Some Like It Hot

     Movies, much like music at the time, was in a strange place in the 1950s.  Lucy was pregnant on tv, but couldn't say the word or how she got that way.  The Hollywood studio system had changed- most of the great stars of the 30s and 40s had been let go, and a barrage of cream cheese stars had replaced the legends.  Sex became very much repressed in this decade, and Debbie Reynolds, Sandra Dee, Troy Donahue, and many other innocent and wholesome faces saturated theaters.  Even the divine Doris Day was virginal and honorable.  Now sex was certainly very much alive in the 50s, and was most definitely expressed during this strange but fascinating decade.  You cannot listen to "Harlem Nocturne" and not think of sex.  And thank God for directors such as Alfred Hitchcock and Billy Wilder- directors who weren't afraid to push boundaries and test the strict moral code of the time.  It's no wonder Marilyn Monroe exploded in the mid 50s.  Which brings us to the movie.

     Here's the plot.  Two Chicago musicians, Joe and Jerry (Curtis and Lemmon), accidently witness the St. Valentine's Day Massacre.  They flee for their lives, in hot pursuit by the mob.  Desperate, the two men disguise themselves in female drag, rename themselves Josephine and Daphne, and join an all-girl traveling band on a train to sunny Florida. Which in turns only starts more complications as the two men, who are heterosexual, find themselves surrounded by beautiful women.  One of whom is sensuous Sugar Kane, played to delicious and luminous perfection by the incomparable Marilyn Monroe.  The men enjoy being around the girls, but get frustrated quickly.  Joe ends up falling for Sugar, and goes out of drag to pretend he's a mysterious millionaire in order to woo her.  Meanwhile, Daphne finds herself seduced by aging millionaire Osgood Fielding III, played by the amazing Joe E. Brown.

     The acting is truly superb.  Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, and Marilyn Monroe and top notch here, and lead a smashing cast.  Brilliantly directed by Billy Wilder, "Some Like It Hot" is exactly how a comedy should be done.  This is possibly Jack Lemmon's most hilarious performance- he is truly spectacular here.  He's responsible for some of the films funniest moments. Tony Curtis almost outdoes Lemmon here with his infamous Cary Grant impersonation, it's just that fantastic.  And of course Joe E. Brown manages to not only give a wonderfully funny performance, but manages to steal the show in the process.  His immortal closing line of the film is the stuff of legend- this is exactly why I love the movies.

        "Some Like It Hot" is the best comedy of all time.  No doubt about it.  And The American Film Institute agrees as they named "Some Like It Hot" the #1 comedy of all time.  It's staggering to think how this movie got past the censors.  Mind-blowing, actually.  Quite risque for its time, it's chock full of surprisingly suggestive content and smart double-entrendres.  It simply needs to be seen.  No synopsis of this classic comedy would do it any justice whatsoever.  This is a timeless comedy.  It's not dated one bit, really.  I honestly believe anybody today could see the hilarity of "Some Like It Hot" and respond to it.  It's a madcap and uproarious farce that never fails to amaze.  Everything was just done so right here.

     This is one of the greatest achievements ever put on film- I have yet to see one smart comedy anywhere near the level of intelligence and wit that "Some Like It Hot" has in spades.  It's absolutely true- they don't make movies like this anymore.  Anybody could have done the hair gel scene with Cameron Diaz.  Yet I can't imagine anybody else bringing these wonderful characters to life.  You have the one and only Marilyn, singing "I Wanna Be Loved By You" and the mind-bending, gender-busting performances of Curtis and Lemmon- what more could you ask for in a movie?  It's legendary in every aspect, and worthy of so much more admiration and respect.  If you haven't seen this movie, rush out now and rent it, buy it, whatever.  This is the funniest movie of all time.  It doesn't get any better than this.  Yes.

Double Indemnity

     "Double Indemnity" is hand down one of the greatest mysteries ever filmed, and a shining example of film noir.   Billy Wilder is simply one of the best directors to ever come out of Hollywood, and definitely proves it with this immortal classic.  The man could film anything and make it entertaining, and "Double Indemnity" is pure movie magic.

