Some Like it Hot

There are few comedies that have stood the test of time as well as Some Like it Hot.  With Billy Wilder’s writing and direction, the pacing is as snappy as the gags. With Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis as a pair on the run resorting to disguising themselves as women, the laughs come frequently and easily.  And with the unforgettable Marilyn Monroe steaming up the screen and complicating the duo’s plan, we are in for a wild and delightfully screwy ride.

Joe and Jerry (Curtis and Lemmon) are two musicians who had just found work in Chicago, but when the police bust a speakeasy run by the notorious mobster Spats Colombo (George Raft), they are out looking for work again.  They hear of a band heading to warm sunny Florida looking for a bass and a saxophone, perfect!  Only problem is they are looking for women.  Then Joe and Jerry witness Spats and his boys whack a few guys off.  Desperate to get far from Chicago, they disguise themselves as a couple of chicks and take jobs in the all girl band, where Sugar Kane Kowalczyk (Marilyn Monroe) is the lead singer/ukulele player.

Watching Curtis and Lemmon try to be girls is a hoot.  Just the image of their man-shaped calves trying to stay afloat in heels puts me in stitches.  When Lemmon realizes he is a disguised rooster in the hen house, the temptation is almost too much.  The slumber party side of these girls suddenly coms out, and suddenly he is not too happy about having a dozen pretty ladies in his bunk.  Down in Florida, the shoe goes on the other foot and the boys have to deal with men pursuing them.  Lemmon on his tango date with the short millionaire Osgood (Joe E. Brown) are some of the funniest moments in the film.  And the bellboy who hits on Curtis is wonderfully outrageous, “That’s the way I like ‘em, big and sassy!”

But the greatest treat in Some Like it Hot is Marilyn Monroe.  She is the perfect woman, complete with a flask strapped to her thigh, a weakness for saxophone players and can lob back one liners with natural ease.  Her presence on the train makes our boy’s disguises much more difficult and inspires further identity deception when Curtis disguises as a young millionaire to lure her in.  Isn’t it funny how a girl can seem so innocent to sex, yet the very icon of it.  That is the hook of Monroe’s charm, especially in the scene where she sings, “I want to be loved by you.”  Her dress is practically see through, just barely covers and the spotlight hovers just above her neckline, tantalizing those trying to get a better look.  She is what boys dream of and acts like she doesn’t even know it.

Really, the film is all about sex, but Wilder could not just come out and say in in 1959, so it is disguised with this tale of men in hiding.  Whatever, Spats and his gang are only really interesting if they kill our heroes or bring in new girls.  Joe lusts for Sugar.  Jerry is being lusted over by Osgood.  And sweet Sugar seems to think she only wants money, oh silly girl.

When it came down to the Academy Awards, Some Like it Hot came up with six nominations (Best Writing, Cinematography, Director, Art Direction and Lemmon for Best Actor), winning one award (Costume Design).  But for the Best Picture category, things were kept to a more serious crowd.  That has not effected this film’s fame or love, however.  AFI ranks Some Like it Hot at the top of their 100 Laughs list.  Today, all generations are still busting their guts over this glorious gem of classic comedy.

“Story of my life.  I always get the fuzzy end of the lollipop.”

Bonnie and Clyde

Sometimes I look at the tale of Bonnie andClydein an odd way.  It was the depression and they were in the middle of the boring, flat mid-west.  They were young, crazy and faced with the choices of sit around and rot in the dust or run off, have fun and raise a little hell.  Their main problem was, they raised loads of hell.

When we first see Bonnie Parker (Faye Dunaway), she’s alone in her room, bored, naked and all she has to look forward to is her next waitress shift.  But outside her window, she sees a young man hanging around her mother’s car.  This is Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty).  They hang out around town for a while, just talking.  He says he’s done time for armed robbery.  That fascinates a bored girl.  Everything happens so casually, just as in conversation.  Before we realize what is happening,Clydehas robbed a store and the two are exchanging names as they steal a car.

You could say these two move pretty fast, but that only applies to their life of crime.  Though it’s easy for Bonnie to get stirred up and attempt a ravenous make-out session while Clyde is driving the getaway car,Clydemakes it clear that he “ain’t much of a loverboy”.  To Bonnie’s disappointment, she’s just run off and become an outlaw with someone who won’t have sex, which seems to be Bonnie’s main asset and outlet.

