MovieChat Forums > Some Like It Hot (1959) Discussion > Billy Wilder and MM

Billy Wilder and MM

posted 8 years ago by AndersonWhitbeck
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MM under non exclusive contract to 20th owed that studio a film but somehow persuaded Sypros Skouras at 20th for MM to do Some Like It Hot at UA to be directed by her Seven Year Itch director Billy Wilder. The role of Sugar Kane was first thought of for Mitzi Gaynor but when MM expressed interest Wilder offered the role and top billing to MM. How grateful we all should be. MM took basically a supporting role and made it the star! Wilder and Monroe both pushed the censors with some outrageously revealing camera angles of MM''s body and Orry Kelly's dresses left little to the imagination in 1959. MM shrewdly negotiated a big percentage that made her a multi millionaire and in fact her estate still reaps in money from this classic 57 years after the release.

Marilyn Monroe was robbed of a nomination as was Joe E Brown, and Jack Lemmon should have won the Oscar for Best Actor instead of Charlton Heston for Ben Hur.

[–] 8 years ago

[deleted]

[–] TMC-4 (20129) 7 years ago

https://www.datalounge.com/thread/20860005-poor-marilyn-monroe-looked-so-tired-and-worn-out-in-this-photo

Marilyn was difficult to cast and in her later films she was in a strange position as an above-the-title star who was generally off-screen far longer than someone in a comparable position. No fucking way was a Davis or a Crawford going to be off-screen in her movies as much as Marilyn was. Case in point SOME LIKE IT HOT - although she is the top-billed star, her role is comparatively small compared to Jack Lemmon's and Tony Curtis'. I'm sure it's because she was such a psychological mess and so incredibly unprofessional Billy Wilder called her "the meanest woman in Hollywood" because she didn't give a damn about the misery she inflicted upon others.

—Anonymous

reply 4 6 hours ago