Marvel's Hawkeye tomorrow! Finished Love Death & Robots S3 & Peacemaker on the patreon! Click here for early access: www.patreon.com/jamesvscinema Have a great day everyone!
Great reaction! Billy Wilder was such a wonderful filmmaker. The Apartment from 1960 starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine, is my favorite film of all time. The pacing is incredible!
@@reesebear2 Seriously! I had to grin like a madwoman at how wonderfully subversive it was for the time. I mean, at that point they're just going to be stuck living happily ever after. No other objections to be had!
Billy Wilder relating the circumstances under which he and screenwriter/associate producer I.A.L."Iz" Diamond came up with that last line: *Director BILLY WILDER:* We needed the final line, the final final line, a spleen-shattering belly laugh. Then Iz [I.A.L. “Iz” Diamond, co-screenplay-writer with director Billy Wilder] came up with “Nobody's perfect.” We were not crazy about it but it was late at night and we were pooped. So we decided “Let's put it on paper so they can mimeograph it,” fully expecting to find something _really_ funny when the time came to shoot the scene. That just goes to show you how little you know. *BARBARA DIAMOND* [widow of “Iz” Diamond]: Iz wrote the scene and left it with me and, well. he went off to meet with Billy. And I read it. And he came back and he said “What did you think?” “Marvelous scene,” I said, “but I think the ending is…the last line is weak.” And he said “You’re absolutely wrong and that's what Billy thinks, too. And the reason you're wrong is the following: This is a classic bit which [is the] audience loves to know what's coming, they love anticipating a joke.” He says “Everybody in the audience _knows_ the last line Jack has is going to be ‘I'm a man’ and they're waiting and waiting and _waiting_ for the explosion,” he says, “and _then_ we surprise them. We give them no explosion. We give them the flattest line there is”. - _"Nobody's Perfect" - The Making of 'Some Like It Hot'_ TV documentary, 2001 (available online) You, on the other hand, said “He’s not going to care.”
Tony Curtis was Jamie Lee Curtis's father, and did his best acting in "The Boston Strangler". Jack Lemmon was the best leading man for comedy of his time. The lead gangster was played by George Raft, who was always typecast as a hood but who in reality was an incredible dancer. And of course, Marilyn. What more can be said? You couldn't not look at her, and her beauty blinded everyone to her talent. Nothing's harder to do than great comedy.
When the George Raft character enters the Miami hotel (at 23:28) another gangster is tossing a coin. He grabs the coin and says "where did you pick up that cheap trick". Well, it was from George Raft that he picked it up because in the original 1932 version of Scarface, the gangster character George Raft plays is continually tossing a coin. Neat reference.
For those unknowing, when 'Spats' grabs the coin and ask's "where did you pick up that cheap trick?", that's a direct reference to George Raft (the actor playing Spats) doing the same thing in an older gangster movie "Scarface". He flipped the coin in that movie, and has been frequently copied for that
@lyledowell3212 And the guy flipping the coin is the son of Edward G. Robinson, famous actor (& portrayer of gangsters) from a couple of decades before.
Tony Curtis was imitating Cary Grant's voice. The Zowie guy was Joe E Brown and famous for this large mouth and doing a yell that accentuated his mouth. This is such a great movie. Curtis, Monroe and Lemmon were phenomenal.
One of the good things of watching older movies is realizing that many of the things we take for granted as 'modern' actually have a long history and have been around in some form for some time. That can be camera techniques but is indeed also applicable to ideas etc. It is a good realization in general.
The director, Billy Wilder, is an absolute legend. He is a hero of Spielberg, Ang Lee and many modern filmmakers because he would excel in any genre and didn't tie himself down to one. Check out his two film noir classics, Double Indemnity and Sunset Boulevard and his other dark comedy The Apartment with Jack Lemmon.
That's why I love Billy Wilder. After seeing the likes of SLIH, The Apartment, or Sabrina you think he's one of the great comedy writer-directors, until you realize he also directed some of the greatest film noirs--Sunset Boulevard, Double Indemnity, Ace in the Hole, Witness for the Prosecution. Even The Lost Weekend and Stalag 17, both dramas, hold up really well. Alfred Hitchcock is the master of suspense, but when it comes to classic film Billy Wilder's versatility is probably only matched by Howard Hawks. Also, The Apartment is my absolute favorite Jack Lemmon performance. He's just magic.
He's a hero to all his fans lol. Even if the movie isn't that great (Seven Year Itch) there's *something* unmissable about it, and more often it's much more than that. Forget about shows, a Billy Wilder binge is the best binge.
@@JamesVSCinema The perfect Billy Wilder/Jack Lemmon follow-up to this movie is another comedy masterpiece, "The Apartment" (won Best Picture), and another darker Wilder classic is "Sunset Boulevard". He worked many more times with Lemmon... As an immigrant from Germany following Hitler's rise, it's amazing that he became such a great screenwriter with such an ear for the subtleties of American speech and humor. Little know fact: Wilder wanted to make "Schindler's List" as his final film as a tribute to family lost in the holocaust, but stopped directing due to age and health...
Joe's voice when he's being Shell Oil Junior is a lot funnier when you realize he's doing Cary Grant. Always a pleasure to see you be taken aback by the Golden Age classics. Some of the great comedy classics from the '30s like Bringing Up Baby (1938) with Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn or It Happened One Night (1935) with Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert are also very much worth watching. Lots of very clever sight gags and incredibly witty light-speed dialogue in those old screwball comedies. You'd be surprised on how manic they are.
Aside from the movie being great, this movie is also interesting as it is one of the major blows that put a nail in the coffin of the Hays Code. They made and released the movie without approval from the Hays Code and it was a massive success. It showed the Code wasn't required any more and weakened its authority and it was gone a few years later.
"Arsenic" IS a stage play. For censorship reasons, the word "bastard" from the play had to be changed to "son of a sea cook" in the movie. And yes, Grant was terrific in the movie!
I was 4 when this came out so, yes, I'm that old. I think a main reason you enjoyed this movie so much is that it was written by adults for adults. Dialogue in so many movies now is simply to get a cheap laugh without having to think about it. The references to other movies and the inclusion of well known faces in the sub-plots worked very well in this movie.
On the "is this offensive to women?" question, obviously there are some things that have not aged well (most notably Joseph tricking Sugar into sleeping with him), but I personally have no problem forgiving its flaws for the sake of everything that it did so well. They did a great job showing the guys' growth and evolving attitudes towards women as they experienced what it was like to be one. I especially love how surprised they were at how lecherous some of the men could be. Considering that it's a comedy revolving around gender roles made in 1959, it's incredible that it has aged as well as it has! Plus, it's freaking hilarious. Love this movie! ❤️
I thing it shows a guy having to see as a woman how creepy guys can be with the flower scene. And realizing he's just as creepy. After seducing the female so I don't find it offensive. It's a pretty good comedy. It also shows a not so beautiful "woman" is seen as a prize a wealthy guy would ignore for the Marilyn beauty type.
My sister and I watched this movie on TV as kids. First "lewd" old movie we ever saw. To this day, we're still crushing on 1959 Tony Curtis. His millionaire character is a parody of Cary Grant, who we also adore from 1944 in 'Arsenic and Old Lace', which is the bomb.
I've been watching Russian movies lately, they're amazing, incredible, though I haven't watched any comedy. Wilder was one of the best filmmakers with the well thought out vision and story, I'm sure it translated well.
