Some Like it Hot
Somehow we've managed to maintain a blog about gender all this time and completely avoid the topic of sex. Well it's time we change that! In an effort to formally introduce the subject to Reformed SHEology, our film for the month of August 2009 is Some Like it Hot.
Joe (Tony Curtis) and Jerry (Jack Lemmon) are two out-of-work musicians from Chicago. After they witness a mob hit, their only means of escape is to join an all-female band in Florida. Now posing as Josephine and Geraldine (until Jerry decides he wants to be called Daphne), both men must conceal their true identities from their manager while simultaneously trying to win the affections of the same girl (Marilyn Monroe).
STATS
Year: 1959 (Not Rated)
Directed by Billy Wilder. Adapted by Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond from the story by Robert Thoeren and Michael Logan.
Starring Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, and Marilyn Monroe.
Setting: Chicago, IL and Miami, FL. 1929.
Content warning: It was very, very difficult to find a sex comedy that didn't violate our personal standards for decency. Some Like it Hot was made before the current ratings system was created, and so it has traditionally held no rating. However, it did receive a rating of "C" for "Condemned" by the Catholic Legion of Decency. This film was made in 1959 and is considered tame by today's standards. Nevertheless, viewers should expect to see certain references to sin in a film set during the Prohibition Era and the film is still a wee bit risque for this blog.
References to gun violence, mafia activity, and alcohol use. Some sensuality. One scene of passionate kissing between Marilyn Monroe and Tony Curtis. Women in nightclothes/underwear during the sleeper car train scene, some immodest dress scenes for Marilyn Monroe. Men dressed as women for a majority of the film. Subtle references to homosexuality. No profanity; no instances of the Lord's name being taken in vain.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
1. Stereotypes of men and women. Stereotypes can be offensive, but they are often based on truth. In this movie, the stereotypes are part of the comedy. The men can barely think straight when a pretty woman is nearby, and the pretty woman decides she's mostly interested in a man who has money.
2. Motives. Perhaps the funniest thing about this movie for me is the subtext. The acting in this movie is done in an attempt to convey a lie while concealing the truth. Throughout the movie we know what Joe and Jerry are thinking. Watching them try to cover up what's in their hearts is funny because we've all tried to conceal our true motives at one time or another.
3. A glimpse at how the other half lives. Poor Joe and Jerry get first hand experience walking in heels, wearing "drafty" dresses, and fighting off unwanted attention from men. While this is certainly one way for men to appreciate what it's like to be a woman, I recommend our male readers simply ask us instead!
4. The dialogue. The jokes in this movie are extremely clever. They just do not write comedy like this nowadays! Be sure to watch for the running joke about "Type O" blood. The way the jokes are weaved throughout the script and delivered by the actors is sheer genius!
TRIVIA
Some Like it Hot has been acclaimed worldwide as one of the greatest film comedies ever made, and is considered by The American Film Institute to be the greatest American comedy of all time. The film won a Golden Globe for best comedy. Marilyn won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in Musical or Comedy, and Jack Lemmon for Best Actor in Musical or Comedy.
Tony Curtis is rumored to have said that kissing Marilyn Monroe was like kissing Hitler. He later confirmed this rumor in a 2008 autobiography - but added that he was only joking.
The Miami scenes at the fictitious "Seminole Ritz" hotel were actually filmed at the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego, CA.
The entire movie is available for viewing on You Tube, but since tomorrow is the 47th anniversary of Marilyn Monroe's death, you might be able to catch it on TV this month. The official trailer is below:
Joe (Tony Curtis) and Jerry (Jack Lemmon) are two out-of-work musicians from Chicago. After they witness a mob hit, their only means of escape is to join an all-female band in Florida. Now posing as Josephine and Geraldine (until Jerry decides he wants to be called Daphne), both men must conceal their true identities from their manager while simultaneously trying to win the affections of the same girl (Marilyn Monroe).
STATS
Year: 1959 (Not Rated)
Directed by Billy Wilder. Adapted by Billy Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond from the story by Robert Thoeren and Michael Logan.
Starring Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, and Marilyn Monroe.
Setting: Chicago, IL and Miami, FL. 1929.
Content warning: It was very, very difficult to find a sex comedy that didn't violate our personal standards for decency. Some Like it Hot was made before the current ratings system was created, and so it has traditionally held no rating. However, it did receive a rating of "C" for "Condemned" by the Catholic Legion of Decency. This film was made in 1959 and is considered tame by today's standards. Nevertheless, viewers should expect to see certain references to sin in a film set during the Prohibition Era and the film is still a wee bit risque for this blog.
References to gun violence, mafia activity, and alcohol use. Some sensuality. One scene of passionate kissing between Marilyn Monroe and Tony Curtis. Women in nightclothes/underwear during the sleeper car train scene, some immodest dress scenes for Marilyn Monroe. Men dressed as women for a majority of the film. Subtle references to homosexuality. No profanity; no instances of the Lord's name being taken in vain.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
1. Stereotypes of men and women. Stereotypes can be offensive, but they are often based on truth. In this movie, the stereotypes are part of the comedy. The men can barely think straight when a pretty woman is nearby, and the pretty woman decides she's mostly interested in a man who has money.
2. Motives. Perhaps the funniest thing about this movie for me is the subtext. The acting in this movie is done in an attempt to convey a lie while concealing the truth. Throughout the movie we know what Joe and Jerry are thinking. Watching them try to cover up what's in their hearts is funny because we've all tried to conceal our true motives at one time or another.
3. A glimpse at how the other half lives. Poor Joe and Jerry get first hand experience walking in heels, wearing "drafty" dresses, and fighting off unwanted attention from men. While this is certainly one way for men to appreciate what it's like to be a woman, I recommend our male readers simply ask us instead!
4. The dialogue. The jokes in this movie are extremely clever. They just do not write comedy like this nowadays! Be sure to watch for the running joke about "Type O" blood. The way the jokes are weaved throughout the script and delivered by the actors is sheer genius!
TRIVIA
Some Like it Hot has been acclaimed worldwide as one of the greatest film comedies ever made, and is considered by The American Film Institute to be the greatest American comedy of all time. The film won a Golden Globe for best comedy. Marilyn won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in Musical or Comedy, and Jack Lemmon for Best Actor in Musical or Comedy.
Tony Curtis is rumored to have said that kissing Marilyn Monroe was like kissing Hitler. He later confirmed this rumor in a 2008 autobiography - but added that he was only joking.
The Miami scenes at the fictitious "Seminole Ritz" hotel were actually filmed at the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego, CA.
The entire movie is available for viewing on You Tube, but since tomorrow is the 47th anniversary of Marilyn Monroe's death, you might be able to catch it on TV this month. The official trailer is below:
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