Marilyn Monroe as Sugar; Tony Curtis as Joe/Josephine//Shell Junior; and Jack Lemmon as Jerry/Daphne
Some Like it Hot (1959)
Introduction
The film stars Jack Lemmon (Jerry) and Tony Curtis (Joe) who assume the female alter egos of Daphne and Josephine respectively so as to escape Chicago following their witnessing of the valentine’s day massacre orchestrated by the fictional gangster Spat Columbo (George raft) modeled on the role played by Al Capone in this particular incident although he hardly resembles Capone in his features. The massacre is used as a crucial plot device which determines the direction of the leads for Spats is aware that they are witnesses and there is nothing that gangsters detest more than informers. Jerry and Joe assume their alter egos because of the opportunity to play as bass musicians in an all girls jazz band which is scheduled to play in Florida for three weeks. During the journey Jerry and Joe as Daphne and Josephine encounter the other main character played by Marilyn Monroe, Sugar Kowalczyk or Sugar Kane, who is a drifter on the run from her conservative parents and is presented as a naïve young woman of 25 who appears to make the same mistake by consistently falling for saxophone players. She wants to go to Florida to find herself a rich man. This character is the most grounded or most consistent and Marilyn Monroe embodies it with so much sexual tension you can see it as the precursor to stars such as Madonna. Despite the apparent attention on her sexuality and the dresses that highlight her figure which Jerry describes as a whole ‘other sex’, there is a lot to admire in her character and I personally have seen many women like this in my time: rebelling against the conservative element. The two men are drawn to her physical beauty however Joe as Josephine eventually pursues her romantically even assuming another false identity, while in Florida, as Junior the owner of the Shell Oil Co. The comedy here is how he portrays the millionaire as impotent despite having all the riches in the world. Jerry/Daphne however is drawn into a quirky association with a millionaire named Osgood who is determined to claim his prize. Roger Ebert rightfully states that this is a farcical romance and that the romance between Joe/Josephine/Junior represents the traditional romance however the farcical association between Daphne/Jerry and Osgood represent the modern elements related to issues of identity. It is therefore important and it is understandable why Jack Lemmon was nominated by the academy for Best Actor for his character is caught in genuine turmoil as he discovers the joys of being a woman who attracts a multi millionaire. The party is eventually ruined when Spats and his crew arrive in Florida to attend a meeting general meeting with other mobsters and discover the ruse being played by Joe and Jerry who are again forced to flee.
The film was nominated for 7 academy awards: Best Actor, Best Director, Best adapted screenplay, Best costume design (black and white); Best art direction (black and white); Best black and white cinematography. It won for Best Costume Design (Black and white). It was also the highest box office earner by a comedy until 1959 and films such as Tootsie (1982) (another film about cross dressing), starring Dustin Hoffman, have not risen to the high standard set by this comedy. It is said that in this film Wilder challenged the loosening of the tight grip of censure boards however when assessing the roaring twenties which was similar to the roaring fifties Wilder was sending a warning.
In this review I will discuss why some like it hot, the historical context of the film and the statements with regard to identity which resonate modern day society.
‘Some Like it Hot’/The Roaring twenties and the Prohibition era
Here I will discuss the context of this film and how the comic elements are woven into the narrative. The concept of the roaring twenties and the prohibition era are woven in so meticulously by Wilder and his team of screen writers that it clearly eludes the audience. Periods in history can often be interpreted as tragic or comedic and Wilder obviously took the latter route because the roaring twenties preceded the Great Depression and was seen as a time of prosperity and a cultural renaissance that challenged the ideals of the conservatives with the so called modern approach of the time. Today the world economy has grown so large with the massive improvements in the technological apparatus of the capitalist sector that it is the same trend all over again. Similar to the roaring twenties the people want to party all the time; they challenge the conservative element; they see the 9-5 as a mere convenience or a break before the partying begins again. Money literally grows on trees if you know where to plant your seed. There are no negative impressions for the populace on a whole is enjoying the fruits of its own labour as everyone has job opportunities. People travel to other countries by plane as if it is a regular bus en route. There are no negative impressions and if you dare to be negative you are excluded by the majority of the populace. It is a golden age when profits and wages are high however this is a mere illusion before the inevitable crash. The crash occurs when the well dries i.e. the rate of profit becomes smaller because of the massive increase of the productive powers of labour, the increased division of labour and the great improvements in machinery or technology which coincide with scientific development that absorb members of the labour market and throw a large amount of people out of work as these progressive elements encourage overproduction. The overproduction which occurs when sale and purchase are forcibly separated for an extended period naturally tends to affect the investments of the banks and stock brokers in these particular companies. The debts of the companies get bad and the stock brokers and the banks are now unable to retrieve lost claims as bankruptcy claims are filed and workers are thrown out of work on a massive scale. The massive growth of constant capital only allows a privileged few to be employed until the crisis of over production ceases and then the process starts all over again. The period of the roaring twenties is significant because it was the first decade of the twentieth century where nations such as the U.S were rapidly developing following World War 1. Britain was on the decline and the U. S became a world power and this was the decade where it all happened for the U.S would eventually become the world’s largest creditor and even Britain had to acknowledge this. The literature of the period also reflected this trend with works by Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises, and