Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Some Like It Hot: 50th Anniversary Edition

Some Like It Hot: 50th Anniversary Edition (1959) Starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, George Raft, Pat O’Brien, Nehemiah Persoff, Joe E. Brown, Joan Shawlee – Directed by Billy Wilder



It’s been 50 years since the release of the now classic comedy and cinema fans can rejoice at the recently announced 50th Anniversary Edition 2-Disc DVD. There was a Collector’s Edition that was released in 2007 but the new release, which is scheduled to hit store shelves on September 1st, might finally contain the special features that fans have been clamoring for. It is, after all, one of the most beloved comedies of all time. If you have yet to see it there’s never been a better time to check it out and see what all the fuss is about. For starters, it will certainly go down as one of the best and most memorable performances for all three of its stars. Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon star as Joe and Jerry respectively, two out-of-work musicians in 1929 Chicago who accidentally witness a Mob hit on Valentine’s Day. In a desperate attempt to run they disguise themselves as women and join up with an all-female band headed to Florida. Once on the train they both end up falling for the lead singer and ukulele player Sugar Kane (Marilyn Monroe). Sugar is on the run as well, trying to escape her historically bad choices in men; apparently she has a thing for tenor sax players (like Joe) but always ends up with her heart broken and coleslaw in her face. Having had enough with the red cabbage facials she has decided to meet and marry a millionaire once she gets to the seaside. She’s disappointed however to find that the rich men that troll the beaches of Miami are decidedly older than she had hoped. But Joe has a plan. Donning a second disguise (and a Cary Grant accent) Joe introduces himself to Sugar as Junior, heir-apparent to the Shell Oil fortune. As for Jerry, he’s got admirers of his own. Is she as devastatingly breathtaking as Marilyn? Not quite. Jerry finds himself pursued by a gentlemen by the name of Osgood – a real millionaire with a real million dollars. After some pleading (and just a few threats) Joe convinces Jerry to occupy Osgood on the mainland one night while Joe (as Junior) takes Sugar onto Osgood’s yacht. There he pretends to be gay in the hopes that Sugar will view his lack of interest in women as a challenge. As the sun rises the next morning we find Joe and Sugar deeply in love, and Jerry has received a marriage proposal from Osgood. But the morning also brings trouble. The very Mafia goons that were chasing after Joe and Jerry check into the same hotel! Apparently there is a ‘Friends of the Opera’ convention going on (so it’s going to be a little weird) but that’s actually just a front for the Mob! That’s when the ‘ladies’ have to put their pumps to the pavement in one of the greatest chase scenes ever filmed. Marilyn Monroe performed three songs for the soundtrack – including one of her signature tunes “I Wanna Be Loved By You”. Despite reported problems on the set, Monroe was at her comedic best in a role that, looking back, couldn’t have been played by anyone else. And the critics agreed – she won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy that year, one of the few acting awards she ever received. Special features for this new edition have yet to be announced, but hopefully it will combine features from both the Collector’s edition that was released in 2007 and the laserdisc edition that came out in the 80s. So pre-order this comedy classic now and be one of the first to get your copy on its tentative September 1st street date.

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