This film did a fantastic job of evading the censors while staying true to its story. That final line of the film, "Nobody's perfect," is such a terrific compromise. The way it handles gender is playful and naive, and I love that about this film. It's one of the most sweet and charming movies ever made.
The line ‘nobody’s perfect’ is rightly celebrated as a cornerstone of gay cinema. That it happened while the Hays Code was still strangling American cinema makes it all the more admirable.
@@Muck006 Jack Lemmon was really getting into the idea of marrying him, and I can't picture a 100% straight man doing that. At the minimum Jack was bi.
Billy Wilder was a phenomenal director. He didn't just make ONE type of movie. He was fluent in both making dramas like _Double Indemnity_ , _Sunset Boulevard_ , _The Apartment_ and comedies like _Some Like it Hot_ , _Sabrina_ and _Seven Year Itch_ .
Love, LOVE the classic movies. More, please. Suggestions -- All About Eve, The Sting, Cool Hand Luke, Singing in the Rain, The Philadelphia Story, His Girl Friday, The Maltese Falcon, Night of the Hunter
Now you need to watch "The Great Race". A car race from New York to Paris, from east to west. Same 2 male leads, Natalie Woods as the female lead, Peter Falk and Keenan Wynne as the sidekicks, all in their prime. My entire family plus others I introduced that movie to, quote passages from it all the time. It's funny, colorful, the costumes are amazing and it's very quotable. Jack Lemmon portrays more than one character in the movie. It's a mix of steampunk and Edwardian, when cars and planes were still new.
So glad you dug this classic! It's an amazing film despite it's "age." Want to check out an even older surprising classic? Try "The Philadelphia Story" with the actual Cary Grant (vs Tony Curtis' impression of Cary Grant), Katherine Hepburn and Jimmy Stewart.
O.K., I'll confess... I was 12 years old when I saw this film in the theater. It blew my young mind... I mean, Miss Monroe in all those clingy, low-cut, see through outfits... and the double meaning dialogue (When they take us to the women's morgue and undress us, I'll die of shame!!!") ... and the slapstick comedy (The rose exchange in the teeth while doing the tango!) ... I was enthralled, and as of this day, it is still one of my favorite movies. Billy Wilder, Jack Lemon, Tony Curtis, Joe E Brown, and George Raft (His true life son was the character flipping the coin he snatched, which was one of his trademark moves in his gangster movie stardom in the early days of "talkies." Hense, the line, "Where did you get that cheap trick?") Star-Studded Genius that will live as long as the movies. Thanks for your reaction. You Picked A Winner!!!
Who wouldn’t like SOME LIKE IT HOT? It’s brilliant. I thought so when I was 12 and saw it in the movie theater in its first run. Yes, I’m old and I wish you’d watch more old movies by Billy Wilder or another great director. And yes, it was Prohibition and used the Valentine’s Day massacre as a plot point. And Tony Curtis was channeling Cary Grant to win over Sugar. Jack Lemmon is hilarious and Marilyn Monroe amazing as usual.
"Nobody's perfect!" BEST. ENDING. EVER. My favorite part is that after Osgood says that, Jack Lemmon is like "...Well shit, I guess we're doing this then."
That execution in the garage at the beginning was the famous St. Valentine's Day Massacre. It really happened. I know more than I should due to my H.S. chemistry teacher (Mr White!) being an aficionado, and taught us about it. He gave a quiz, too, that counted on our grade.
Welcome to the wild, wild world of Billy Wilder: When he did drama (Sunset Boulevard, Double Indemnity), he did drama, and when he did comedy, all rules were off. If you liked the little bit of Marilyn we got, check out Wilder giving her center stage in the hilariously un-PC "The Seven Year Itch".
This movie gets my vote for the funniest film ever made. There are a couple of interesting interviews with Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon floating around about making the film, and according to one of these, Some Like It Hot was an instant hit almost everywhere, except the first city where they did a test screening. Can't remember where it was, but there wasn't a single laugh from the audience, and cast and crew were worried that they'd just made a flop. Fortunately, the next screening and all subsequent showings, were tremendously received, with audiences cracking up all the way through. It wasn't just a hit in the US either. According to Billy Wilder, letters of appreciation pouredin from all over the world.
I'm seventy five and saw this with my mother, we both were breathless with laughter ... it was pretty raunchy for a kid back in those days ... the tango and engagement scene is one of the funniest ever.
There's a couple other films by this same director you might find interesting. " The Apartment" with Jack Lemon and Shirley MacLaine and "Sunset Boulevard" with William Holden and Gloria Swanson. They are absolute classics and essential viewing for any film buff.
It was one of the most popular films in the USSR, I watched it in the cinema 5 times (and yes, the censors cut out a few minutes), and the dialogue during the party on the train was impossible to hear due to laughter. Hoping for a reaction to Tootsie
I didn't realize it was popular in the Soviet Union. What do you think he would think of some of the old Soviet comedies like бриллиантовая рука or ирония судьбы? I watched them when I was learning Russian. I think the best Soviet movie I have seen is а зори здесь тихие, they really knew how to make you cry didn't they?
@@rring44 Of course, I love them, these are classic Soviet comedies, along with Иван Васильевич меняет профессию, Служебный роман, Любовь и голуби, Москва слезам не верит. А зори... is one of the most important films about the war (no matter how difficult it is to say this now, in the light of current events)
@@AneudiD78 These were small pieces here and there, but almost 10-15 minutes, but most importantly they saved the whole Daphne. But in Tootsie they cut out the whole beginning and replaced all gay hints
I could be wrong, but I believe this was the first mainstream film that ignored the Hays Code, thus making it possible for other directors to do the same. Also, it is regularly voted the best comedy, and is rightly considered a classic. A wonderful film, and a delightful reaction.
@@002DrEvil Now that you point it out, it's so obvious. And hurray for the studios that released these movies! :-) (I hope you have a secret underground lair, with an obligatory volcano...)
Don't know if you'd know but there was this amazing actor named Cary Grant whom I admire very much and Tony Curtis was doing basically an impression of him when putting on the accent for the Shell Corporation Rich Sailor character. It's so funny to hear the original and then go back and watch this. Adds another level of hilarity for me
Tony Cutis stated he was doing an impression of Cary Grant with his voice. When Cary Grant heard that he said, in a virtually identical voice, "I don't talk like that".
Oh my gosh, James, I was SO excited to see this pop up in my subscription feed! This is one of my favourite films, and it was such a delight to "watch" it with you, and see you enjoy it as well!
I just watched your reaction with my dad because it’s one of his favorite movies. He said to me “that kid is great! I love how much he’s enjoying this movie” then he said “give ‘em a like” 🤣🤣
Another fantastic movie, have seen this a number of times over the years, Marylin Monroe had such an interesting stage presence in all of her movies. Thanks James.
I probably should not use James' platform to tout another reactor, but since you seem to be a fan of older classic films that are seldom reacted to, I suggest you check out Mia Tiffany and her extensive library of reactions to those classics.
You just made my day. I am so much looking forward to your thoughts on this one. It's one of my favorite comedies. My older brother introduced this film to me when we were little kids. He is 5 years older, so he was always introducing me to awesome things that I may not have known about. Marilyn Monroe was one of them, and this film (and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes) were out 2 favorites. We still yell quotes out to each other 40 years later "It's Buttermilk" "Ilove a woman with a shapely ankle" "ZOWEE!" Thanks for this one, even though I haven't watched your reaction yet. I'll be back after to post thoughts on your viewing.
