How the film “Some Like It Hot” was filmed: footage from the filming and 22 interesting facts about the film (23 photos)

Of course, the film Some Like It Hot, released in 1959, can be called a film for all times and one of the most iconic comedies in the world.





1. In fact, the film "Some Like It Hot" is not original. This is a remake of the French film "Fanfare of Love" (1935). And in 1951, the Germans made a remake of the film “Fanfare of Love” under the same name.



"Fanfare of Love" (Original, 1935, France)

But the most interesting thing is that the future director of the film Some Like It Hot, Billy Wilder, did not even see the original French film, but only its German remake of 1951. And according to his admission, he did not like the film itself, but he really liked its idea, so he decided to make his own version of this film for the German remake. So it turns out that Some Like It Hot is a remake of a remake.





"Fanfare of Love" (Remake, 1951, Germany)

Although, it is worth noting that the story of the main characters' escape from the mafia was not in the original film, nor in the German remake.

2. In fact, the film is called "Some like it hot", which translates as "Some like it hot." This title was suggested by the film's screenwriter, Easy Diamond, who felt that ambiguity could be used here.

Firstly, the word "hot" can be used to denote the sexual overtones of the film;

Secondly, the word "hot" can be used to represent climate change, as the main characters are transported from cold Chicago to hot Florida.

3. In the late 50s, color films were already being shot in full swing, and Marilyn Monroe’s contract stipulated that she would shoot exclusively in color films. But why then was the film released in black and white and not color?



Billy Wilder - director

First, color films would be more expensive to produce and distribute;

Secondly, director Billy Wilder wanted the audience to be imbued with that very atmosphere of gangster times, because the events of the film take place in 1926;

Thirdly, during test filming on color film, it turned out that the makeup on the main characters looked simply terrible, and in this version it would simply be impossible to mistake them for girls.



As a result, it was decided to shoot the film in black and white. And there were no problems with Marilyn Monroe’s contract.

4. Before casting Marilyn Monroe in the role of “Darling,” director Billy Wilder considered several famous actresses, including Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn, Mitzi Gaynor, and others.



As a result, none of the actresses were suitable for this role for various reasons. Some could not sing, some were not allowed by their schedule, some were not suitable for this role purely externally, and some were simply not liked by the studio bosses.

But then Billy Wilder received a letter from actress Marilyn Monroe, who expressed a desire to work with the director, especially since they had already worked together before.



True, their work on the filming of The Seven Year Itch (1955) was very tense, as the famous actress was capricious every now and then. But Billy Wilder decided that the presence of a star of this level in his new film would only benefit him, especially since Marilyn was suitable for the role of Darling in all respects.



But Marilyn herself was terribly upset when she found out that she would again have to play the blonde simpleton.

5. This time, filming the film became even more intense, as Marilyn Monroe constantly forgot her lines, which wildly irritated the director. Even the incorrect pronunciation of the short and banal phrase “It's me, Sugar” took as many as 47 takes. Do you now understand the scale of the disaster?



Billy Wilder himself compared working with Monroe to a plane with a psycho with explosives on board.

Because of this, during filming, posters were specially hung on the walls with Marilyn’s lines written on them so that sheI could use them as tips. In some scenes, the actress can even be seen moving her eyes while delivering a line. Yes, she was just reading the text.



And this is only a small part of what the actress did. She constantly argued with the director, drank alcohol, was late for filming, came to filming with her acting teacher so that she would give her verdict, etc.

This behavior could be explained by the fact that the actress was pregnant, she had problems with her husband, huge problems with sleep, and depression. All this, naturally, was reflected in the filming process.



6. Initially, the director wanted to cast famous comedians Danny Kaye and Bob Hope in the roles of Joe and Jerry, but then his plans changed dramatically, as he wanted to see younger actors in his film.

The first to fall under his gaze was actor Tony Curtis. Moreover, he offered Curtis any role to choose from. As a result, Tony got the role of Joe (Josephine).

But several actors were considered for the role of Jerry (Daphne), including Frank Sinatra. But he simply ignored the invitation.



As a result, Wilder offered the role of Jerry (Daphne) to Jack Lemmon, who he liked in the film "Operation Crazy Party." Jack immediately agreed to this role, and he was not at all embarrassed that he would have to parade around in a woman's dress and with lipstick for most of the film.

By the way, actors Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis were bosom friends in life. This is probably why there was such strong chemistry between their characters.



7. The first scene filmed was the episode of the train leaving Chicago. Unfortunately, the studio did not have suitable scenery for the station at its disposal, so it was necessary to turn to the Metro Goldwyn Mayer studio for help, which just had an excellent station scenery at its disposal.

8. During the filming of the film, Marilyn Monroe overdid it with sleeping pills, which is why she had to be pumped out and then sent to the hospital for two weeks. Naturally, because of this, filming had to be frozen until the actress left the hospital.



9. After the kissing scene between Tony Curtis and Marilyn Monroe, the actor said that kissing Monroe was the same as kissing Adolf Hitler. After this, the phrase spread so widely that it even became popular among the people. But Curtis himself later said that this was someone's joke, and that he did not say such a thing. But it was already too late.



10. It was originally planned that the main characters would wear ordinary women's dresses purchased in a store. But none of the dresses suited the actors, as they all fit them just awful. Then separate women's dresses were sewn especially for them.

11. Tony Curtis couldn't voice his character because he couldn't make his voice high enough. But Jack Lemmon independently voiced his character, including in a female role.

12. After the film was finally made, Billy Wilder said he would never contact Marilyn Monroe again. He also added that he was too old and rich to allow himself to experience such stress again.



However, he spoke well of Marilyn Monroe as a good actress, but nothing more.

14. The film was released in Soviet distribution under the title “Some Like It Hot,” and only in 1966, that is, 7 years after the film’s release. At that time, Marilyn Monroe was no longer alive, as she died in 1962.

And by the way, this film was the only one with the participation of Marilyn Monroe, which was shown in the USSR on big screens.



15. In order to better get used to the role, Jack Lemmon decided that he and Curtis should visit the women's restroom at the studio in their characters. True, nothing came of this, since everyone recognized them in the toilet. Nevertheless,

Also, the actors were hired by a choreographer who was supposed to teach them how to walk in heels correctly. But after many days of training, the actors were unable to learn how to do it properly. Therefore, everything is done