Billy Wilder’s twenty-second movie, The Fortune Cookie, the Academy-Award winning film starring Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon, was released in 1966. Billy was 60 years old. It’s a good thing I like Jack Lemmon. Here he is again in The Fortune Cookie. (All told, Lemmon appears in seven Wilder films!) Fortunately, this time he’s with […]
Entries Tagged as 'Academy Award'
Day Twenty Two: The Fortune Cookie
July 21st, 2011 · No Comments · 1966, Academy Award, Cliff Osmond, Ed Sikov, Fortune Cookie, Howard McNear, IAL Diamond, Jack Lemmon, On Sunset Boulevard, Walter Matthau
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Day Twenty: Irma la Douce
July 19th, 2011 · No Comments · 1963, Academy Award, Adaptation, Alexandre Breffort, Bruce Yarnell, Grace Lee Whitney, Herschel Bernardi, Howard McNear, Irma la Douce, Jack Lemmon, Lou Jacobi, Paris, Shirley MacLaine
Billy Wilder’s twentieth movie, Irma la Douce, starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley Maclaine, was released in 1963. Billy was 57 years old. Once again, Billy’s directorial output takes a turn — this time for the better. It’s possible this is a better movie than the one that preceded it (One, Two, Three, starring James Cagney) […]
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Day Eighteen: The Apartment
July 17th, 2011 · No Comments · 1960, Academy Award, Apartment, Fred MacMurray, IAL Diamond, Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine
Billy Wilder’s eighteenth movie, The Apartment, the Academy-Award winning comedy starring Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, and Fred MacMurray, was released in 1960. Billy was 54 years old. In typical Billy Wilder fashion, The Apartment starts with voiceover narration — lots and lots of exposition, which is usually the kiss of death for a screenwriter with […]
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Day Eleven: Stalag 17
July 10th, 2011 · No Comments · 1953, Academy Award, Adaptation, Don Taylor, Harvey Lembeck, Neville Brand, Otto Preminger, Peter Graves, Richard Erdman, Robert Strauss, Stalag 17, William Holden
Billy Wilder’s eleventh movie, Stalag 17, starring William Holden, was released in 1953. Billy was 47 years old. This is a great movie, one I’ve seen many times. And I’m sure I’ll see it many more times to come. In typical Billy Wilder fashion, it relies heavily on narration, well-rounded characters, and clever plotting. William […]
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Day Nine: Sunset Boulevard
July 8th, 2011 · No Comments · 1950, Academy Award, Ed Sikov, Erich von Stroheim, Fred Clark, Gloria Swanson, Jack Webb, Lloyd Gough, Montgomery Clift, Nancy Olson, On Sunset Boulevard, Sunset Boulevard, William Holden
Billy Wilder’s ninth movie, Sunset Boulevard, arguably one of the greatest films ever made, was released in 1950. Billy was 44 years old. If all Billy Wilder had ever directed was Sunset Boulevard it would have been enough to secure him a place on the Mount next to Zeus. This is the stuff of legend. […]
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You can call me Billy. But don't expect me to answer to that.