Some Like It Hot released 50 years ago today

Some Like It Hot Released: March 29, 1959 Studio: United Artists Genre: comedy/romance Box Office (numbers in millions): Domestic: 25.00 Worldwide: ? Adjusted for Inflation: Domestic: 437.70 Worldwide: ?

Directing: Billy Wilder Screenwriting: Billy Wilder, I.A.L. Diamond Starring: Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, Joe E. Brown, George Raft Review: “Billy Wilder was at the height of his powers when he made this uproarious” TV and “expertly constructed farce.” ML The “wonderfully-satirical, funny comedy” FS is “sensational from start to finish, with dazzling performances by Lemmon and Curtis, a memorably comic turn by Monroe as Sugar Kane, and Oscar-winning costumes by Orry-Kelly.” LM The movie was “deliberately shot in black-and-white to avoid the pitfalls of camp or transvestism.” T95 Because it “featured cross-dressing and homosexuality” MSN it “was released without receiving a certificate of approval of the Production Code Administration, which enforced the Motion Picture Production Code of moral guidelines. The code was decreasing in importance at the time because of increased social tolerance. Because of its success, Some Like It Hot was considered to be a main catalyst for the code to completely be abandoned.” MSN Joe (Curtis) and Jerry (Lemmon) are two unemployed jazz musicians who accidentally witness the 1929 St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. To escape Chicago hitmen, led by “dime-flipping, spats-wearing ringleader Spats Columbo (Raft),” FS they dress in drag and join an all-girl band headed to Florida. “They’re a couple of goners” A07 when they meet “luscious, voluptuous singer Sugar Kowalczyk (Monroe)” FS “(‘Look how she moves! It’s like Jell-O on springs!’).” A07 To attract her attention, Joe, in a “dead-on lampoon of Cary Grant,” TV also dresses as a wealthy, yacht owner. “Daphne (impressed with his own new sexy image) distracts the real millionaire – a smitten, oft-wed Osgood Fielding III (Brown).” FS The latter leads to “the greatest fade-out line in film history:” FS “Brown’s bland ‘Nobody’s perfect’ when his fiancee (Lemmon) finally confesses that she’s a he.” TO’95 Sources: A07 American Film Institute (2007). “AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies – 10th Anniversary Edition” FS Filmsite.org “100 Greatest Films” LM Leonard Maltin “100 Must-See Films of the 20th Century” ML Movieline (Dec. 1995). “100 Best Movies Ever Made” by Virginia Campbell and Edward Margulies MSN MSN Entertainment (7/19/2018). “100 Best Movies” by Shahnaz Mahmud T95 Time Out (1995). “Centenary Top One Hundred Films” TV TV Guide (August 8-14, 1998 issue). “50 Greatest Movies on TV and Video”

Awards/Honors/Lists: Dave’s Movie Database Lists: Dave’s Movie Database Genre Lists: Awards: Oscars: Wins: 1, Best B/W Costume Design Nominations: 6 – including Best Director, Best Actor (Lemmon), Best Screenplay Other Lists/Honors: Critics’ Picks: Roger Ebert Leslie Halliwell/John Walker Leonard Maltin First posted 8/12/2019; last updated 6/2/2023.

All About Eve released 50 years ago today

All About Eve Released: October 13, 1950 Studio: 20th Century Fox Genre: drama Box Office (numbers in millions): Domestic: 0.30 Worldwide: ? Adjusted for Inflation: Domestic: 155.60 Worldwide: ?

Directing: Joseph L. Mankiewicz Screenwriting: Joseph L. Mankiewicz Starring: Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, George Sanders, Celeste Holm, Thelma Ritter, Gary Merrill Review: This “brilliantly sophisticated (and cynical) look at life in and around the theater” LM has become “an all-time classic.” VD “Wit and sarcasm reign supreme” FS in “Hollywood’s definitive backstage drama” TV via memorable lines such as “Fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a bumpy night!” Based on Mary Orr’s short story “The Wisdom of Eve,” “Mankiewicz’s biting script of ambition and betrayal in the New York theatre” A07 “says trunkloads about show business, human behavior and the direct correlation between talent and utter viciousness.” TV In “the high point of Bette Davis’s long career,” TV she plays Broadway veteran Margo Channing, an “aging, bitchy accomplished star.” FS She takes an adoring fan – the ambitious, young starlet Eve Harrington (Baxter) – under her wing. As the story unfolds, we see the supposedly naïve protégé “insinuating herself into the life of her idol, and scheming to steal her theatrical roles and her lover Bill (Merrill). By ruthlessly exploiting the older woman’s kindness and hospitality, she manages to achieve her present success while almost destroying the veteran star in the process.” FS “George Sanders is perfect as Addison De Witt – a cynical, egotistical columnist/critic.” FS The film also features “the young Marilyn Monroe as a budding talent” RS in a bit part and “the most literate catfight ever filmed.” TV in this “razor sharp satire on the theater world.” VD “This nearly flawless film was nominated for an astounding 14 Oscars, a feat not duplicated until 47 years later with James Cameron’s Titanic.” MSN Sources: A07 American Film Institute (2007). “AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies – 10th Anniversary Edition” FS Filmsite.org “100 Greatest Films” LM Leonard Maltin “100 Must-See Films of the 20th Century” MSN MSN Entertainment (7/19/2018). “100 Best Movies” by Shahnaz Mahmud RS Rolling Stone (12/30/1999). “100 Maverick Movies of the Last 100 Years” TV TV Guide (August 8-14, 1998 issue). “50 Greatest Movies on TV and Video” VD Video Detective (1997). “Top 100 Films of All Time”

Awards/Honors/Lists: Dave’s Movie Database Lists: Awards: Oscars: Wins: 6 – Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (Sanders), Best B/W Costume Design, Best Sound Nominations: 14 – including Best Actress (Baxter), Best Actress (Davis), Best Supporting Actress (Holm), Best Supporting Actress (Ritter) Other Lists/Honors: Critics’ Picks: Roger Ebert Leonard Maltin First posted 8/24/2019; last updated 6/3/2023.