The Making of Some Like It Hot by Tony Curtis

Marilyn seemed to flub her lines more often when the camera shot was a close-up, when the pressure was on her and her alone. Marilyn got everything right on the first take. on the beach had to be filmed quickly, as noisy jets from a nearby naval base were taking off every ten minutes. The scene where Sugar meets Shell Oil, Jr. But for all of the stories about Marilyn’s reputation for keeping people waiting or blowing lines, Curtis has just as many instances where she was letter-perfect or got a scene in one take. But I finally got past that.” He may have gotten past those feelings, but that didn’t stop him from writing about them, repeatedly. He clearly felt that Lemmon was director Billy Wilder’s favorite and that Marilyn’s difficult behavior earned her special privileges. That’s what colored my perception of the film for a long time. She was chosen, favored over Jack and me. Everything was done to keep Marilyn happy. He complains endlessly about the “special treatment” that Marilyn received. “I looked at the film and I thought that in the beginning of it I was weaker than I really was. Lemmon, Marilyn Monroe, and director Billy Wilder I wanted to know how to create that magic, like stars did in the pictures I’d seen when I was a kid.” I wanted to get closer to the source of the art. Being around artists like Jack and Billy and Marilyn affected me. It wasn’t enough to learn the lines and show up. It was enough for me to be a handsome actor, maybe the handsomest in town. He tries to sound humble, but can’t help pondering that he was possibly “the handsomest” actor in Hollywood: “ Some Like it Hot did a lot for my development as an actor.

While Curtis is always an entertaining read, his never-ending ego does grow tiresome after a while. And cashing in on the enduring popularity of Marilyn Monroe, which would certainly guarantee book sales. Some Like it Hot’s recent heralding as the #1 American comedy of all time by The American Film Institute ( AFI). Written with the assistance of film historian Mark Vieira, the book is packed full of great color and black and white photos from the set.Ĭurtis, who died in 2010, had already written two memoirs, Tony Curtis: The Autobiography (1994) and American Prince: A Memoir (2008). In Tony Curtis’s memoir, The Making of Some Like It Hot: My Memories of Marilyn Monroe and the Classic American Movie the well-known Hollywood actor tells his version of what went on behind-the-scenes of one of the funniest movies ever made. Diamond, Jack Lemmon, Billy Wilder, and Marilyn Monroe.” All I know is that it gave me a chance to work with four comic geniuses: I.A.L. “Some people say that Some Like it Hot is the funniest movie ever made. Xoxoxoe’s #CBR4 Review #49: The Making of Some Like It Hot: My Memories of Marilyn Monroe and the Classic American Movie, by Tony Curtis

The Making of Some Like It Hot by Tony Curtis