The Best of The Best!

Man!  I tell you, it was Hollywood all over The Harkins Theater in West Sedona last evening!  The place was packed, the crowd joyous, and Some Like It Hot was never better! Released in 1959 and just as timely, funny, and thrilling as ever, and I've seen it at least 20 times.
Robert Osborne, of course, introduced the film and passed on some juicy morsels:  Billy Wilder, the director of this and many other terrific films, signed Tony Curtis first, then went after Frank Sinatra for the Jerry role and Mitzi Gaynor for the Sugar role.  Yuck!!  Can you imagine how not spectacular this movie would have been with those two, albeit talented and wonderful performers, in it?  Holy moley!  But, Sinatra didn't show up for a few meetings with Wilder, and Wilder, not wanting to deal with Frank's casual attitude, looked elsewhere. Jack Lemmon was a relative newcomer then, and Wilder wanted established star power for his film.  Meanwhile, Marilyn Monroe heard of the project and wrote Wilder a letter saying she wanted very much to play Sugar.  Wilder signed her in a heartbeat, and then signed Lemmon.  Tony Curtis later told the audience that he asked Wilder why he changed his mind about Jack Lemmon, and Wilder replied that Marilyn would get people into the theaters, so he could now sign the lesser known Jack.  Well, Jack was never to be lesser known again after his fabulous turn as Jerry/Dapne! 
Osborne also revealed that Marilyn, apparently a savvy businesswoman, not only took a big salary for starring in the film, but 10% of the gross profits, which made her a very wealthy woman--from Some Like It Hot alone.  And well she should have been for her luminous beauty and irresistable innocence never had a better showcase than this film.
I spent most of the two hours buoyed in my seat, floating on so much unabashed laughter that filled the auditorium throughout the film.  Hoots, hollers, whistles, and wild applause broke out right after the last immortal line uttered by Osgood to Jerry, "Well, nobody's perfect..." and carried on until Tony Curtis was introduced and rolled down the aisle in a wheelchair.  He stood and greeted Robert Osborne as if he were a long lost brother.  A bout with pneumonia last year made him unable to walk well, but "My doctor told me I'll be able to walk again, soon," he said at the end of a candid, warm, very funny, and captivating interview.  The most startling thing he revealed was that he and Marilyn were quite at ease with each other, especially in those very hot scenes on the yacht, on the couch, "lying on top of each other."  Why? Because unbeknownst to anyone on the set of Some Like It Hot, Tony and Marilyn had dated, quietly, when they first came to Hollywood: he 23, she 19, unknowns trying to get a break and make a name for themselves.
In those unforgettable scenes they were comfortable because, as Tony said, "We had practiced." 
He rolled out to the lobby and sat in the chair shaking hands and talking with fans.  I was never a Tony Curtis fan, but after last night, count me in!
That's it for today, blog-fans!  Go out and get your local theater to show Some Like It Hot on the big screen!  Then, you can be high as a kite like I am today!
Ciao,
Susan