|
Press Information -The
Musical, The Plot and the Movie
The
Musical
Based on the 1959 hit
film of the same name, and re-conceived from a previous
1972 musical entitled "Sugar," Some Like It
Hot features a new book by Mr. Stone and additional
songs from the Jule Styne songbook. Set in 1929, the
comedy focuses on two musicians who witness the St.
Valentines' Day Massacre and are forced to disguise
themselves as "Josephine" and "Daphne,"
the homeliest members of an all-girl jazz band en route
to Miami. In the film, Mr. Curtis portrayed one of the
"on-the-run" musicians who tries to win the
affections of the young band singer played by Marilyn
Monroe. In the stage musical, he plays the role of the
"on-the-make" senior, Osgood Fielding III,
who hilariously strives to woo the affections of "Daphne."
The
Plot
From the hilarious screen
success "Some Like It Hot" the musical comes
to the stage with the same memorable characters that
made the screenplay so popular. Set in Chicago, Joe
and Jerry, two musicians down on their luck witness
by chance, a gang rub-out in the Clark Street Garage.
The rub-out was ordered by Spats Palazzo, a notorious
Chicago hood. Spats and his boys immediately chase after
Joe and Jerry, determined to silence them as witnesses
to the crime. Desperate for a quick way out of town,
Joe and Jerry hear about jobs available for a saxophone
and a bass player, which are their specialties. And
coincidently, the band is scheduled to leave at once
for Florida. There is only one problem; the band is
all female. With a bit of costuming, padding, makeup
and slight voice adjustments, they become Josephine
and Daphne and are hired by "Sweet Sue and her
Society Syncopators."
Joe
(Josephine) and Jerry (Daphne) find themselves falling
in love with Sugar, the gorgeous blonde who is the featured
singer with the band. As difficult as it is for them
not to reveal their secret to Sugar, they know that
one slip could lead Spats Palazzo to them. Moreover,
if Mr. Bienstock the show's manager, discovers their
true identities, they could be in an even worse spot.
Joe and Jerry are definitely in a jam, but it looks
as though Sugar's company is going to make it an enjoyable,
if risky, experience.
Sugar
confides to Josephine and Daphne that although she never
has had any luck in love with musicians, she plans to
find a millionaire in Florida and get married. She even
tells them what he will look like. Hearing this, Joe
develops a plan; he convinces Jerry that they need to
look after Sugar, so they need to stay with the band
in Florida until they find a suitable millionaire for
her. What Jerry does not know is that Joe has already
chosen Sugar's match. By disguising himself as her "dream-man,"
Joe is confident that he can win her heart.
While
Joe is busy impressing Sugar with his pretense of newfound
wealth, Jerry (alias Daphne) has attracted his own millionaire.
Osgood Fielding III is determined to woo and win Daphne.
Although flattered by his attentions and lavish gifts,
Jerry has to break the bad news to him that he is really
a man!
Spats
Palazzo and his gang arrive in town and recognize Josephine
and Daphne in the band. The chase is on. Eventually
the villains get what they deserve, and when Sugar discovers
that Joe is just another saxophone player, and Osgood
finds out that Jerry is a man, oh well……."Nobody's
perfect!"
THE
FILM
The all-time outrageous,
satirical, comedy farce favorite, Some Like It Hot (1959)
is one of the most hilarious, raucous films ever made.
The ribald film is a clever combination of many elements:
a spoof of 1920-30's gangster films with period costumes
and speakeasies, romance in a quasi-screwball comedy
with one central joke - entangled and deceptive identities,
reversed sex roles and cross-dressing, and a black and
white film (reminiscent of the early film era) filled
with non-stop action. Only a few other cross-dressing
comedies have come close to approximating the film's
daring hilarity: Tootsie (1982), La Cage Aux Folles
(1978) and Victor/Victoria (1982).
This
was Marilyn Monroe's second film with director Billy
Wilder, her first being The Seven Year Itch (l955).
The film received six Academy Award nominations including
Best Actor (Jack Lemmon), Best Director, Best Screenplay
(co-scripting by I.A.L. Diamond and Billy Wilder from
a story suggested by R. Thoeren and M. Logan, and based
on a German film titled Fanfares of Love), Best B/W
Cinematography, and Best B/W Art Direction/Set Decoration
- with its sole Oscar awarded for Best B/W Costume Design
(including Marilyn Monroe's shimmering gowns). Unfortunately,
it was competing against one of the biggest winners
in Oscar history - Ben Hur (1959).
The
film was advertised with the tagline: "The movie
too HOT for words." It was released at the end
of the repressive 1950s at a time when the studio system
was weakening, the advent of television was threatening,
and during a time of the declining influence of the
Production Code and its censorship restrictions. Director-producer
Wilder challenged the system with this gender-bending
and risqué comedy, filled with sexual innuendo
, spoofs of sexual stereotypes, sexy costuming for the
well-endowed, bosomy Marilyn Monroe, and an outrageous
seduction scene aboard a yacht
#
# #
Producers:
SpolanandMasters.com
E-Mail
Press Agent: peterc@cromarty.com
|