F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby. The roaring twenties made millions for the bootleggers of alcohol (the most famous being Al Capone). The conservative element tried to prohibit the excessive use of alcohol by having it banned however this only increased the demand and speakeasies (party clubs) emerged throughout the 20’s where alcohol was largely available at a certain price. The law does not seem to understand that when you outlaw a product you allow the smugglers to generate excess profits and evade taxes since it is illegal. It was the twenties where bootlegging soared and it made gangsters seem respectable to the public. The speakeasies were always subject to police raids ( the corrupt ones would obviously get a taste) who sought to clamp down on the practice and if you suddenly got rich people would think you were dealing in alcohol similar to how people today will refer to you as a drug dealer when you strike it rich instantly. It was so secretive that you needed a password to get in and was representative of the underground which seems to be a primary element in the informal economy once you have the guts to be a smuggler. The authorities wised up and repealed the prohibition law in 1933. The Speakeasies/ entertainment hot spots of the twenties have now been altered in the modern day and have become entertainment hot spots for patrons where various themes are employed to give it a fresh look. It is nothing new and when you go there you are expected to..yes … drink a lot of alcohol and dance all night. In Europe there was no prohibition and so no speak easy, the patrons therefore partied and drank all the alcohol they wanted. Even today the conservative element frowns on these club establishments for it promotes human vice and folly due to the excessive consumption of alcohol and several parties still require permits from the law to proceed.
Well how does the comedic element of Some Like it Hot fit into this period? It fits in perfectly because all the characters reflect the mood of the time which was generally cheerful. If you lost one job that was no problem since your credit was always good. When the club Joe and Jerry are playing with is about to be raided by the police listen to the dialogue as they discuss the good credit they have. They might owe a lot of people but as soon as they got paid it will all be taken care of. Joe plans to gamble on dog racing and perhaps hit it big etc. After the raid they are thrown out of work however that is no problem since there are several job placement services with phones ringing off the hook. They hear of a job where two female saxophonists are needed; the idea is at once rejected by Joe but after the massacre it seems like the best option and there you go. Look at the bootlegging element in the film which is featured from the first scene as the smugglers are being chased by the police and a gunfight ensues. After the smugglers elude the police they open the bullet riddled casket and find that some bottles were broken however there is still enough to smuggle to the speak easy. They are ratted out by Charlie and later on him and his crew become victims of the massacre later on. I keep calling it the massacre for convenience. The speakeasy is quite detailed with the jazz band playing (jazz was also rebuked by the conservative element who have now embraced it wholeheartedly; it is also ironic that it was in the 20's that the first film to feature sound made its debut it was called... yes.. you guessed it... The Jazz Singer (1927)); the cover for the speakeasy is a funeral parlour and you always make sure to ask for coffee. The character of Sugar played by Marilyn also represents people of the roaring twenties because she is reacting against the conservative element in the form of her parents who seem extremely old fashioned. Instead of the opera she wants to join a jazz band. She no longer wants to adopt the conservative method that a woman should be groomed for her husband etc. She is on the run she says from her parents and she knows they will disapprove of her ambitions. She is also twenty five which at the time was the suitable age for a woman to get married. The risqué element in the form of sex was the main form of resistance to the conservatives especially as loose sex implies a new Sodom and Gomorrah for the ascetic Christians. This is encouraged by alcohol and late night partying; the life seemingly embraced by Sugar. This is why the sexual element in this film is so pronounced; the cross dressing element makes symbolic displays on screen. Watch how sugar handles the lollipop oral sex. When Sugar and Shell Junior/ Joe are on the yacht watch as his foot rises as he is kissed by sugar or when she says that she has never been alone with a man before however she has faith that he is a gentleman and won’t take advantage of the situation. This is one aspect of the conservative element and shows that it is still a part of her despite her rebellious nature. She wants to find a rich man in Florida and she just might for as the girls from the jazz band enter the hotel there are several stockbrokers perusing the wall street journal and watching the stock prices while simultaneously eyeing the ladies. The farcical romance between Jerry/Daphne and the millionaire Osgood who believes he has found true love is quite pronounced for its time as they push the limits of sexual innuendos. Jerry becomes consumed by his alter ego and has to be constantly reminded that he is a man. When Osgood proposes marriage he accepts forgetting his sex and when he reveals he is a man near the end Osgood does not seem to mind. It may seem that Osgood is attracted to Daphne because of her so called masculine element and this is one of the few films that hint at homosexuality in such an overt way. Joe asks when reacting to the Osgood’s proposal ‘but you’re a guy and why would a guy want to marry a guy?’ Does this ring a bell? When some like it hot they embrace anything as long as it meets their needs and this is what the conservatives are afraid of during the roaring twenties. Wilder’s comic tone is tempered by the fact that the events occur in the year 1929 when the depression is about to strike. The ending of the film may seem optimistic but it does speak of the end of the roaring twenties and the depression that is to come. The pacing of the film and constant action and laughs are representative of those living the life before the eventual crash. As it is set in the year 1929 it makes you wonder how much more adventures will occur before the depression will claim the lives of millions. Wilder’s comic statement is timeless as the film was released in late 1959 when America was enduring another economic boom.