Speaking of lines from these movies. I love the exchange in GPB between Marilyn's character and the irate father of her rich beau. "Admit it, you want to marry my son for his money!" "Nooooo. I want to marry him for YOUR money!" Delivered with fabulous sweetness and guilelessness, HA!
3:18 Yep. In fact this is the movie where I first learned what Prohibition was. Naturally the various gangsters want Prohibition to keep going because they can charge more for liquor when it's illegal. Also the movie where I learned about machine guns and possibly also about drag.
Heya, James. So glad you watched this movie, one of my favorite classics. Speaking as an enby femboy, I always appreciated this movie. It’s funny and witty while handling the men dressing feminine topic especially well for it’s time. The main characters are likable and pull off the look while never making a mockery or spectacle, which I personally appreciate. If you’re looking for another film that had a similar but much more profound impact on me, do watch “To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything!” It’s an incredible and beautiful film. Also, if you’re craving another black and white classic that touches the prohibition era, watch “Paper Moon”. Hoping to become a patron soon, btw. :)
Hey, a film based on a true story is "The Ghost And The Darkness." Based on the two maneating lions of Tsvo. The immersion is great and leads to some frightening moments.
“Some like it Hot” is such a fun movie. Always makes me laugh. We need LAUGHTER more than ever right now!!!!!!! Thank you!!!! Loved your reaction!!!! Subbed!
I loved this reaction! I watched this movie for my film class this past semester and it was honestly my favorite. It's so funny and clever, plus the plot itself seems so ahead of its time. Great video!
This makes me so happy. I love this movie and am so glad you are watching it. Btw....the gangster murder in the start of this movie is based on the real St Valentine's Day massacre. A gangster called "Spats" Columbo owned a speakeasy and "Toothpick" Charlie ratted him out to the police. Also, George Raft who plays Spats was an actor who also played lots of other gangster and he was known for using the coin flip in his roles. That's one thing that everyone in the audience would recognize when he stopped another gangster from flipping a coin and said "Where did you learn that cheap trick?" You should also try The Apartment with Jack Lemmon and Shirley Mclaine. It's really good.
Daphne: "I'm engaged" Josephine: Who's the lucky girl? Daphne: "I am!" or Sugar (on her necklace gift): "Real diamonds! They must be worth their weight in gold" I'm 32 & this is in my top 10 movies of all time - I remember watching it one Christmas at my uncles house with the rest of the family thinking "Jesus, can't we watch something newer!"
One of my all time favourites ❤️ This is also my mother’s favourite. She took my father to see this in the 70’s and in the beginning he said that “oh, it’s black and white”. My mother said yeah, but it changes to colour. The movie was almost halfway when he realised that she played him 😂
8:42 This sums up perfectly why I love this movie so much. Story. Came. First. So many movies are comedies for the sake of being comedies, but this movie is actually a great movie at its CORE. It has a great story, great characters and is extremely well made.
See, the way I look at it is, I'm in a 73yo container. I'm actually 39yo. When I reached my 39th birthday I said, "That's It" no more birthdays. I have anniversaries of my 39th birthday!! And that's the way I conduct myself. I was visiting my youngest child about a year ago. He was 41 at that time. He said, let's go for a walk. As we were walking through the neighborhood he said, "Why do you walk so fast!!" I said, "I just have one speed and this is it." So, I always say, I'm gonna bop till I drop!! Great review BTW. Y'all be safe.
New subscriber. This is one of my favorites classic movies and I am so happy you reacted to it. There are so many great older movies for you to explore. Billy Wilder was a genius at his craft and Marilyn was a natural comedienne. You must check out "The Seven Year Itch" to see these two work together again. Marilyn also had another great comedy working with Howard Hawks called "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes". It also stars the amazing Jane Russell famous for "The Outlaw" which was directed by Howard Hughes which was considered quite scandalous in its day. For the originator of the rom/com you must watch "It Happened One Night" with Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. It is hilarious!
You can hardly ever go wrong with a Billy Wilder film. Stalag 17 is another great film and of course The Apartment, The Seven Year itch (also with Marilyn) and Sunset Boulevard are must watches. George Raft was in tons of gangster movies and the bit where he grabs the coin from the guy is a joke because it was one of his trademarks in other movies. The other head bad guy was played by Nehemiah Persoff who was in tons of movies as the heavy, but is unrecognizable here because he shaved his head to resemble Mussolini. He has said that he got the part after Edward G. Robinson (another guy famous for playing gangsters) backed out at the last minute. In those days it would have been like seeing Deniro and Pacino together. So he really had some big shoes to fill and he nailed it. Wilder cast Marilyn and she is wonderful, but she couldn’t remember her lines so they literally had them written on the backs of all the props. The big studios used big cranes for the moving shots. What is really remarkable is to see behind the scenes of how someone like Kurosawa or John Ford could put them on trucks to get some of their action shots. Those things literally weighed hundreds of pounds.
One of my all time favorite films! It is where White Chicks got its plot. It was such a fun film that didn't take itself too seriously. Marilyn had just signed a contract prior to being cast in this movie that said she would only do color films as she thought she looked better in color. However, the guys' makeup came off as green, so that asked if she could make an exception and clearly she did!
I am 73, and this viewing brings back some memories. That said there are a few movies of the 50's & 60's you should consider reviewing. As a suggestion try the 1959 "Bad Day At Black Rock".
The three leads all PLAY COMEDY SERIOUSLY - projecting full commitment, never a "look how funny I am" undertone. Very clever script. SLIH tops several best-ever comedy lists.
I remember watching this on TV in the late1960's, I might have been 10 or 11. I loved it! Billy Wilder movies are exceptional (The Apartment, Sabrina, Double indemnity)! Tony Curtis is Jamie's dad. He was one handsome man. He gave an amazing performance here and was so funny with his Cary Grant imitation .Marilyn was charming as usual.. But I think Jack Lemon and Joe E. Brown stole the whole show; so hilarious! What an amazing cast and story.
This is one of my all time favorite classic films! Love that you’re doing a reaction. Also my mom was born in 1959 and she’s only 63 dude! 🤣🤣🤣 Her flex is that she’s never dyed her hair and she has barely any grey hairs LOL.
The gangster who elected himself as president of the Friends of Italian Opera is Nehemiah Persoff. Mostly had smaller side roles back then, but his biggest roles were in the 80s as Barbra Steisand's father in Yentl and Papa Mousekewitz in An American Tale.
If want to learn more about that time period, watch the documentary “Prohibition” by Ken Burns. It’s an excellently made series that covers everything from the years leading to the passing of the amendment, what happened during the enactment of it and the final repeal. Don’t even do a reaction video (though it would cool if you did) just watch it. You won’t be disappointed.
Definitely! I love that the series features not only people who remember those days fondly (the woman with her attempt at making beer that goes bad, as well as having girlfriends who were more loose in their morals than she was), but also those who as children either lost their parents to violence or suffered real hardship after their parents were punished for making booze. The historians are engaging and the people and stories that are featured are all fascinating.
It’s honestly such a good film that it’s eminently watchable even by modern standards. So many conventions surrounding pacing, camerawork, acting style, and sound design have changed since this movie came out, yet you can show this to pretty much anyone today and they’ll still have a great time.
Another fantastic old film that you would probably love is "All About Eve." One of my favorites...and has an amazing performance by one of the greatest actresses in film history, Bette Davis.
