Some Like It Hot (1959)

When two musicians witness a mob hit, they flee the state in an all female band disguised as women, but further complications set in.

Director:

Billy Wilder

Writers:

Billy Wilder (screenplay), I.A.L. Diamond (screenplay),

Stars:

Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon

Top Rated Movies #110 | Won 1 Oscar. Another 9 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Marilyn Monroe	...	Sugar Kane Kowalczyk
Tony Curtis	...	Joe
Jack Lemmon	...	Jerry
George Raft	...	Spats Colombo
Pat O'Brien	...	Det. Mulligan
Joe E. Brown	...	Osgood Fielding III
Nehemiah Persoff	...	Little Bonaparte
Joan Shawlee	...	Sweet Sue
Billy Gray	...	Sig Poliakoff
George E. Stone	...	Toothpick Charlie
Dave Barry	...	Beinstock
Mike Mazurki	...	Spats' Henchman
Harry Wilson	...	Spats' Henchman
Beverly Wills	...	Dolores
Barbara Drew	...	Nellie

Storyline

When two Chicago musicians, Joe and Jerry, witness the the St. Valentine's Day massacre, they want to get out of town and get away from the gangster responsible, Spats Colombo. They're desperate to get a gig out of town but the only job they know of is in an all-girl band heading to Florida. They show up at the train station as Josephine and Daphne, the replacement saxophone and bass players. They certainly enjoy being around the girls, especially Sugar Kane Kowalczyk who sings and plays the ukulele. Joe in particular sets out to woo her while Jerry/Daphne is wooed by a millionaire, Osgood Fielding III. Mayhem ensues as the two men try to keep their true identities hidden and Spats Colombo and his crew show up for a meeting with several other crime lords.

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Plot Keywords:

cross dressing | band | musician | spats | all girl band | 

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Taglines:

Marilyn Monroe and her bosom companions

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 March 1959 (USA)

Also Known As:

Not Tonight, Josephine!

Filming Locations:

Coronado Beach, Coronado, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,883,848 (estimated)

Gross:

$25,000,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ashton Productions, Mirisch Corporation, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The character of Spats Colombo is in several ways reminiscent to the notorious Chicago gangster Al Capone. Capone was responsible for the Saint Valentine's Day massacre in 1929, in which his rival gang members were gunned down in a nearly identical fashion as shown in the film. The massacre occurred in a Chicago warehouse on Clark Street, which is also mentioned in the film.

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Goofs

When Spats and his crew go to their table at the speakeasy, the henchman played by Harry Wilson sits at the table directly across from Spats. When Det. Mulligan goes to the table to confront Spats minutes later, Wilson is sitting to the right of Spats.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Mulligan: All right, Charlie; that the joint?
Toothpick Charlie: Yes, sir.
Mulligan: Who runs it?
Toothpick Charlie: I already told you.
Mulligan: Refresh my memory.
Toothpick Charlie: Spats Columbo.
Mulligan: That's very refreshing; what's the password?
Toothpick Charlie: "I've come to Grandma's funeral." Here's your admission card.
[he gives Mulligan a mourning armband]
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in M*A*S*H: None Like It Hot (1978)

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Soundtracks

Sweet Sue, Just You
(1928) (uncredited)
Music by Victor Young
In the score after "I Wanna Be Loved By You"

User Reviews

In this brilliant comedy, Marilyn was breathtakingly beautiful...

Any camera loved Marilyn the best… In all her films, Marilyn dominated any photographer not just because of her ability with a script but ceaseless attention to the camera... More than anyone else on the set, she knew the importance of her sex appeal…The 'fifties belonged to Marilyn, and in that decade it almost seemed as if the world belonged to her also…

Sugar is one of Monroe's most loved and memorable character... She presents herself as a sensitive woman quick to feel compassion or affection, sensual and readily impressionable which is Sugar Kane... It was her greatest role and certainly her greatest film...

The film opens in 1929 Chicago during Prohibition, where Spats Colombo (George Raft) and his gang gun down seven men in a car garage… A couple of small-time Jazz musicians witness it and flee…

To avoid the mob, Joe (Tony Curtis) and Jerry (Jack Lemmon) disguise themselves as women and attach themselves to an all-girl band… Joe calls himself Josephine and Jerry calls himself Daphne…

The orchestra takes a train to play an engagement in Florida... On board, the two men have a hard time keeping cool with all the beautiful girls around, especially during a late-night pajama party in a Pullman sleeper… Needless to say, Joe falls in love with the sensual Sugar (Marilyn Monroe), a luscious ukulele player and singer with the troupe…

Once in Florida, Jerry meets a really wealthy bachelor Osgood Fielding (Joe E. Brown).

Of course, Jerry is still dressed as Daphne, and the seven time divorcée proceeds to pursue Daphne… Joe wants to romance Sugar but knows that he needs a wealthy front…

The boys think they are safe until the gangsters arrive at the same Miami hotel to attend a gangsters' convention…

Marilyn sang three songs in the film: "I'm Through with Love," "I Wanna Be Loved By You," and "Running Wild."

The movie's closing line is one of the most celebrated in movie history…The film won an Oscar for Best Costume Design and was nominated for six Academy Awards…

Irresistibly funny this black-and-white shot comedy is a definite must-see!