Most people remember the pasta strained through a tennis racket. Or maybe the cracked mirror. But honestly, if you revisit Billy Wilder's 1960 masterpiece today, it’s not just the sharp script that hits you—it’s the way the apartment Shirley MacLaine occupies as Fran Kubelik feels so tragically real.
She wasn't just a "love interest." Fran was a woman drowning in a corporate machine, and MacLaine played her with a raw, jagged vulnerability that most actresses of that era wouldn't touch.
Why Shirley MacLaine in The Apartment Changed Everything
Before 1960, the "other woman" in Hollywood was usually a villain. A vamp. Someone trying to ruin a marriage for sport. But the apartment Shirley MacLaine brought to life as Fran Kubelik turned that trope on its head. She played an elevator operator at Consolidated Life, a woman who knew exactly how "wrong" her affair with the boss was, yet felt too lonely to stop.
Wilder was a notorious perfectionist. He and co-writer I.A.L. Diamond didn't want ad-libs. They wanted every "and," "but," and "if" delivered exactly as written. Yet, surprisingly, some of the most human moments in the film came directly from MacLaine’s own life.
Take the gin rummy.
During filming, MacLaine was hanging out with the Rat Pack—Sinatra, Dean Martin, that whole crew. They were teaching her how to play (and probably how to cheat). When Wilder saw her obsession with the game, he wrote it into the script. It became the connective tissue for the entire movie. Without those cards, the ending wouldn't exist.
💡 You might also like: Kiss My Eyes and Lay Me to Sleep: The Dark Folklore of a Viral Lullaby
The Tragedy of the 1961 Oscars
It’s one of the biggest "what-ifs" in cinema history.
Everyone thought MacLaine was going to walk away with the Best Actress Oscar for her role. She had already scooped up the Golden Globe and the BAFTA. She was the favorite. But then, Elizabeth Taylor had a near-fatal bout of pneumonia and a tracheotomy.
The "sympathy vote" is a real thing in Hollywood. Taylor won for Butterfield 8—a movie she reportedly hated. MacLaine later famously said, "I thought I would win for The Apartment, but then Elizabeth Taylor had a tracheotomy."
It sounds cynical, but that’s the business.
Even without the statue, the performance stood the test of time. While other 1960s comedies feel like museum pieces, the relationship between C.C. Baxter (Jack Lemmon) and Fran remains startlingly modern. They aren't perfect people. They are "takers" and "tooken," as Fran puts it.
📖 Related: Kate Moss Family Guy: What Most People Get Wrong About That Cutaway
Small Details You Probably Missed
The film is packed with visual metaphors that MacLaine navigates perfectly.
- The Cracked Compact: When Baxter sees his boss’s mistress in the reflection of a broken mirror, the audience realizes it's Fran at the same time he does. MacLaine’s reaction isn't over-the-top; it’s a quiet, devastating realization of her own situation.
- The Uniform: Notice how she looks in that elevator uniform versus her "civilian" clothes. She’s literally a part of the building’s machinery.
- The Suicide Attempt: It was a massive risk to put an attempted suicide in a "romantic comedy." MacLaine played the aftermath not with melodrama, but with a hazy, exhausted depression that feels uncomfortably authentic.
A "Mensch" and an Elevator Girl
There is a specific kind of chemistry between Lemmon and MacLaine that you just don't see anymore. They never even kiss. Think about that. One of the greatest "romances" in film history ends with two people sitting on a couch, miles apart emotionally and physically, just playing cards.
"Shut up and deal."
That final line was a gamble. It wasn't "I love you too." It wasn't a big embrace. It was an acknowledgment that they were both broken, both starting over, and both finally done with the games of the corporate world.
How to Watch it Like an Expert Today
If you’re going to rewatch it, don’t look at it as a rom-com. Look at it as a corporate horror story. Look at the way the office desks stretch into infinity—an effect Wilder achieved by using shorter actors and smaller desks in the back of the room to trick the eye.
👉 See also: Blink-182 Mark Hoppus: What Most People Get Wrong About His 2026 Comeback
The apartment Shirley MacLaine recovers in is a cramped, messy reflection of Baxter’s life, and her presence there is what finally forces him to become a "mensch" (a human being).
Practical Takeaways for Film Buffs
To truly appreciate the nuance MacLaine brought to the screen, keep these three things in mind during your next viewing:
- Watch the eyes, not the mouth. In the scene where Sheldrake gives her the $100 bill as a Christmas "present," watch her face. The humiliation is silent but absolute.
- Listen for the rhythm. Wilder’s dialogue is like jazz. MacLaine’s delivery of the "Why do people have to love people anyway?" speech was actually inspired by a real-life conversation she had with the director during a break.
- Notice the lack of makeup. During the recovery scenes, MacLaine allowed herself to look pale and "un-Hollywood." It was a bold move for a rising star in 1960.
The film remains a masterclass because it doesn't offer easy outs. It doesn't promise they live happily ever after. It just promises that they’ve stopped lying to themselves. And in the end, that's why we’re still talking about it sixty years later.
To get the full experience of the cinematography, try to find the 4K restoration. The black-and-white depth in the office scenes is significantly better than the old DVD transfers, allowing you to see the subtle expressions on MacLaine’s face that were previously lost in the shadows. Look for the "National Film Registry" seal of approval—it's one of the few comedies actually preserved for its cultural significance.