I guess this was your first Billy Wilder movie. He one of my favorite classic movie directors. Other movies of his I'd love for you to react to include: The Apartment (1960) Double Indemnity (1944) Sunset Blvd. (1950) Witness for the Prosecution (1957) The bit about Shell Oil and the guy collecting sea shells has a basis in reality. The father of the founder of Shell Oil sold sea shells for a living. He named the company after his father's occupation. You said it looked like they had a lot of fun on the set. Actually, Marilyn Monroe was a pain to deal with. She'd arrive on set late, lock herself in her trailer, fail to learn her lines, blow one take after another. Part of the problem was that she was trying to get away from "dumb blonde" parts, so she thought the role was beneath her. In general, though, she was a neurotic mess. It's amazing how good she was in this movie considering how difficult she was. Billy Wilder deliberately didn't invite her to the wrap party when filming was done. Tony Curtis said kissing Marilyn Monroe was like kissing Hitler, although he later said it was a joke.
I was born in 1955. I am only 68 years old. The Gangster Spats Columbo (Spats being the white covering on the shoes) was played by Dancer and Actor George Raft. George played plenty of Gangstes in movies and his gimmick was tossing a coin in the air and catching it. That is why the "Cheap Trick" line was so funny to audiences at that time. George worked with Joe E, Brown (Osgood) and Jack Lemmon (Daphne) on their Dance numbers. Josephine (Tony Curtis) had trouble doung a feminine voice so a famous Voice Over Artist (Paul Frees) was brought in to help him. Frees has narrated a number of movies and is most famous for being the voice of the Ghost Host in the Haunted Mansion at the various Disney Parks, He also dubbed the voice of Funeral Parlor Owner Mozzerella. The young Bellhop was played by the Son of Actor Edward G. Robinson who was known mainly for Gangster films. BTW - Prohibition lasted from 1920 - 1933. Gangster Al Copone ruled Chicago during this time until FBI Agent Eliot Ness broght him down for Tax Evasion. Capone had many people killed but they could only prove Tax Evasion.
Joe E. Brown as Oswald was a comedy star from the 30's, George Raft as Spats was in countless WB Gangster films from the 30's. WB Gangster films in the 30's with Bogart , Cagney , Raft, & Edward G.Robinson as classic crime films.
Prohibition was from Jan 17, 1920 - to Dec 5, 1933. The film was directed by the great Billy Wilder, a Best Director Oscar winner. He directed "Sunset Boulevard", " Double Indemnity", "Witness For The Prosecution", "Sabrina", "Lost Weekend", " Stalag 17" etc. The character Spats was played by George Raft. He often portrayed gangsters in his early films. That's why he had such a cold demeanor. Osgood was played by Joe E. Brown who, started in vaudeville. He was the lead in many early comedy movies.
One of the most hilarious movies ever! Honestly, anything with Lemon or Monroe is gold. You should also add “Tootsie” to your list for an ‘80s variation on this theme. Hysterically funny. And no, as a woman, not offended by anything in this. But then I know how to consume media through an historic lens. 😋
The guy at the "icing" (as you put it) whose acting you were so entertained by is Nehemiah Persoff. Almost 30 years later he hammed it up almost as much as the voice of Papa Mousekowitz in "An American Tail". (Which is a film I hope you react to, by the way.)
![Tony Curtis on filming Some Like It Hot [part 1]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/r9m_I-YYSCU/mqdefault.jpg)
Marvel's Hawkeye tomorrow!
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Have a great day everyone!
Great reaction! Billy Wilder was such a wonderful filmmaker. The Apartment from 1960 starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine, is my favorite film of all time. The pacing is incredible!
My favorite line was that ending "nobody's perfect" bit. When I first saw this film, that line had me rolling.
It's honestly incredibly progressive for the time. and I love it for that.
@@reesebear2 Seriously! I had to grin like a madwoman at how wonderfully subversive it was for the time. I mean, at that point they're just going to be stuck living happily ever after. No other objections to be had!
Me too
@@wordforgerFor the time? It would be subversive today
Billy Wilder relating the circumstances under which he and screenwriter/associate producer I.A.L."Iz" Diamond came up with that last line:
*Director BILLY WILDER:* We needed the final line, the final final line, a spleen-shattering belly laugh. Then Iz [I.A.L. “Iz” Diamond, co-screenplay-writer with director Billy Wilder] came up with “Nobody's perfect.”
We were not crazy about it but it was late at night and we were pooped. So we decided “Let's put it on paper so they can mimeograph it,” fully expecting to find something _really_ funny when the time came to shoot the scene. That just goes to show you how little you know.
*BARBARA DIAMOND* [widow of “Iz” Diamond]: Iz wrote the scene and left it with me and, well. he went off to meet with Billy. And I read it. And he came back and he said “What did you think?” “Marvelous scene,” I said, “but I think the ending is…the last line is weak.”
And he said “You’re absolutely wrong and that's what Billy thinks, too. And the reason you're wrong is the following: This is a classic bit which [is the] audience loves to know what's coming, they love anticipating a joke.” He says “Everybody in the audience _knows_ the last line Jack has is going to be ‘I'm a man’ and they're waiting and waiting and _waiting_ for the explosion,” he says, “and _then_ we surprise them. We give them no explosion. We give them the flattest line there is”.
- _"Nobody's Perfect" - The Making of 'Some Like It Hot'_ TV documentary, 2001 (available online)
You, on the other hand, said “He’s not going to care.”
Tony Curtis was Jamie Lee Curtis's father, and did his best acting in "The Boston Strangler". Jack Lemmon was the best leading man for comedy of his time. The lead gangster was played by George Raft, who was always typecast as a hood but who in reality was an incredible dancer. And of course, Marilyn. What more can be said? You couldn't not look at her, and her beauty blinded everyone to her talent. Nothing's harder to do than great comedy.
Marilyn! Zowie!
Glad someone mentioned The Boston Strangler!
Also Curtis was in Sweet Smell Of Success (1957) my favourite from both him and Burt Lancaster (who I like most in the film).
When the George Raft character enters the Miami hotel (at 23:28) another gangster is tossing a coin. He grabs the coin and says "where did you pick up that cheap trick". Well, it was from George Raft that he picked it up because in the original 1932 version of Scarface, the gangster character George Raft plays is continually tossing a coin. Neat reference.
Jack Lemmon turned out to be a great dramatic actor as well .
For those unknowing, when 'Spats' grabs the coin and ask's "where did you pick up that cheap trick?", that's a direct reference to George Raft (the actor playing Spats) doing the same thing in an older gangster movie "Scarface". He flipped the coin in that movie, and has been frequently copied for that
@lyledowell3212
And the guy flipping the coin is the son of Edward G. Robinson, famous actor (& portrayer of gangsters) from a couple of decades before.
It was such a well-known bit that Bugs Bunny copied it when he appears as “Mugsy” in _Racketeer Rabbit_ (1946), which you can find online.
Tony Curtis was imitating Cary Grant's voice. The Zowie guy was Joe E Brown and famous for this large mouth and doing a yell that accentuated his mouth. This is such a great movie. Curtis, Monroe and Lemmon were phenomenal.
It's a great impression. Grant *does* sound like that, particularly in Bringing Up Baby where he does do a bit of a stuffy-nerd-in-glasses thing.
“Nobody talks like that!!!” 😆
@@catherinelw9365 I was coming here to input that wonderful capstone to the bit.
I 've always loved how, in the same year, Tony Curtis starred in Operation Petticoat with Cary Grant.