The drifter element in Some Like it Hot: A question of identity.
The drifter element corresponds with the title ‘Some Like it Hot’. The constant movement by the lead characters, who appear to be in two minds, is clearly a feature of their rootless existence. You realize by the end that you do not know as much about Joe and Jerry as you do about their alter egos. Joe is a gambler and Jerry seems to follow his lead. They pay rent but seem to have no property apart from their musical instruments. They assume female identities and Jerry is close to losing his grip on reality as he confuses his primary role as a man with his alter ego Daphne. Joe is merely a saxophone player who is given some weight due to his affection for Sugar. Comedies, particularly slapstick, require that characters or at least one character that appear to be without a conscience or one merely based on raw instinct which is the guide we look to when all else fails. In the great comedies these haphazard characters that blow with the wind require some form of a grounding element to lend perspective to their lives. For Joe it is Sugar and for Jerry it is Osgood. Sugar and Osgood are the characters that anchor the roles of the two drifters. Sugar seems lightheaded for sure but she is a woman who wants to fall in love and the influence of her conservative parents who she seeks to flee is obvious. She says that her repeated liaisons with saxophone players have made her into a drifter despite her efforts to settle them. ‘Like I said not very bright.’ The saxophone players like Joe have the drifter element normally associated with a hustler which was why they could not be settled.
Sugar/Marilyn Monroe has too great musical pieces that not only highlight her charisma but which plays on the mood swings of most females which makes her seem as a universal feminine symbol. When she first meets Joe/Shell Junior she sings the piece ‘I want to be loved by You’. 'I wanna be loved by you' was sampled from the 1929 hit of the same name sung by Jazz singer Annette Hanshaw. It may not be the best singing voice but seeing Monroe on stage will captivate you. After Shell Junior says he has to leave since the gangsters are on his tale she is devastated and sings ‘I’m through with love’ (later sung as a poor rendition by Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane in Spider Man 3 (2007)). It is this song that grabs Joe and makes him come clean with his identity. Sugar only knows him as Josephine but she must have liked her/him from the start and you discover this on their first one to one dialogue on the train heading to Florida where she reveals that she continuously falls for saxophone players. Josephine says ‘Well I’m a saxophone player.’ ‘But you’re a girl,’ says sugar. Imagine her astonishment when she realizes all along that it was ‘Josephine’ after all is revealed on that stage as he reveals his identity. She is instinctual as well and catches up to him before he flees. She doesn’t care about the fact that he could not provide for her she just wants to be loved. In the arms of Osgood Jerry feels at peace being a lady since Osgood is so commanding and insistent that he marry her/him. It gets to Jerry's head and he confuses his identity because as Daphne he is settled whereas when he was Jerry he was always on the run. When Osgood is insistent that they be married despite Jerry as Daphne trying to convince him otherwise it is clear that his optimism is reflective of the roaring twenties where he alone had six wives who only wanted his money. It did not matter to him because times were good and America was enjoying its greatest prosperity. If he lost his fortune to one wife he could easily find another even if she is a man. The depression will hit and he will not be so optimistic. Spats also enjoyed the roaring twenties; he was always on the run from the police but it was worth the risk because times were good. He however massacred the informer, Charlie, and his crew and this makes not only the police keep their ever watchful eye on him but his own people in the underworld syndicate. The underground syndicates are enjoying the times as well and listen as the head honcho boasts of the 200 million in profits without paying taxes simply because they deal in illegal operations. It wouldn’t last however as the prohibition act would be repealed in 1933. Spats is killed because he kills on a whim and is always allowed to get away with it since he eliminates all witnesses and beats the case. This time the tides have turned and his luck has run out. Historically it is said that following the Valentine’s Day massacre the luster image of the underworld began to fade ( I am here making a pass at spats and his love for the shine of his shoes).
Optimist or Cynic?
Billy Wilder is either being optimistic or cynical since the depression will hit right as the film ends. He is either praising the virtues of love or he is fully aware that this blind optimism will end when the flames are doused. This film was made at the end of the 1950’s (another golden age for America) where the economy was again booming following World War 2 and the Cold War was on which saw rapid improvements in technology. When Wilder made this film he was sending a distinct warning saying that enjoy the hot sizzling times while they last for they won’t last. If things get too hot you’re heading for a crash.
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