In the spring of 1959, a packed theater in a quiet Los Angeles neighborhood went silent. It was not the kind of silence after a great joke, but the awkward kind. People were walking out. The film was ‘Some Like It Hot,’ an audacious black and white comedy directed by Billy Wilder.
The plot follows two Chicago musicians who witness the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre and run off to Florida disguised as women in an all-female jazz band. Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon show up in heels and pearls while Marilyn Monroe plays the breathy, ukulele-streaming Sugar Kane. It was daring for its time, maybe a little provocative, and to the studio suits who reluctantly financed it, it seemed like it could easily backfire.
Jack Lemmon’s Shocking Account of the Sneak Preview Failure
Jack Lemmon never forgot that first sneak preview, and years later, he described it in detail. He revealed that half the audience was already headed for the exits before the second reel even finished, while the rest sat uncomfortably in their seats. The cross-dressing gags that had seemed so hilarious on set suddenly felt dangerous. The double-meaning jokes did not work at all.
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After the screening, studio executives and agents swarmed Billy Wilder in the lobby, each one offering urgent advice. They told him to reshoot some scenes, cut the yacht part, tone down the cross-dressing, and add more music. Basically, anything to fix it.
Billy Wilder’s One-Word Decision That Saved the Film
Lemmon, still shaken, pulled the director aside and asked what he planned to do. Wilder did not blink, though. “Why, nothing,” he replied calmly. “This is a very funny movie, and I believe in it just as it is. Maybe this is the wrong neighborhood in which to have shown it. At any rate, I don’t panic over one preview. It’s a hell of a movie.” In the end, there were no reshoots, no cuts, and not a single frame was changed.
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The next preview was held in Westwood, this time for a more sophisticated college crowd. And the reaction was completely different. From the moment Lemmon tottered in high heels, the theater was filled with laughter. By the time Joe E. Brown delivered the famous line, “Well nobody’s perfect,” the audience was on their feet, cheering. Wilder had trusted his instincts and it paid off.
How ‘Some Like It Hot’ Became One of the Greatest Comedies Ever Made
The story of that first disastrous screening has become legendary because it shows the kind of courage great filmmakers need. Wilder, who had already made movies like ‘Double Indemnity‘ and ‘Sunset Boulevard,’ refused to change his vision out of fear. He trusted the script, trusted his stars, and believed there was an audience ready for a bold comedy that challenged the rules of the 1950s.
When it was released back in March 1959, ‘Some Like It Hot‘ became a smash. It earned six Oscar nominations and is now seen as one of the greatest comedies ever made.
Lemmon and Curtis later said it was the most fun they ever had making a film, while Monroe, despite her personal struggles, gave what many consider her best performance.
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