@@quicksilvermad Here's a fun little filler for TCM from Tony Curtis on Cary Grant: th-cam.com/video/lS33i-ju1yU/w-d-xo.html
One of the good things of watching older movies is realizing that many of the things we take for granted as 'modern' actually have a long history and have been around in some form for some time. That can be camera techniques but is indeed also applicable to ideas etc. It is a good realization in general.
The director, Billy Wilder, is an absolute legend. He is a hero of Spielberg, Ang Lee and many modern filmmakers because he would excel in any genre and didn't tie himself down to one.
Check out his two film noir classics, Double Indemnity and Sunset Boulevard and his other dark comedy The Apartment with Jack Lemmon.
That's why I love Billy Wilder. After seeing the likes of SLIH, The Apartment, or Sabrina you think he's one of the great comedy writer-directors, until you realize he also directed some of the greatest film noirs--Sunset Boulevard, Double Indemnity, Ace in the Hole, Witness for the Prosecution. Even The Lost Weekend and Stalag 17, both dramas, hold up really well. Alfred Hitchcock is the master of suspense, but when it comes to classic film Billy Wilder's versatility is probably only matched by Howard Hawks.
Also, The Apartment is my absolute favorite Jack Lemmon performance. He's just magic.
He's a hero to all his fans lol. Even if the movie isn't that great (Seven Year Itch) there's *something* unmissable about it, and more often it's much more than that. Forget about shows, a Billy Wilder binge is the best binge.
And the Oscar's winner Fernando Trueba (director of "Belle Epoque").... in fact....th-cam.com/video/Iqjx6rWQ4Yg/w-d-xo.html
@@melanie62954 All of these movies should be on James's 'To Watch' list.
Double Indemnity is a certified noir classic.
The coin flip line was an in-joke, it's what George Raft's character did in the 1930s Scarface, and it became a gangster movie trope.
Jack Lemmon is an absolute star. Love this film, so funny.
Absolutely!!
@@JamesVSCinema The perfect Billy Wilder/Jack Lemmon follow-up to this movie is another comedy masterpiece, "The Apartment" (won Best Picture), and another darker Wilder classic is "Sunset Boulevard". He worked many more times with Lemmon... As an immigrant from Germany following Hitler's rise, it's amazing that he became such a great screenwriter with such an ear for the subtleties of American speech and humor. Little know fact: Wilder wanted to make "Schindler's List" as his final film as a tribute to family lost in the holocaust, but stopped directing due to age and health...
Joe's voice when he's being Shell Oil Junior is a lot funnier when you realize he's doing Cary Grant. Always a pleasure to see you be taken aback by the Golden Age classics. Some of the great comedy classics from the '30s like Bringing Up Baby (1938) with Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn or It Happened One Night (1935) with Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert are also very much worth watching. Lots of very clever sight gags and incredibly witty light-speed dialogue in those old screwball comedies. You'd be surprised on how manic they are.
I second your suggestions! And "It Happened One Night" has the most famous hitch hiking scene in movie history (in my opinion)!
Yeah the old screwballs are so great, The Awful Truth and Holiday are pretty underrated ones too (and of course, The Philadelphia Story is essential).
Mr. Blanding's Builds His Dreamhouse is one of my favorites.
His Girl Friday has incredibly fast-paced dialogue.
Aside from the movie being great, this movie is also interesting as it is one of the major blows that put a nail in the coffin of the Hays Code. They made and released the movie without approval from the Hays Code and it was a massive success. It showed the Code wasn't required any more and weakened its authority and it was gone a few years later.
Yeah, with all the sexual themes honestly I think the Code would have chopped it to bits. Good thing they just decided to not give a shit.
"Arsenic and Old Lace" (1943) is a masterpiece, very much like a stage play . Cary Grant is one of my favorite actors and I love him in this movie 🥰
He’s my favorite too! 😍
Now that's a great film, So is Harvey with James Stewart.
"Arsenic" IS a stage play. For censorship reasons, the word "bastard" from the play had to be changed to "son of a sea cook" in the movie. And yes, Grant was terrific in the movie!
My grandmother’s cousin is in that movie, so as a result, it’s a favourite of mine too
@@direnova6284. Harvey is probably my favorite Jimmy Stewart movie!
I was 4 when this came out so, yes, I'm that old. I think a main reason you enjoyed this movie so much is that it was written by adults for adults. Dialogue in so many movies now is simply to get a cheap laugh without having to think about it. The references to other movies and the inclusion of well known faces in the sub-plots worked very well in this movie.
I agree! I especially appreciate what you said about the dialogue written for adults by adults and the references to other movies
On the "is this offensive to women?" question, obviously there are some things that have not aged well (most notably Joseph tricking Sugar into sleeping with him), but I personally have no problem forgiving its flaws for the sake of everything that it did so well. They did a great job showing the guys' growth and evolving attitudes towards women as they experienced what it was like to be one. I especially love how surprised they were at how lecherous some of the men could be. Considering that it's a comedy revolving around gender roles made in 1959, it's incredible that it has aged as well as it has! Plus, it's freaking hilarious. Love this movie! ❤️
I thing it shows a guy having to see as a woman how creepy guys can be with the flower scene. And realizing he's just as creepy. After seducing the female so I don't find it offensive. It's a pretty good comedy. It also shows a not so beautiful "woman" is seen as a prize a wealthy guy would ignore for the Marilyn beauty type.
This is one of my all time FAVORITES!! The over-the-top acting, the quick-fire lines, the chemistry between the actors-pure movie MAGIC!!!
My sister and I watched this movie on TV as kids. First "lewd" old movie we ever saw. To this day, we're still crushing on 1959 Tony Curtis. His millionaire character is a parody of Cary Grant, who we also adore from 1944 in 'Arsenic and Old Lace', which is the bomb.
One of the movies we've had in USSR. Watched the heck out of this being a kid. Rewatching it nowadays regularly. Have it on VHS :) Thank you!
And with Russia in the headlines now, it's a great time to discover Billy Wilder's silly satire of the 60s Cold War in "One, Two, Three".
Только у нас он называется "В джазе только девушки")
@@planetofthegames2843 Точняк ;)
I've been watching Russian movies lately, they're amazing, incredible, though I haven't watched any comedy. Wilder was one of the best filmmakers with the well thought out vision and story, I'm sure it translated well.
@@djw457 I would say russian humor is hard to translate :) but here’s the idea. Try old ones! th-cam.com/video/e-r9XNmqQHk/w-d-xo.html
This film did a fantastic job of evading the censors while staying true to its story. That final line of the film, "Nobody's perfect," is such a terrific compromise. The way it handles gender is playful and naive, and I love that about this film. It's one of the most sweet and charming movies ever made.
The line ‘nobody’s perfect’ is rightly celebrated as a cornerstone of gay cinema. That it happened while the Hays Code was still strangling American cinema makes it all the more admirable.
Also it's HILARIOUS.
@@Muck006 Jack Lemmon was really getting into the idea of marrying him, and I can't picture a 100% straight man doing that. At the minimum Jack was bi.
@@emilytrott or maybe he was a good actor?
@@walker1812 I meant the character. :)
About the only good thing that came out of The Hays Code was that the scriptwriters got really clever and we ended up with some really smart dialogue.
The ending especially is a beloved Hollywood classic moment. That final line is iconic.
Billy Wilder was a phenomenal director. He didn't just make ONE type of movie. He was fluent in both making dramas like _Double Indemnity_ , _Sunset Boulevard_ , _The Apartment_ and comedies like _Some Like it Hot_ , _Sabrina_ and _Seven Year Itch_ .
