recall laughing with hysterical joy at watching the wild antics of Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari on ABC-TV's BOSOM BUDDIES. On screen, we were in stitches watching Dustin Hoffman get in and out of one ridiculous situation after another in TOOTSIE (1982). And yet, while we probably didn't know it, what we were seeing in the 1980s was merely the brainchild of an older and equally (if not greater) outstanding source of material of the trouble that can occur when two men are unwittingly forced into the world of the opposite sex, complete with those painfully high heels and upper chest padding.

Billy Wilder, one of the most versatile directors of Hollywood's Golden Age, knew perfect comedy as well as drama (SUNSET BOULEVARD) and noir thrills (DOUBLE INDEMNITY). Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon are priceless together as two Prohibition era speakeasy jazz musicians who are forced to dress in drag in order to escape being killed by Chicago mafia gangsters whom they witnessed commit a garage mass shooting inspired by the real-life Saint Valentine's Day Massacre of 1929. Disguised now as Josephine and Daphne, they manage to join a female band on board a train headed for Florida for a three week gig. They meet Sugar Kane (played by Marilyn Monroe), the bands's singer, ukulele player and occasional drinker. The two men, naturally, become infatuated with her sexuality and manage to compete for her affection, despite being dressed as women and constantly reminding themselves that they're forbidden to make any sort of pass at her. Josephine (Curtis) manages to learn that Sugar's big ambition is to land herself a Florida millionaire.

Arriving in Florida, Daphne (Lemmon) is immediately hit on by a rich, obnoxious, aging mama's boy, Osgood Fielding III (played by Joe E. Brown), whose also been married too many times. Despite his less-than-charming pushiness, Daphne agrees to go dancing with him in order to keep him occupied while Josephine (Curtis) disguises himself as a young heir to the Shell Oil millions in order to get Sugar aboard Osgood's yacht (passing it off as his own) and seduce her by inadvertently getting her to seduce him.

(you getting all of this, so far?)

Marilyn, regardless of what you might have though of her as actress, singer and dancer, was still a smokin' symbol of sexuality for her time. Even a man of my age and generation can get turned on when watching her sensually suck the lips off of Curtis' face while running her fingers through his hair...

Of course, like any classic episode of I LOVE LUCY (before this film) and THREE'S COMPANY (after this film), the deception behind our heroes is bound to come apart sooner or later under mounting dire circumstances. The Chicago gangsters inevitably catch up with their victims, whom them conveniently manage to identify as the men they're looking for by a series of bullet holes in a fiddle base, and it's up to the two men/women to escape with their lives. Our characters come full circle as they join together aboard Osgood's boat to make their escape, though the film would have us believe that that's the end of it all and everyone is safe...I mean, as if the gangsters wouldn't continue the chase simply because it's now turned to the water. I suppose as Osgood puts it when discovering that his love interest Daphne is really a man, "Well, nobody's perfect."

Comedy of this sort is almost never meant to be taken seriously, even when it becomes tender at moments. SOME LIKE IT HOT is a carefree and spirited romp which was accused of being "morally objectionable" by those of decency during a time that was seeing the end of the filmmaking restrictions of the Hayes Code. Curtis and Lemmon are not perfect human beings. They're often morally flawed when it comes to getting what they want from the women in their lives. To watch Curtis perform as an almost perfect imitation of Cary Grant is pure joy, despite his less-than-gentlemanly intentions toward Sugar. But really, can we blame him? Just how honest and upfront would you be if you had a shot of getting Marilyn Monroe into bed aboard a luxurious yacht filled with champagne?? You wouldn't...neither would I!

Favorite line or dialogue:

Jerry: "But you don't understand, Osgood! Ohh...
(pulls off his wig) "I'm a man!"
Osgood Fielding III (shrugs): "Well, nobody's perfect."