Did he really say this? If so, did he say it during an interview while the movie was being produced, or after it was released? What did he mean by this? Was he being sarcastic? Was he implying that Marilyn had a cold personality? Didn't he retract what he said back in the 1990's?
Thanks!
Cheers!
Over the years, Tony has been changing what he claims he said numerous times. First, he was saying he didn't say it at all, then suddenly he was saying he did say it but he meant it sarcastically. Nowadays, he is saying he claims to have actually said "What do you think it was like, kissing Marilyn?! Like kissing Hitler?! What do you expect me to say?!" Or to that effect.
Jack Lemmon once said in an interview that he was in the room when Tony said it. And the way Jack was describing it, Tony said it in a fairly negative way. So, no matter what Tony says to cover himself up or makes of it in his next interview, I myself (and I'm sure, like many others) totally believe Jack over Tony any day!
So, in that respect, he must have said it to spite her probably because she took a long time to prepare for the yacht scenes, perhaps. Jack said he was sitting behind the camera with Billy Wilder going over the scripts when they were shooting that scene so he was there.
Marilyn Monroe: I don't want to be rich. I just want to be wonderful.
Very interesting! Thank you very much!
I agree. Jack's point of view had more credibility than Tony's. Considering the fact that Jack was in the same room with Tony when the comment was made...Jack was the best judge (regarding if Tony said it, his tone of voice when he said it, what he probably meant when he said it, etc). Unfortunately, Jack is deceased, and no longer available for interviews.
Cheers!
I'm a huge Marilyn Monroe fan, but I always look at the bigger picture when it comes to analyzing this comment.
Marilyn, at this point in her life, was practically unbareable to work with. Never on set and when she was, she would refuse to come out of her dressing room (due to stage fright, not because of arrogance) Jack and Tony had to suffer endless retakes of scenes, sometimes suffering through countless retakes of simple lines such as "it's me Sugar." They were left waiting all day in full make up and heels. She was always so distracted on set, while Jack and Tony had to make sure each of their scenes were PERFECT, because as soon as Marilyn got it right, that's what was going to go to print, regardless of Jack and Tony's preformance.. and that's a lot of pressure for any actor to be under. As much as I love her, she can't have been easy to work with and in a way, I can understand Tony making such a hurtful comment. We've all become mad at people we work with for various reasons.
However, I simply do NOT agree with the blatant lies Tony Curtis has been spreading lately, claiming Marilyn was pregnant with his child during the filming of 'Some Like It Hot.' It's not fair as she is no longer around to defend herself. He should be ashamed of himself.
That's my rant over lol.
I agree. Almost everybody who starred in a film with Marilyn said she could be extremely difficult to work with. Clark Gable was extremely grateful when they finished filming: "The Misfits" (1961). Regarding working with her, he said: "she damn near gave me a heart attack", and less than two weeks later, had a fatal heart attack in real life.
I think Tony Curtis probably meant what he said due to a combination of stress, and frustration. Marilyn's reputation for being cold and distant, and having to re-shoot several scenes umpteen times, including the kissing scenes on the yaht, didn't help, either. I think he has retracted, and/or changed what he said over the years because he feels guilty for the "Hitler" comparison. After Marilyn's death, many movie buffs elevated her to the level of: "superstar", but back in 1959, when "Some Like it Hot" was produced, she was a just a "blond bombshell/sex symbol", and not half as famous as she is now world-wide.
Oh, Marilyn was a pretty significant star in the late 1950s.
Actors who are "just a blond bombshell" don't keep getting hired for major productions after they start creating as many problems on the set as Marylin was creating at the time. Heck, if they start doing that from the beginning of shooting, a "just a bombshell" actress wouldn't get to finish that picture. You can always get another "just a bombshell" type, if that's all you've got to start with.
"Oh, Marilyn was a pretty significant star in the late 1950s."
And you're not just whistling Dixie there, PillowRock!
Marilyn, of course, now has eclipsed virtually every star who ever lived; her fame knows no bounds. But, she was absolutely a star of the highest order well before the end of her life.
Remember, she received the equivalent (in today's money) of nearly TWENTY MILLION dollars for her role in SLIH. That's on par with what the most well-paid modern actors receive.
Still, MM never really cared about money at all. She could have pulled a coup like Liz Taylor did and tossed out ridiculous demands such as the one million dollars Taylor received (for an abysmal performance, I might add) in Cleopatra. But her ego did not allow for this type of vulgarity.
It is my firm belief that, had MM lived, she'd today be talked about with the greatest actors of all time (as opposed to 'screen presence' or 'star'). She did have the talent. It's there, in flashes, and bits of brilliance here and there, if anyone cares to look for it -- even on screen.
But, as Lee Strasberg said in MM's eulogy, her greatest acting triumphs came in studio and on stage -- where the harshest of all critics witnessed her gargantuan talent. It's such a shame that more of that wasn't captured on film for us to witness today.
Yet, what is there is absolute magic. Anyone who knows the craft understands the reality of this.