Don't forget the fantastic Stalag 17.
My favourite Billy Wilder’s films are also Stalag 17 and One Two Three !
Sunset Boulevard has Edward Robinson too. Awesome flick.
No it does not. Your thinking of double indemnity
I'm 76, and I'm convinced that this, overall, is the greatest American film.
They called it the movie that broke the Hayes Code. It was literally all innuendo - that's what made it so transgressive and yet so timeless.
Love, LOVE the classic movies. More, please. Suggestions -- All About Eve, The Sting, Cool Hand Luke, Singing in the Rain, The Philadelphia Story, His Girl Friday, The Maltese Falcon, Night of the Hunter
Seconded All About Eve and The Sting and yes classic Singing in the Rain. I'll take the others as recs 💛🌙🌟✨
All in my top 100-150 favorite movies. Night of the hunter especially is extremely underrated.
Night of the hunter 👍, absolutly ! He cannot miss it.
@@alexsnower5743 Is it ??? Not everywhere : in France, it is considered as one of the main masterpieces of all cinema History.
Me too! Oh how I wish there were more TH-cam reactions to the classics.
Now you need to watch "The Great Race". A car race from New York to Paris, from east to west. Same 2 male leads, Natalie Woods as the female lead, Peter Falk and Keenan Wynne as the sidekicks, all in their prime. My entire family plus others I introduced that movie to, quote passages from it all the time. It's funny, colorful, the costumes are amazing and it's very quotable. Jack Lemmon portrays more than one character in the movie. It's a mix of steampunk and Edwardian, when cars and planes were still new.
And incredibly, it is based on a real around the world race that took place in 1908.
So glad you dug this classic! It's an amazing film despite it's "age." Want to check out an even older surprising classic? Try "The Philadelphia Story" with the actual Cary Grant (vs Tony Curtis' impression of Cary Grant), Katherine Hepburn and Jimmy Stewart.
O.K., I'll confess... I was 12 years old when I saw this film in the theater. It blew my young mind... I mean, Miss Monroe in all those clingy, low-cut, see through outfits... and the double meaning dialogue (When they take us to the women's morgue and undress us, I'll die of shame!!!") ... and the slapstick comedy (The rose exchange in the teeth while doing the tango!) ... I was enthralled, and as of this day, it is still one of my favorite movies. Billy Wilder, Jack Lemon, Tony Curtis, Joe E Brown, and George Raft (His true life son was the character flipping the coin he snatched, which was one of his trademark moves in his gangster movie stardom in the early days of "talkies." Hense, the line, "Where did you get that cheap trick?") Star-Studded Genius that will live as long as the movies. Thanks for your reaction. You Picked A Winner!!!
Who wouldn’t like SOME LIKE IT HOT? It’s brilliant. I thought so when I was 12 and saw it in the movie theater in its first run. Yes, I’m old and I wish you’d watch more old movies by Billy Wilder or another great director.
And yes, it was Prohibition and used the Valentine’s Day massacre as a plot point. And Tony Curtis was channeling Cary Grant to win over Sugar. Jack Lemmon is hilarious and Marilyn Monroe amazing as usual.
"Nobody's perfect!"
BEST. ENDING. EVER.
My favorite part is that after Osgood says that, Jack Lemmon is like "...Well shit, I guess we're doing this then."
That execution in the garage at the beginning was the famous St. Valentine's Day Massacre. It really happened. I know more than I should due to my H.S. chemistry teacher (Mr White!) being an aficionado, and taught us about it. He gave a quiz, too, that counted on our grade.
Welcome to the wild, wild world of Billy Wilder: When he did drama (Sunset Boulevard, Double Indemnity), he did drama, and when he did comedy, all rules were off.
If you liked the little bit of Marilyn we got, check out Wilder giving her center stage in the hilariously un-PC "The Seven Year Itch".
This movie gets my vote for the funniest film ever made. There are a couple of interesting interviews with Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon floating around about making the film, and according to one of these, Some Like It Hot was an instant hit almost everywhere, except the first city where they did a test screening. Can't remember where it was, but there wasn't a single laugh from the audience, and cast and crew were worried that they'd just made a flop. Fortunately, the next screening and all subsequent showings, were tremendously received, with audiences cracking up all the way through. It wasn't just a hit in the US either. According to Billy Wilder, letters of appreciation pouredin from all over the world.
Tony Curtis was once asked who's his favourite leading lady. He said, "Jack Lemmon".
Yes! Would love to see more older films!
Happy to hear!
I'm seventy five and saw this with my mother, we both were breathless with laughter ... it was pretty raunchy for a kid back in those days ... the tango and engagement scene is one of the funniest ever.
I'm so pleased you enjoyed Some Like It Hot, I knew you would. The comedy is still so fresh.
There's a couple other films by this same director you might find interesting. " The Apartment" with Jack Lemon and Shirley MacLaine and "Sunset Boulevard" with William Holden and Gloria Swanson. They are absolute classics and essential viewing for any film buff.
It was one of the most popular films in the USSR, I watched it in the cinema 5 times (and yes, the censors cut out a few minutes), and the dialogue during the party on the train was impossible to hear due to laughter. Hoping for a reaction to Tootsie
Hahaha that’s so great to hear! Happy people enjoyed it
I didn't realize it was popular in the Soviet Union. What do you think he would think of some of the old Soviet comedies like бриллиантовая рука or ирония судьбы? I watched them when I was learning Russian. I think the best Soviet movie I have seen is а зори здесь тихие, they really knew how to make you cry didn't they?
Do you remember what scenes they censored? This movie still holds up 63 years later.
@@rring44 Of course, I love them, these are classic Soviet comedies, along with Иван Васильевич меняет профессию, Служебный роман, Любовь и голуби, Москва слезам не верит. А зори... is one of the most important films about the war (no matter how difficult it is to say this now, in the light of current events)
@@AneudiD78 These were small pieces here and there, but almost 10-15 minutes, but most importantly they saved the whole Daphne. But in Tootsie they cut out the whole beginning and replaced all gay hints
I could be wrong, but I believe this was the first mainstream film that ignored the Hays Code, thus making it possible for other directors to do the same. Also, it is regularly voted the best comedy, and is rightly considered a classic. A wonderful film, and a delightful reaction.
There were many others that challenged it. I would recommend Bringing up Baby, Notorious and of course Psycho.
@@002DrEvil Now that you point it out, it's so obvious. And hurray for the studios that released these movies! :-) (I hope you have a secret underground lair, with an obligatory volcano...)
Don't know if you'd know but there was this amazing actor named Cary Grant whom I admire very much and Tony Curtis was doing basically an impression of him when putting on the accent for the Shell Corporation Rich Sailor character. It's so funny to hear the original and then go back and watch this. Adds another level of hilarity for me
Jumping up & down with excitement that you're starting the Billy Wilder train!
Wooo!! Happy to hear brother
The Apartment, Sunset Blvd and Double Indemnity are three other must watch Billy Wilder movies.
Yay! I’m so excited you watched this! Its such a funny and rewatchable film! “Nobody’s perfect” 🤣🤣🤣
Happy to have watched this too!
Everything is definitely stressful right now but it's nice to take a break from it all and watch a great reactor enjoy a great classic film 👍 thx
Tony Cutis stated he was doing an impression of Cary Grant with his voice. When Cary Grant heard that he said, in a virtually identical voice, "I don't talk like that".