     Fred MacMurray plays Walter Neff, an insurance agent.  He meets Phyllis Dietrichson, the murderous femme fatale, deliciously and diabolically played with icy perfection by Barbara Stanwyck.  Seems she's a gal who wants to off her husband and seductively pulls Walter into a dangerous web of murder and greed.  Rounding out the cast is the always welcome Edward G. Robinson, who plays Neff's friend and co-worker, Keys.  Keys investigates insurance claims, and the that's where the brilliance of "Double Indemnity" lies.  Keys is an excellent claim investigator, but is Walter smart enough to outwit him?  The plot thickens magnificently until the final, mesmerizing climax.

     "Double Indemnity" is another perfect, rainy-day kind of movie.  It never fails to entertain, no matter how many times you've seen it.  This, along with "Mildred Pierce" or "Sunset Boulevard" (another Wilder classic, by the way...)  are three of my all-time favorites.  It's earned every bit of its reputation as a Hollywood classic, and looks even better than ever today.  It's sly, it's cynical, and it's dark.  It's everything film noir is supposed to be, and regarded by many as the ultimate of its genre.

Sunset Boulevard

A dead Hollywood writer is found floating in the pool of an aging Hollywood mansion.  Thus begins the great noir classic "Sunset Boulevard"...

     One of the greatest film-noir movies of all time, Billy Wilder's dark and moldy "Sunset Boulevard" is Hollywood at its most daring. Wilder was one of the greatest directors of the period, and it's easy to see why. Gloria Swanson gives one of the most unforgettable performances ever in the fabulously morbid film, which is a snide and scathing look at old Hollywood.  Her Norma Desmond is larger than life, over the top, and completely sensational.  Hunky William Holden holds his own against the lioness that is Swanson.

     Crisp, iconic dialogue and direction, plus fantastic black and white photography help solidify its classic status.  It's gloriously over the top and lurid.  Full of memorably strange scenes, with some almost chilling at times, "Sunset Boulevard" is fascinating considering the light, fluffy films coming out of Hollywood at the time.  This move has balls, and big ones.  It's a dark and cynical look at how Hollywood treats its royalty once they reach a certain age- and what people will desperately do to remain in the spotlight.

     How they even released this movie in the first place is mind-boggling- it's so ahead of it's time.  Swanson's portrayal of Norma Desmond is the stuff of legend, and surely one of the greatest female acting feats on film.  You cannot take your eyes off of her when she's on the screen. She is smashing in the role and her performance is not only brilliant, but high camp as well.

     The film went on  to accumulate 11 Academy Award nominations, winning 3.  "Sunset Boulevard" also introduced the iconic line "I'm ready for my closeup , Mr. DeMille" to pop culture.  It was one of the first films to be selected for preservation in the National Film Registry and ranked #12 on the American Film Institute's 100 Best American Films of the 20th century.  A wonderfully weird film-noir classic!

The Seven Year Itch

     During a summer heat wave in New York City, a man sends his wife and child up to Maine to escape the sweltering heat.  Enjoying his carefree bachelor freedom, he's still trying to be good- no drinking, no smoking, no women.  But he soon finds himself in over his head as a certain blonde moves in upstairs...

     Universally known for the forever iconic image of Marilyn Monroe standing above a subway grating with her skirt billowing up- but "The Seven Year Itch" offers much more than that.  It's actually a bubbling sex comedy chock full of hidden innuendos and clever jokes.  Quite daring for its time (it's amusing to pick out the lines that you just know flew right past the censors...), Billy Wilder's "The Seven Year Itch" is pure comedic gold.

      This is one of Marilyn's greatest performances, I think.  It's classic Marilyn-she's breathlessly enthralling, and her work in this movie is proof that she could act.  Her comedic timing is impeccable and she manages to be sexy and  hilarious at the same time.  And Tom Ewell is pitch perfect as Richard Sherman- your typical businessman of the 50's.  The chemistry between Monroe and Ewell is irresistible and they play off each other well.  Another great time capsule of the fab 50's, and not only one of the greatest comedies to come out of the 50's, but of all time. Most comedies today pale in comparison to something of this caliber.  Essential viewing of any classic film fan.