Born near in a small town near Vienna, Billy Wilder would come from humble beginnings to later develop into an infamous producer, whose movies that have stood the test of time.  Bernard Dick’s book observes Wilders life through a very appropriate lens, his life’s work.  Each of Wilders films seems to exhibit a character or signature of sorts that only the best of directors are capable of creating.  In this biography of sorts each movie is treated as a venue through which the reader can understand Wilders life, and directing/producing styles that made him capable enough to transform a mediocre screen play into a box office hit.

            One impressive signature of many of Wilders movies is his ability to make the characters in the film very human despite fantastical situations and unbelievable occurrences.  Chapter 7 of Bernard Dick’s book called, “The Human Comedies: Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, and Avanti!” address’ Wilders humanizing ability.  In Some Like it Hot Wilder was able to make Daphne and Josephine (Joe and Jerry in drag) into relatable feminine figures despite the slapstick parody driven comedy of the plot and the insanity of their drag charade.  Several pages of this chapter are centered upon looking at how Wilder uses comedy to enhance not substitute for character depth.  Despite their antics Joe/Josephine and Jerry/Daphne are very human with emotional vulnerabilities, and individual personalities.  One simple example the book offers reference the scene in the movie when Jerry decided that he wants his drag name to be Daphne, instead of Geraldine (an easy feminine twist to his name).  The look on his face when deciding this is one of satisfaction, you see Jerry becoming comfortable in him feminine role and this makes the viewer more comfortable as well. Though this may seem simple little decisions such as this are what give the characters real personality.

            As a source this book provides well thought out and researched insights into Billy Wilder’s life and movies.  The bibliography is selective which leaves some vagueness regarding the credibility of some of the material.  Additionally, some of the insights into the movies and their meanings seem to be opinion based and therefore more biased and less steadfast.                

This particular book about Billy Wilde gives accounts of conversations and experiences which illustrate both his personal and social life.  Zolotow looks at exchanges Wilder has with different actors, directors etc. and incorporates dialogue from these dialogues into the bibliographic form in order to give the reader a more engaging account of the events in Wilders life. 

            A book such as this gives a good background perspective on Wilders life and personality from exchanges he has with people.  It is through gaining this greater understanding of the director and his life that one gains insight into the director’s work. Billy Wilder was a dynamic genius who gave his movies a great deal of attention and care which is how he was able to produce several masterpieces.  It is the often overlooked and even the seemingly inane details that make scenes in Wilders movies works of art.  One example the book offers of Wilders cinematic brilliance is from a scene in the movie Some Like it Hot. In the scene when Daphne (Jerry) tells Josephine (Joe) that he is engaged a rich billionaire, Wilder insisted that Jack Lemmon who plays Daphne have maracas and shaken them after every line.  In this scene the maracas were added to give the audience a chance to laugh during the maracas shaking sequence, and then settle down in time to hear the rest of the witty dialogue. A simple detail such as this shows the care and consideration Wilder has for his audience.

            The conversationalist tone taken by the speaker gives this book the feel of a story.  And while this tone makes the book reader friendly it also gives it a seemingly less credible foundation.  The lack of references and a background research section also make the book a questionable source.

This source looks at Billy Wilder’s social life and career.  The fourteenth chapter is the most relevant regarding the movie Some Like it Hot. In this chapter there are many details and quotes concerning Billy Wilder’s relationship with Marilyn Monroe and the many trials of making a movie with a star.  Wilder was very patient with Marilyn whose temper was tolerated because her talent was immense.  Wood’s book also slips in historical and external aspects affecting the making of Some Like it Hot. For example during the time when the movie was being shot Marilyn’s husband Arthur Miller was under investigation for communist allegiances, and later in the production she became pregnant (a baby which was miscarried one of the last days of shooting).   This small bit of information might explain Marilyn’s exceptionally unruly temperament during this productions making.

            Some Like it Hot was so much more than just another Wilder film, the entire survival and later success of the Mirisch Company a fairly new instillation in Hollywood at the time, was dependant on this movies success.  This book does an excellent job of interweaving Hollywood politics, Wilders life, and movie making process to paint a full picture of the framework for one of the greatest comedies of all time.

                        In assessing this source it was determined to be reliable in its factual representation of the surrounding Wilders life.   Written fairly early the author had access to many first hand sources for information about Wilders life. 

Reviewers, “Some Like it Hot.” The Catholic World 189 (1959): 156

            This review from a 1959 journal provides a multifaceted snapshot of the movie world in 1959. The review is a good template for analyzing the focus of some movie reviewers at the time, and what aspect of a film was considered to be of importance.  In reading several reviews from the time it seems as if reviewers of this era looked at the success of the movie in its attempt to create world the audience could relate to.

For the section on Some Like it Hot the reviewers focus seems to be on Billy Wilders production style in this movie rather than the cast and plot of the movie itself.  After a brief summary of the basic occurrence in the film Billy Wilder is then praised for his ability to make a mediocre script into a hilarious comedy.  However this praise is not untainted for soon after Wilder is criticized for what the reviewer thought to be over the top suggestivity particularly in scenes where Marilyn Monroe wore very slinky clothing.  This opinion is clearly colored not only by its author’s personal preference but also by the journal in which this review is contained (The Catholic Word).  It is interesting to see the angle and criticism doled out by a magazine with a catholic spin.

            This source is opinion based but despite this is still credible in its role as an indication of the movies reception during its time.   Essentially the value of this source lies in its opinionated foundation that expresses one of the many attitude that reviews had regarding this Wilder flick.

Reviewer. “Wonderfully Wacky” Newsweek 53 (1959): 113

            This reviewer proclaims of Billy Wilder’s movie Some Like it Hot to be the much awaited revival of slapstick comedy.  For a long time prior to the release of Wilders film the box offices were overwhelmed with movies that reflected the agonies of the time instead of using humor to assuage the pains of the American public.    This review lacks the atypical full plot synopsis and instead just looks at the overall purpose of the film, to make us laugh.  This review has a heavy focus on the stars of the show and even includes a brief interview with Jack Lemmon about playing the role of Daphne/Jerry.  One unique characteristic that this film took on was that Jerry and Joe make a real transformation into womanhood, not the partial half man half woman transition which was customary in earlier movies involving drag.  Jack Lemmon comically asserted that in order to encompass his feminine role but still be a distinct male character simply continually reminded himself that, “…we were not playing girls; we were playing men who were playing girls.  There’s a world of difference.” This article provides insight into how one of the stars of this classic film views his role, and access to the actor’s perspective allows one to see the movie in a new light. Jack Lemmon towards the end of his interview also offers his opinion on the topic of television stars.   Reviews such as this provide panorama view of the movie from audience to actor response.

            This source is a opinion based article but does contain primary source information in its interview with Jack Lemmon.  Additionally Newsweek is a reputable and popular magazine of the time and the opinions within its pages have more validity due to the journals reputation.