Oh my gosh, James, I was SO excited to see this pop up in my subscription feed! This is one of my favourite films, and it was such a delight to "watch" it with you, and see you enjoy it as well!
Thanks for covering old timey classics like this every once in a while. It makes me very happy.
I recommend The Thin Man with William Powell and Myrna Loy (1934) Comedy/Mystery. Great lines.
Waiter, will you serve the nuts? ...I mean, will you serve the guests the nuts?
I just watched your reaction with my dad because it’s one of his favorite movies. He said to me “that kid is great! I love how much he’s enjoying this movie” then he said “give ‘em a like” 🤣🤣
Billy Wilder is one of the great directors in film history and is oddly very underrated. You should check out some of his other films.
Tony Curtis was worried that Cary Grant would be angry about his impersonation of him but it turned out that he loved it.
Tony Curtis does an excellent imitation.
Another fantastic movie, have seen this a number of times over the years, Marylin Monroe had such an interesting stage presence in all of her movies. Thanks James.
I get such joy watching you enjoy a movie. Kudos.
Ahh, one of the greatest movies of all time. With the greatest final line of all time. Finally someone is reacting to it
I probably should not use James' platform to tout another reactor, but since you seem to be a fan of older classic films that are seldom reacted to, I suggest you check out Mia Tiffany and her extensive library of reactions to those classics.
This is one of the most famous comedies ever made, it's all good
I highly recommend checking out The Great Race. Another fantastic comedy starring Tony Curtis and Jack Lemon
Omg, I forgot Tony Curtis did a Cary Grant accent when playing the rich guy, just perfect
You just made my day. I am so much looking forward to your thoughts on this one. It's one of my favorite comedies. My older brother introduced this film to me when we were little kids. He is 5 years older, so he was always introducing me to awesome things that I may not have known about. Marilyn Monroe was one of them, and this film (and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes) were out 2 favorites. We still yell quotes out to each other 40 years later "It's Buttermilk" "Ilove a woman with a shapely ankle" "ZOWEE!" Thanks for this one, even though I haven't watched your reaction yet. I'll be back after to post thoughts on your viewing.
So glad yo enjoyed this one. Your reaction did not disappoint.
Speaking of lines from these movies. I love the exchange in GPB between Marilyn's character and the irate father of her rich beau. "Admit it, you want to marry my son for his money!" "Nooooo. I want to marry him for YOUR money!" Delivered with fabulous sweetness and guilelessness, HA!
So happy to see someone reacting to some classics.
The convention host, "Little Bonaparte", was played by prolific character actor Nehemiah Persoff, who just passed away in April at the age of 102.
3:18 Yep. In fact this is the movie where I first learned what Prohibition was.
Naturally the various gangsters want Prohibition to keep going because they can charge more for liquor when it's illegal.
Also the movie where I learned about machine guns and possibly also about drag.
Heya, James. So glad you watched this movie, one of my favorite classics. Speaking as an enby femboy, I always appreciated this movie. It’s funny and witty while handling the men dressing feminine topic especially well for it’s time. The main characters are likable and pull off the look while never making a mockery or spectacle, which I personally appreciate. If you’re looking for another film that had a similar but much more profound impact on me, do watch “To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything!” It’s an incredible and beautiful film. Also, if you’re craving another black and white classic that touches the prohibition era, watch “Paper Moon”. Hoping to become a patron soon, btw. :)
Hey, a film based on a true story is "The Ghost And The Darkness." Based on the two maneating lions of Tsvo. The immersion is great and leads to some frightening moments.
Such a great even though a bit underrated movie!
Val Kilmer e Michael Douglas...excelente filme....excelente....
“Some like it Hot” is such a fun movie. Always makes me laugh. We need LAUGHTER more than ever right now!!!!!!! Thank you!!!! Loved your reaction!!!! Subbed!
George Raft who played Spats was a professional dancer. He taught Jack Lennon and Joe E Ross the tango they performed in this movie.
I loved this reaction! I watched this movie for my film class this past semester and it was honestly my favorite. It's so funny and clever, plus the plot itself seems so ahead of its time. Great video!
Thanks!!!
Incredible film, one of the best examples of filmmaking of its era.
"I'm a man!"
"Well...nobody's perfect."
🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥! Zowie!!!!
I'm so happy someone finally got around to this movie. Well done buddy.
This makes me so happy. I love this movie and am so glad you are watching it. Btw....the gangster murder in the start of this movie is based on the real St Valentine's Day massacre. A gangster called "Spats" Columbo owned a speakeasy and "Toothpick" Charlie ratted him out to the police. Also, George Raft who plays Spats was an actor who also played lots of other gangster and he was known for using the coin flip in his roles. That's one thing that everyone in the audience would recognize when he stopped another gangster from flipping a coin and said "Where did you learn that cheap trick?" You should also try The Apartment with Jack Lemmon and Shirley Mclaine. It's really good.
All the gangsters were old time actors who played gangsters in the great gangster movies of the thirties.
When Tony Curtis is trying to seduce Sugar in the guise of Junior, his voice and mannerisms are an impersonation of the actor Cary Grant.
I love this movie and so glad to see a reaction for it!
The famous Hotel del Coronado was used in this film. U can still stay there, gorgeous resort, u feel like u r stepping back in time…
Daphne: "I'm engaged"
Josephine: Who's the lucky girl?
Daphne: "I am!"
or Sugar (on her necklace gift): "Real diamonds! They must be worth their weight in gold"
I'm 32 & this is in my top 10 movies of all time - I remember watching it one Christmas at my uncles house with the rest of the family thinking "Jesus, can't we watch something newer!"
Such.A. Classic, with one of the best ending lines of all time. :)
One of my all time favourites ❤️ This is also my mother’s favourite. She took my father to see this in the 70’s and in the beginning he said that “oh, it’s black and white”. My mother said yeah, but it changes to colour. The movie was almost halfway when he realised that she played him 😂
8:42 This sums up perfectly why I love this movie so much. Story. Came. First. So many movies are comedies for the sake of being comedies, but this movie is actually a great movie at its CORE. It has a great story, great characters and is extremely well made.
See, the way I look at it is, I'm in a 73yo container. I'm actually 39yo. When I reached my 39th birthday I said, "That's It" no more birthdays. I have anniversaries of my 39th birthday!! And that's the way I conduct myself. I was visiting my youngest child about a year ago. He was 41 at that time. He said, let's go for a walk. As we were walking through the neighborhood he said, "Why do you walk so fast!!" I said, "I just have one speed and this is it." So, I always say, I'm gonna bop till I drop!!
Great review BTW. Y'all be safe.
New subscriber. This is one of my favorites classic movies and I am so happy you reacted to it. There are so many great older movies for you to explore. Billy Wilder was a genius at his craft and Marilyn was a natural comedienne. You must check out "The Seven Year Itch" to see these two work together again.
Marilyn also had another great comedy working with Howard Hawks called "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes". It also stars the amazing Jane Russell famous for "The Outlaw" which was directed by Howard Hughes which was considered quite scandalous in its day.
For the originator of the rom/com you must watch "It Happened One Night" with Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. It is hilarious!
You can hardly ever go wrong with a Billy Wilder film. Stalag 17 is another great film and of course The Apartment, The Seven Year itch (also with Marilyn) and Sunset Boulevard are must watches.
George Raft was in tons of gangster movies and the bit where he grabs the coin from the guy is a joke because it was one of his trademarks in other movies.
