Billy Wilder’s seventeenth movie, Some Like It Hot, the irrepressible comedy starring Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, and Marilyn Monroe, was released in 1959. Billy was 53 years old. This is what movie-making is all about! Some Like It Hot is my second favorite movie, following closely on the heels of Casablanca. This is note perfect, […]
Entries from July 16th, 2011
Day Seventeen: Some Like It Hot
July 16th, 2011 · No Comments · 1959, IAL Diamond, Inciting Incident, Jack Lemmon, Marilyn Monroe, Mid Point, Plot Point I, Plot Point II, Some Like It Hot, Tony Curis
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Day Sixteen: Witness For the Prosecution
July 15th, 2011 · No Comments · 1957, Adaptation, Agatha Christie, Charles Laughton, Elsa Lanchester, Harry Kurnitz, Larry Marcus, Tyrone Power, Una O'Connor, Witness For the Prosecution
Billy Wilder’s sixteenth movie, Witness For the Prosecution, starring Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich, Charles Laughton, and Elsa Lanchester, was released in 1957. Billy was 51 years old. After watching The Spirit of 76 and Love in the Afternoon — two of Billy Wilder’s weaker movies — Witness For the Prosecution looks like an Academy-Award winner. […]
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Day Fifteen: Love In the Afternoon
July 14th, 2011 · No Comments · 1957, Adaptation, Audrey Hepburn, Claude Anet, Gary Cooper, IAL Diamond, John McGiver, Love in the Afternoon, Maurice Chevalier
Billy Wilder’s fifteenth movie, Love in the Afternoon, starring Gary Cooper and Audrey Hepburn, was released in 1957. Billy was 51 years old. First, a few comments: 1. Maurice Chevalier has always given me the creeps. Anyone who can sing a song like, “Thank Heaven For Little Girls” (from Gigi, 1958) while gazing with a […]
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Day Fourteen: The Spirit of St. Louis
July 13th, 2011 · No Comments · 1957, Adaptation, Charles Lindbergh, Jimmy Stewart, Spirit of St Louis
Billy Wilder’s fourteenth movie, The Spirit of St. Louis,The Spirit of St. Louis, starring James Stewart, was released in in 1957. Billy was 51 years old. Principle Cast: Charles Augustus ‘Slim’ Lindbergh…………………………….James Stewart I don’t know what to say about this movie. For one thing, Lucky Lindy was 25 when he made his famous solo […]
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Day Thirteen: The Seven Year Itch
July 12th, 2011 · No Comments · 1955, Adaptation, Ally McBeal, Billy Wilder In Hollywood, Billy Wilder Interviews, James Thurber, Marilyn Monroe, Maurice Zolotow, My World and Welcome To It, Robert Horton, Seven Year Itch, Tom Ewell, Walter Mitty, William Windom
Billy Wilder’s thirteenth movie, The Seven Year Itch, starring Tom Ewell and the legendary Marilyn Monroe, was released in 1955. Billy was 49 years old. This is a fun film that remind me of James Thurber’s humor, sort of a Walter Mittyesque fantasy. Or, if anyone remembers it, the short-lived TV series called My World […]
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Day Twelve: Sabrina
July 11th, 2011 · No Comments · 1954, Adaptation, Audrey Hepburn, Ernest Lehman, Humphrey Bogart, Sabrina, Samuel Taylor, William Holden
Billy Wilder’s twelfth movie, Sabrina, starring William Holden, Humphrey Bogart, and Audrey Hepburn, was released in 1954. Billy was 48 years old. Apparently, during the filming of this movie, Humphrey Bogart was a turd. And so was Billy Wilder. All of them exchanged words, with Bogey and William Holden nearly coming to blows. This is […]
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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 Ten: Ace In the Hole
July 9th, 2011 · 2 Comments · 1951, Ace In the Hole, Ed Sikov, Frank Cady, Jan Sterling, Kirk Douglas, Lesser Samuels, On Sunset Boulevard, Porter Hall, Robert Arthur, Victor Desny
Billy Wilder’s tenth movie, Ace In the Hole, starring Kirk Douglas, was released in 1951. Billy was 45 years old. According to the book On Sunset Boulevard: The Life and Times of Billy Wilder, by Ed Sikov, Ace in the Hole is an unabashedly cynical Billy Wilder movie. It’s the story of a crusty, down-on-his-luck, […]
Tags: Jan Sterling
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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Day Eight: A Foreign Affair
July 7th, 2011 · No Comments · 1948, A Foreign Affair, Berlin, Charles Brackett, Jean Arthur, John Lund, Marlene Dietrich, Millard Mitchell
Billy Wilder’s eighth movie, A Foreign Affair, is a comedy/drama set in Berlin post WW II starring Jean Arthur and Marlene Deitrich. It was released in 1948. Billy was 42 years old. This movie was also written by Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett. But it’s no Lost Weekend. It’s not even a Major and the […]
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You can call me Billy. But don't expect me to answer to that.