PS To be fair to her, I should mention that I absolutely adore Liz Taylor in 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf' -- this, too, is a truly great performance (and one of my all-time favorites).
It is my firm belief that, had MM lived, she'd today be talked about with the greatest actors of all time
I just watched the commentary on Some LIke It Hot and Tony states there that he was told she was pregnant, that he did not know if she was or not. He never states anything about it being his child. I've never heard or read that myself. He even said he didn't know if she lost the baby or had an abortion. I'm not sure when the interview was recorded but I don't believe Tony would have said that.
shareI just watched the commentary on Some LIke It Hot and Tony states there that he was told she was pregnant, that he did not know if she was or not. He never states anything about it being his child. I've never heard or read that myself. He even said he didn't know if she lost the baby or had an abortion. I'm not sure when the interview was recorded but I don't believe Tony would have said that.
by - cluvonj on Mon Oct 4 2010 13:27:58
Yes I saw another interview with him and he stated he said it in gest and that it was taken seriously and blown out of proportion. It was on TCM I think I saw the interview where he speaks this. I had another comment later on in this thread on October 2, 2010 where I stated more on that.
shareClassic case of screen star ego & rejection . He probably tried to shag her during filming - unsuccesfully - which led to this bitter comment . That's me reading between the lines anyway .......
Oh God i'm so sorry Tony - R.I.P. - U.K. TV is playing this film right now as a tribute , a genuine star , as was Marilyn .
That which does not Kill me makes me Stranger . . .
I believe it was sarcastic.
I'm pretty. My eyes, my smile, my body. You should see me without a shirt on, its kinda ridiculous.
Poor Marilyn. She was absolutely incandescent and compelling to watch onscreen but I believe she may have been a huge pain to work with. Mostly not her fault - she was psychologically unwell. However Billy Wilder is on record as saying that he would go through all the trauma of working with her again as she was pure gold onscreen. This was said quite a while afterward though when distance held enchantment.
shareNot her fault? At what point does her behavior become her responsibility? If she found her work so distressful that she disrupted filming on a routine basis, she could have found another way to pay the bills.
That said, I don't deny her talent. For example, in The Prince & the Showgirl, she plainly outshines the legendary Olivier. He comes across as a ham, while Marilyn is a gem--natural, endearing, a brilliant comedienne, and on top of it all, absolutely ravishing.
Like Wilder, Olivier found the agony of working with her justified by the results. When co-star Sybil Thorndike complained about her, he said, "Just watch the rushes, darling." Thorndike had to admit that Marilyn was brilliant on screen, and if anything, Dame Sybil herself was an "old fogey."
He comes across as a ham
---------------------------------
Olivier is an absolute ham in just about everything he did
"After the scene some of the crew and I stood around to watch the rushes,
and they wanted to know what it was like to kiss her.
I figured a question that stupid deserved a stupid answer,
so I flippantly replied:
'Kissing Marilyn is like kissing Hitler.'
I was right — it was a stupid answer.
What I should have said was: 'What do you think kissing her is like, birdbrain?'"
I'm in love with her now. I've loved her all these years."
^ Link?
Why, I'm an expert on padded cells.
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I know that I have heard Tony in interviews say that he felt it was obvious that kissing her would be wonderful so he was being sarcastic when he said that quote. He also said you have to be careful what you say for the press will run with it and twist.
To me it would also be obvious that it was sarcastic and even if Jack Lemmon said he sounded serious still could mean he said it seriously yet still be sarcastic. I dont see a reason why he would even if she had been problematic on the set for him to have made that statement literally. He has been nothing but complimentary toward her in interviews in the 90s up to the present.
Yes, he was being sarcastic. In an interview I saw with him on TCM or maybe even on the extra footage on the DVD, I can't remember, but it was pretty obvious that he thoroughly enjoyed kissing Marilyn. He called her "naughty" because she would kiss him passionately until he got aroused and would then abrubtly walk away.
"Dolores, I have five days to complete this picture. Don't get goofy on me."
I agree. Tony was probably being sarcastic.
Thanks for all the info and comments everybody!
Cheers!
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Tony Curtis said a lot of things, most of which can be taken with a grain of salt. He did indeed say it, and had many unkind to say about MM for years after her death, until he decided he'd get more publicity by denying the remark and claiming her "loved" her, was her lover during the filming and to top it off, the baby she was so obviously pregnant with, was his!!
Monroe had known Tony since the early 1950's, and apparently liked him. Everybody looks comfortable and relaxed on all the location shots, on the beach, on the pier, in front of the hotel. She was shocked and hurt by the "Hitler" remark and even brought it up in her very last interview, referring to Tony as "some actor." She said, further: "If I have to do intimate love scenes with a person who really has these kind of negative feelings about me, then my fantasy can come into play. Out with him, in with my fantasy!"
By the way, Billy Wilder later said it was "quite obvious" that Tony was enjoying the scene. His tight white pants could not conceal that.
"denis-38"...Thanks for the trivia ! Very fascinating stuff regarding Tony and Marilyn.