Shayne-Michael.COMedy

Some Like It Hotter: Classic Films - by Shayne Michael

Why is Some Like It Hot so popular among the both film critics and the public? The primary reason is the actors and the chemistry they share. A close second is the clever writing. A third reason is the number of simple humor devices that add extra subtle elements of comedy. I believe keeping the setting and the plot simple allowed the film makers to concentrate on other issues, like the writing and character development.

If You Don't Know The Plot

The plot of Some Like It Hot is two men witness a murder. Now they are hunted as witnesses. To escape they join a girl band, disguised as women. The humor comes from the interaction between these two men and their love interests.

In order to prevent one character Josephine (originally Joe) from blowing their cover by coming on to the women on the train, the other guy reminds Daphne (Originally Gerald) to just keep saying, "I'm a girl... I'm a girl..." The plan works so well Gerald begins live his new identity. His lies about his life as a woman are a little too detailed. Then Joe goes on a date, originally to give his partner in crime a chance with Sugar Cane (AKA Marylin Monroe). The problem is at the date Gerald really begins to accept the female role playing during that date. By the next day, Gerald is engaged to a man. Throughout this exchange, Joe who is pretending to be Josephine, is also pretending to be a man, which he is, to win over Marylin Monroe. Of course it helps that he lies about owning Shell Oil.

The humor there comes from the strong chemistry between the three lead actors. But it also comes from never relying on the simple formulas. The film always takes a path that makes sense. But it's never the path you would expect.

Strong Writing: Keep It Simple & Ignore Easy Targets...

Some humor comes from Gerald and Joe attempting to play the part of the female roles they are taking on. But the key word is some. Easy targets, like how hard it is to walk in high heels are mostly reserved for the beginning of the film. Towards the end, the majority of the humor comes from the character interaction. How likely is it that a writer would underplay gender mismatch jokes in a film about two guys in a dress?

So why is it funny? For Daphne she's never in on the joke when she's in costume. She/He's a guy. Until She/he puts on a dress. Then he becomes the life of the Tango, and he's no longer sure which one he wants to be.

The use of lies to illustrate truths is executed throughout this film.

"If you're asking if I'm married or not?" - Tony Curtis.

"Oh I'm not interested in that..." - Marilyn Monroe.

"Well I'm not..." - Tony Curtis.

"That's very interesting..." - Marilyn Monroe.

It takes a very good writer to lay contradictions on top of contradictions that make characters more honest and compelling. Imagine a writer so gifted that they can use any lie to shed light on the truth.

Ending With A Bang

The final scene of the film finds Joe, Gerald and Marilyn (after she learns Josephine is really her love interest in a dress) boarding Osgood's boat (who believes Gerald to be his female fiancee). All three head out to Osgood's Yacht and escape the mob. There's one problem. Osgood doesn't realize that Daphne is a man. At least you would think that's a problem. As Gerald reveals his identity, one layer at a time, each layer of truth doesn't bother Osgood.

Gerald starts simple with, "I'm not a natural blonde.."

Osgood replies, "That's okay...".

Gerald adds, "I can't have children..."

"We'll adopt..." Osgood answers.

When Gerald finally removes the wig and reveals he's not a girl, Osgood replies, "nobody's perfect."

This is a simple lesson. End any production strong. The stronger the film, the stronger the ending needs to be. Some Like It Hot simply ends on Gerald's shocked expression.

Strong Characters & Chemistry: A Word About Marilyn Monroe

For the most part, I don't find blondes attractive. I never had an urge to see a movie staring Marilyn Monroe. After seeing Some Like It Hot, I was ready to buy all of Monroe's films. Monroe plays Sugar Cane in this film. One of the thing that makes her so funny is that she is never in on the joke; however like most classic airheads she often comes of as having more common sense than anyone else in the film. Her character is similar to a Gracey Allen. It's not just Monroe's acting that gives the character its flare. Sugar Cane's character was very carefully thought out. Her back story is incredibly detailed. Moreover, every detail of her back story is worked into jokes later in the film. The sympathy for the character is earned early in the film because Sugar Cane's history is so believable.

Using Marylin's Voice Sparingly

Monroe sings three songs in Some Like It Hot. The first song is I Wanna Be Loved By You. This is a perfect prelude for anyone who is looking for love, as Marylin is in the film. The second song follows a "Now That I Found You..." theme and coincides with her meeting the phoney prince from Shell Oil. The last song, "I'm Through With Men", appears as a reaction to their break-up.

The songs don't showcase Monroe's voice, they give deeper meaning to the movie's plot. Having Monroe sing five songs to showcase her sultry voice instead would have detracted from the plot of the film. At the same time, with Monroe's popularity, it would be a very easy mistake to make.

Chemistry Equals Believability

Another reason the film works is because there's a good chemistry between the characters, especially the two men. Joe the practical one; Gerald is the gambler. And Gerald seems to be able to talk Joe into anything. In one scene, Joe and Gerald loose their overcoats because Gerald bets on a long shot, which he calls a sure bet. After that horse comes through, Gerald says they'll have ten coats. Of course, the next day the horse looses and only the bass fiddle is bundled in a warm casing.

Now Gerald is considering pawning their instruments ,the ones they use to make a living, to get their coats out of the pawn shop. It takes a strong chemistry between characters to make that type of exchange plausible. It's important that you buy that because Gerald is the one who eventually talks Joe into dressing like a woman and hiding out in Florida.

What You May Miss: Underplaying Irony

In the opening scene which involves a raid on a Speak Easy, the only person who nearly gets away from the police is the drunken bum. He wants coffee. How easy would it have been for the writer to have the bum yell, "I want beer"? How much funnier is the scene when he demands coffee instead?

Throw Away Jokes 101

The film also made use of some very simple humorous devices. These are the throw-away jokes that may make the difference between a good film and a classic. However, even here film makers took them to another level. Irony rarely plays a solo part in this film. A good example was the names given the main characters. Toothpick Charlie was fat. Beenstalk was short. Sweet Sue was a real bitch.

If that's where you stop, you have a similar device used in Fletch. But the film makers in Some Like It Hot used the ironies just a little better than most other film makers.

Sweet Sue was anything but sweet. But later in the film you realize she is a bitch except when she's on stage. Then she comes off as a sweet loving angel. That extra touch, that extra piece of information, that little bit more makes every ironic name in the film just a little more convincing.

One other thing the writers did well with Some Like It Hot was they knew when to stop. It would have been easy to give Monroe her own ironic name. She's gorgeous, so why not call her Sour Grapes? It would get laughs, right? Well by not doing that makes Monroe seem sweeter, gentler and more beautiful. And thus when compared to all the other minor characters in the film, she really stands out.

Summary Of This Article

The film Some Like It Hot is a subtle lesson in writing and casting. It's an example of taking common themes in comedy and doing them a little differently. It's a lesson in using ironies, without being ironic. It's a lesson in character development and chemistry. It's a lesson on how to use a star the caliber of Marylin Monroe without overshadowing the rest of the film. That's part of why Some Like It Hot is a classic.

When you look at everything the film makers and actors did right while producing Some Like It Hot it's easy see why the film is still so popular today. The film makers took on cliche jokes in original ways. They used lies to illuminate truths. They stacked new ironies on top of ironies to build call backs and character development. All the way through the film, these novelties were held together by three interesting characters that had a strong chemistry together that built until the film's final moments. To do all that with a single film, you must have a brilliant writer and an excellent cast.