Honestly, if you watch Marilyn Monroe in Some Like It Hot today, you see a glowing, effortless comedic genius. She’s luminous. She’s funny. She’s the heart of a movie that regularly tops "Greatest Comedy of All Time" lists. But behind that soft-focus lens and the iconic ukulele, the set of this 1959 masterpiece was basically a battlefield.
It was messy.
While the movie is a lighthearted romp about two jazz musicians—Joe (Tony Curtis) and Jerry (Jack Lemmon)—who witness a mob hit and flee to Florida in drag, the reality of the production was anything but light. Marilyn was struggling. Like, really struggling. She was dealing with a high-risk pregnancy, a crumbling marriage to playwright Arthur Miller, and a deepening dependency on pills and alcohol.
The Sugar Kane Myth and the Reality of 47 Takes
There’s this famous story that director Billy Wilder loved to tell, and it’s kinda brutal. He said they needed 47 takes for Marilyn to say the line "Where's the bourbon?" She kept saying "Where's the bottle?" or "Where's the bonbon?" Eventually, Wilder had to tape the line inside the drawer she was opening just so she could read it.
You’d think that would make her a "difficult" actress, right?
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Well, it’s complicated. Tony Curtis once famously (and regretfully) said that kissing Marilyn was like "kissing Hitler." He later walked that back, explaining he was just frustrated by the endless retakes. But the weird thing is, even though she couldn't remember three words in a short scene, she would nail long, emotionally complex scenes in a single take.
Jack Lemmon was much more sympathetic. He saw a girl who was fundamentally unhappy and terrified. He once mentioned that while they were all tearing their hair out waiting for her to show up—sometimes hours or days late—the moment the camera turned on, she had this "vortex" quality. You couldn't look at anyone else.
Why Marilyn Monroe Some Like It Hot Still Works
A lot of people think Sugar Kane is just another "dumb blonde" role. Marilyn hated that. She actually fought Wilder on it. She wanted Sugar to be three-dimensional, a woman with a "heart and soul" rather than a Betty Boop caricature.
And she won.
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Sugar isn't just a ditz. She’s a vulnerable, slightly cynical woman who has been burned by too many saxophone players. Her "cluelessness" is actually a defense mechanism. It provides the "emotional truth" that keeps the movie from feeling like a cheap drag show. Without her sincerity, the antics of Curtis and Lemmon would just be slapstick. She’s the glue.
The Secret of the "Nude" Dress
If you look closely at the musical numbers, you might notice Marilyn looks a bit different in certain shots. That’s because she was actually pregnant during filming.
Costume designer Orry-Kelly had a nightmare of a time. He had to design gowns that were literally sewn onto her body every morning. One specific cocktail dress—the one she wears while singing "I Wanna Be Loved By You"—was made of "nude souffle" fabric and strategically placed sequins. It was so tight she had to be lifted onto the piano because she couldn't climb up herself.
Because of her changing weight due to the pregnancy, the production had to use body doubles for some of the promotional stills. Tragically, Marilyn suffered a miscarriage shortly after filming wrapped in December 1958. It’s heart-wrenching to realize that while she was delivering the most iconic comedic performance of her life, she was physically and emotionally falling apart.
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Challenging the Censors
We take the movie’s humor for granted now, but in 1959, Marilyn Monroe in Some Like It Hot was a massive middle finger to the Hays Code (the Hollywood censorship rules of the time).
- The Catholic Legion of Decency gave it a "C" (Condemned) rating.
- The film was banned in Kansas.
- The plot dealt with cross-dressing, implied bisexuality, and an ending where the "bad guys" don't really get punished.
The most famous line in the movie—"Well, nobody's perfect"—was actually meant to be a placeholder. Wilder and screenwriter I.A.L. Diamond couldn't think of a better ending, so they kept it. It became the most perfect accidental ending in cinema history because it summed up the film’s entire philosophy: people are messy, identities are fluid, and that’s okay.
Actionable Insights for Classic Film Fans
If you want to truly appreciate the nuance of this performance, don't just watch it as a comedy. Look at it as a masterclass in "Method" acting under pressure.
- Watch the eyes: Notice how Marilyn looks at "Josephine" (Tony Curtis). She’s playing the character as if she truly believes she’s found a female confidante. That’s why the betrayal later hurts so much.
- Compare the lighting: Cinematographer Charles Lang used a specific "Obie" light to give Marilyn that halo-like glow, which contrasts with the gritty, gangster-inspired lighting of the opening scenes.
- Listen to the timing: Despite her "troubles" on set, her comedic timing in the train scene (the "party in the upper berth") is flawless. It’s a group scene with moving parts, and she never misses a beat.
Marilyn Monroe didn't just play Sugar Kane; she inhabited her. She took a character that could have been a joke and made her immortal. Even if it took 47 takes to get there, the result is a piece of film history that feels as fresh today as it did nearly 70 years ago.
To dive deeper into her filmography, check out her performance in The Misfits (1961) to see the dramatic range she was capable of when she wasn't being asked to play the blonde. You can also visit the Marilyn Monroe Collection archives online to see original production documents and costume sketches from the film.