The other head bad guy was played by Nehemiah Persoff who was in tons of movies as the heavy, but is unrecognizable here because he shaved his head to resemble Mussolini. He has said that he got the part after Edward G. Robinson (another guy famous for playing gangsters) backed out at the last minute. In those days it would have been like seeing Deniro and Pacino together. So he really had some big shoes to fill and he nailed it.
Wilder cast Marilyn and she is wonderful, but she couldn’t remember her lines so they literally had them written on the backs of all the props.
The big studios used big cranes for the moving shots. What is really remarkable is to see behind the scenes of how someone like Kurosawa or John Ford could put them on trucks to get some of their action shots. Those things literally weighed hundreds of pounds.
One of my all time favorite films! It is where White Chicks got its plot. It was such a fun film that didn't take itself too seriously. Marilyn had just signed a contract prior to being cast in this movie that said she would only do color films as she thought she looked better in color. However, the guys' makeup came off as green, so that asked if she could make an exception and clearly she did!
I am 73, and this viewing brings back some memories. That said there are a few movies of the 50's & 60's you should consider reviewing. As a suggestion try the 1959 "Bad Day At Black Rock".
The three leads all PLAY COMEDY SERIOUSLY - projecting full commitment, never a "look how funny I am" undertone. Very clever script. SLIH tops several best-ever comedy lists.
I remember watching this on TV in the late1960's, I might have been 10 or 11. I loved it! Billy Wilder movies are exceptional (The Apartment, Sabrina, Double indemnity)! Tony Curtis is Jamie's dad. He was one handsome man. He gave an amazing performance here and was so funny with his Cary Grant imitation .Marilyn was charming as usual.. But I think Jack Lemon and Joe E. Brown stole the whole show; so hilarious! What an amazing cast and story.
This is one of my all time favorite classic films! Love that you’re doing a reaction. Also my mom was born in 1959 and she’s only 63 dude! 🤣🤣🤣 Her flex is that she’s never dyed her hair and she has barely any grey hairs LOL.
The gangster who elected himself as president of the Friends of Italian Opera is Nehemiah Persoff. Mostly had smaller side roles back then, but his biggest roles were in the 80s as Barbra Steisand's father in Yentl and Papa Mousekewitz in An American Tale.
If want to learn more about that time period, watch the documentary “Prohibition” by Ken Burns. It’s an excellently made series that covers everything from the years leading to the passing of the amendment, what happened during the enactment of it and the final repeal. Don’t even do a reaction video (though it would cool if you did) just watch it. You won’t be disappointed.
Definitely! I love that the series features not only people who remember those days fondly (the woman with her attempt at making beer that goes bad, as well as having girlfriends who were more loose in their morals than she was), but also those who as children either lost their parents to violence or suffered real hardship after their parents were punished for making booze. The historians are engaging and the people and stories that are featured are all fascinating.
The Rules of the Game (1939) is one of the better directed films I've seen. That's really something to be impressed by.
It’s honestly such a good film that it’s eminently watchable even by modern standards. So many conventions surrounding pacing, camerawork, acting style, and sound design have changed since this movie came out, yet you can show this to pretty much anyone today and they’ll still have a great time.
The Florida scenes of this movie were filmed at the Hotel Del Coronado near my home in San Diego!
Another fantastic old film that you would probably love is "All About Eve." One of my favorites...and has an amazing performance by one of the greatest actresses in film history, Bette Davis.
… it IS great. And a pre-iconic Miss Monroe is also quite memorable.
@@N0TAMEMBER You know, I completely forgot that she is in All About Eve. lol. You're definitely right, though.
all star cast and amazing script😍
I'm so glad you enjoyed this! Billy Wilder is one of the great writer-directors. I get the feeling you'd love his Sabrina.
Jack Lemmon returns in another Billy Wilder film, "The Apartment." I also love Lemmon's performance "The Prisoner of Second Avenue."
I guess this was your first Billy Wilder movie. He one of my favorite classic movie directors. Other movies of his I'd love for you to react to include:
The Apartment (1960)
Double Indemnity (1944)
Sunset Blvd. (1950)
Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
The bit about Shell Oil and the guy collecting sea shells has a basis in reality. The father of the founder of Shell Oil sold sea shells for a living. He named the company after his father's occupation.
You said it looked like they had a lot of fun on the set. Actually, Marilyn Monroe was a pain to deal with. She'd arrive on set late, lock herself in her trailer, fail to learn her lines, blow one take after another. Part of the problem was that she was trying to get away from "dumb blonde" parts, so she thought the role was beneath her. In general, though, she was a neurotic mess. It's amazing how good she was in this movie considering how difficult she was. Billy Wilder deliberately didn't invite her to the wrap party when filming was done. Tony Curtis said kissing Marilyn Monroe was like kissing Hitler, although he later said it was a joke.
I was born in 1955. I am only 68 years old. The Gangster Spats Columbo (Spats being the white covering on the shoes) was played by Dancer and Actor George Raft. George played plenty of Gangstes in movies and his gimmick was tossing a coin in the air and catching it. That is why the "Cheap Trick" line was so funny to audiences at that time. George worked with Joe E, Brown (Osgood) and Jack Lemmon (Daphne) on their Dance numbers. Josephine (Tony Curtis) had trouble doung a feminine voice so a famous Voice Over Artist (Paul Frees) was brought in to help him. Frees has narrated a number of movies and is most famous for being the voice of the Ghost Host in the Haunted Mansion at the various Disney Parks, He also dubbed the voice of Funeral Parlor Owner Mozzerella. The young Bellhop was played by the Son of Actor Edward G. Robinson who was known mainly for Gangster films. BTW - Prohibition lasted from 1920 - 1933. Gangster Al Copone ruled Chicago during this time until FBI Agent Eliot Ness broght him down for Tax Evasion. Capone had many people killed but they could only prove Tax Evasion.
Oh I love this movie, A classic. I've watch this so many times and laughed from beginning till end.
Joe E. Brown as Oswald was a comedy star from the 30's, George Raft as Spats was in countless WB Gangster films from the 30's. WB Gangster films in the 30's with Bogart , Cagney , Raft, & Edward G.Robinson as classic crime films.
Prohibition was from Jan 17, 1920 - to Dec 5, 1933.
The film was directed by the great Billy Wilder, a Best Director Oscar winner. He directed "Sunset Boulevard", " Double Indemnity", "Witness For The Prosecution", "Sabrina", "Lost Weekend", " Stalag 17" etc.
The character Spats was played by George Raft. He often portrayed gangsters in his early films. That's why he had such a cold demeanor.
Osgood was played by Joe E. Brown who, started in vaudeville. He was the lead in many early comedy movies.
One of the most hilarious movies ever! Honestly, anything with Lemon or Monroe is gold. You should also add “Tootsie” to your list for an ‘80s variation on this theme. Hysterically funny. And no, as a woman, not offended by anything in this. But then I know how to consume media through an historic lens. 😋
I was 5 when this 1st came out. I laughed till I cried when I saw it. A great comedy. I second the recommendation for "Arsenic and Old Lace ".
The guy at the "icing" (as you put it) whose acting you were so entertained by is Nehemiah Persoff. Almost 30 years later he hammed it up almost as much as the voice of Papa Mousekowitz in "An American Tail". (Which is a film I hope you react to, by the way.)
And the guy inside the cake was Edward G. Robinson Jr, son of Edward G. Robinson who also played many gangster roles in his long career.