Soon the Barrow gang is expanding.  While Bonnie andClydeare driving through, they recruit a young man tending a gas station, C.W. Moss (Michael J. Pollard).  He seems like just another bored kid who decides on a whim that running from the law is more exciting than sitting around in the dust.  Later,Clydemeets up with his brother and sister-in-law, Buck (Gene Hackman) and Blanche (Estelle Parsons).  Buck knows all about his little brother’s growing list of run-ins with the law and tries to keep all that from his wife.  The whole gang decides they should just lay low for a while, but when they’re found out, Buck and Estelle shoot and run with the rest, permanently attaching themselves to the Barrow gang.

The gang finds themselves in some of the most screwball situations.  When a lone Texas Ranger tries to sneak up on the gang, parked in the woods for a break, he ends up with his arms tied and in a photo shoot.  Buck brings out his camera and takes a few priceless shots of Bonnie andClydeposing with the bound lawman.  Later, there’s a hilarious scene where the gang steal the car of a young man, Eugene (Gene Wilder).  He and his girlfriend Velma (Evans Evans) start chasing the gang in another car, but decide to turn back fearing they’re armed.  Soon, they’re riding around, with the Barrow gang, stopping for hamburgers and having a grand time.  Hanging around with the Barrow gang sounds like a real fun time, unless you’re an undertaker.

Bonnie soon sees that this life on the run is harder and less romantic than she thought.  She misses her family and refuses to let go of her old life, saying she wants to live near her mother again.  As the law moves closer, it’s clearer that those things aren’t going to happen.  It’s kind of sad really, but eventually Bonnie makes her own mark on the world and tells the story of her andClydein a way that makes sure they’re remembered forever.

To this day, the term Bonnie andClydehas a hint of romanticism in it.  We know they robbed banks and killed people along the way and by definition they are considered bad people.  But there are still ideas of rebellion, adventure and charm associated with the unforgettable duo.  Somehow, I think Bonnie andClydeappreciate us remembering them as just a couple crazy kids raising some hell in a time that needed a little excitement.

“All I can say is, they did right by me – and I’m bringin’ me and a mess of flowers to their funeral.”

Talk of the Town

Under suspicion of arson and murder, Leopold (Cary Grant) has just broken out of jail and fled to the home of his childhood sweetheart, Nora (Jean Arthur).  Knowing that he’s innocent and struck with a injured ankle, she decides to hide him in the attic, but that same night Professor Lightcap (Ronald Colman) arrives a day early.  He’s rented the home so he can write a book on law.  After a while of jumping through hoops to keep Leopold hidden, he’s introduced to Lightcap as the gardener.  They get along swell and share some very philosophical ideas about laws and justice.  Once Lightcap discovers Leopald’s true identity, he’s faced with the decision of upholding the law or helping a friend.

Professor Lightcap is the most interesting of the three main characters because he’s strung into the middle of the action and has the most inner conflict with so much to lose and gain at once.  During Lightcaps first day at the house, there’s a slew of visitors, everyone from the press, police and one man who informs Lightcap of some very good news.  He’s currently being considered for the Supreme Court, he just needs to lay low out of the papers for a while.  With an escaped man in the house and Nora’s ideas of hoping that Lightcap can help him, we know laying low won’t happen.  And that’s where things get predictable.

Another side of Lightcap comes out later in the film, where he starts to question his beard he’s so proud of.  You see, I guess his beard is a symbol to the world that he’s an old stick-in-the-mud intellectual now and has no time for trivial things like romance or dancing.  He realizes a way to help Leopold with his case, but must sacrifice his beard.  It’s one of those moments where the physical change helps us identify his change of heart.

Let’s start with some positives.  There’s a good mix of drama and comedy, one doesn’t overbear the other.  I had a few goodhearted laughs in that first act.  There are even elements that make this film a thriller, romance and political drama all at once.  Really, nearly everyone can enjoy this film.  And with the characters varying from escapee, intellectual and the chick ideas are not narrowed or one sided.

This film sports an all star cast with Cary Grant, Jean Arthur and Ronald Colman but is barren of acting nominations.  I was kinda disappointed.  That’s basically the feel of the whole film, it’s good at face value, the plot catches your attention but in the end it isn’t much more than a slew of pretty faces in a story that goes on too long.  There were a few good bumps in the road I didn’t anticipate, but all in all, I saw it coming.