A sexy, bawdy film heaving with envelope-pushing gags and ludicrous humour, 1959’s classic Some Like It Hot is one of the best comedies of all time. This Billy Wilder film packs outrageous humour, satire, and ingenuity into its tight package, drawing the best Marilyn Monroe performance of all time and engaging its two comic leads with overzealous naughtiness.

Wilder adapted the story for Some Like It Hot with I.A.L. Diamond, using a story from Robert Thoeren and Michael Logan. Logan had written the story, minus the gangster stuff, for a German film called Fanfaren der Liebe, which came out in 1951. Seen by some as a remake of the German movie, Wilder’s film took the storyline, added the gangsters and a bit of dark humour, and one smouldering female lead.

Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis star as two jazz musicians who are down on their luck (aren’t we all?). The Prohibition is in full swing and several speakeasies are located throughout town, allowing Joe (Curtis) and Jerry (Lemmon) to get some part-time employment. After witnessing a shooting from local area gangsters, Joe and Jerry must go on the run. Scampering for an out-of-town gig, the pair agrees to disguise themselves as women so as to get in on an all-girl band heading to Florida.

Now Josephine (Curtis) and Daphne (Lemmon), the two newly-made women head off to Florida with the band, fitting in well. Of course, Josephine and Daphne fit in all too well and it isn’t long before Sugar Kane (Monroe) is putting the pair in all sorts of compromising positions. Eager to get the girl’s affection, Joe disguises himself as a well-heeled millionaire with a Cary Grant voice, hoping to entice Sugar. Adding to the fiddly situation, a bona fide wealthy millionaire falls for Daphne. The tale of mistaken identity, disguises, and saucy hilarity unfolds at an open-handed lick and reaches a fever pitch once the gangsters reach Florida.

Billy Wilder truly challenged Hollywood’s system with Some Like It Hot, pushing the limits and imposing his will. The release came at the end of the repressive 50s, gathering traction during a time when the studios were abating and television was threatening to change the game forever. Of course, the ever-increasing impotence of the Code and censorship made for an attractive prospect and, needless to say, Wilder plunged into the piece. It was a gamble, but the result was one of the funniest comedies ever.