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For more information on adopting this title for your course, please contact us at: [email protected] or 800-200-3908 WATCHING WILDER

A Critical Guide to Director ’s Films

By Sherry Lowell-Lewis WATCHING WILDER A Critical Guide to Director Billy Wilder’s Films

First Edition

Sherry Lowell-Lewis University of Texas—El Paso Bassim Hamadeh, CEO and Publisher John Remington, Acquisitions Editor Gem Rabanera, Project Editor Christian Berk, Production Editor Emely Villavicencio, Senior Graphic Designer Trey Soto, Licensing Coordinator Natalie Piccotti, Director of Marketing Kassie Graves, Vice President of Editorial Jamie Giganti, Director of Academic Publishing

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Printed in the United States of America. CONTENTS

Acknowledgments ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������vii Foreword ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ix Introduction ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������xi The Wilder Films, with Plot and Commentary and You Are the Critic 1. (1942) ������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 1 2. (1943) ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 4 3. (1944) �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 8 4. The Lost Weekend (1945) �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������11 5. (1948) ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������16 6. (1948) ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������20 7. Sunset Blvd (1950). ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������23 8. Ace in the Hole (1951) ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������27 9. 17 (1953) ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������32 10. Sabrina (1954) ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������36 11. (1955) ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������39 12. The Spirit of St. Louis (1957) ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������44 13. Love in the Afternoon (1957) ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������47 14. Witness for the Prosecution (1957) ����������������������������������������������������������������������50 15. (1959) �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������53 16. (1960) ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������56 17. One, Two, Three (1961) �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������60 18. (1963) �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������64 19. Kiss Me, Stupid (1964) ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������68 20. (1966) �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������72 21. The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970) ��������������������������������������������������������77 22. Avanti! (1972) �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������80 23. The Front Page (1974) ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������83 24. Fedora (1978) �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������87 25. Buddy, Buddy (1981) �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������91

v vi | Watching Wilder: A Critical Guide to Director Billy Wilder’s Films

Appendices ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������97 A. Suggested Playlist ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������98 B. Wilder’s Tips ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 100 C. Wilder and the Noir Connection ������������������������������������������������������������������������� 101 D. Wilderisms ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 103 E. Accolades ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 105 F. Wilder Wonders ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 111 G. Lemmon on Wilder ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 113 H. Other Works ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 114 I. (1945) ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 115 J. Wilder on Wilder ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 116 K. Annotated Film Critique Sheet ���������������������������������������������������������������������������� 119

Sources ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 124 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

t is important that I take a moment to thank the people who helped make Watching Wilder possible. It started as a collection of lecture notes for a I course in Cinematic Auteurs at the University of Texas at El Paso in 2016. My student, Larry Powers, kept after me to turn my loose-leaf folder full of lecture notes into a real book; without his relentless encouragement, I would have given up. My sons, Ben and Colin, have been sounding boards and cheerleaders throughout. My precious grandchildren, Logan, Landrew, Keara and Skylar, encouraged me proudly and sweetly. They keep me grounded. Dr. Stacey Sowards at the University of Texas, El Paso provided me with support that went far beyond my expectations, which gave me substantive courage. The staff at Cognella have all been very supportive and helpful in fine tuning my work into a readable, workable text. I especially want to thank Executive Editor John Remington, who accepted the book. Also, Project Editor Gem Rabanera and Associate Production Editor Berenice Quirino were immensely constructive. Finally, I am most appreciative of my reader, Susana Christie, who offered suggestions for design and clarity.

Ultimately, this book belongs to Billy Wilder.

I am grateful to them all.

Sherry Lowell-Lewis 2019

vii FOREWORD

hen I think of the vast collection of films directed and conceived “behind the lens” by Billy Wilder, my attention is focused on W the intense complex female characters who are all larger than life. Norma Desmond in “Sunset Boulevard,” , in “Double Indemnity,” Kane in “Some Like It Hot,” and even Fran Kubelik in “The Apartment.” Woman who are tough, sultry, and yet a man always seems to change the course of their destiny. Who is the protagonist? The antagonist? Is Norma Desmond crazy and bad, or is young Joe Gillis the method behind the madness? Same with Phyllis Dietrichson, and Walter Neff. The scene in the Grocery Store in 1944 is one of the most powerful scenes in cinematic history. Billy Wilder makes us wonder who actually is running the show here, and one questions who indeed orchestrated the behind the “double indemnity clause.” In Billy Wilder films, it takes two people to make a murder, to make a silent film star insane, a naive woman like Fran Kubelik find clarity in the stable CC Baxter, and for Sugar Kane, it truly is another “saxophone player,” who steals her heart. There is always the character who is “grounded,” in Billy Wilder films. That one person who helps to tell the story and keep all of the pieces of the puzzle together in a neat pile. “Max,” in “Sunset Boulevard,” is not just the Butler; he was Norma’s first husband who made her the star of the silent era. He is there for her, to guide her, and to insure her ultimate safety and happiness, even in the form of her servant. In “Double Indemnity”, the insurance investigator, Barton Keyes, again, puts all of the pieces of the puzzle together to insure that he understands the crime, but understands what motivates Walter, someone he admires and respects to commit such an act of violence. The grounded individual in “The Apartment,” is mild mannered, reliable CC Baxter, who, while following the orders of his bosses, clings to a person who he works to keep “grounded” and “safe,” just like all the others in this role in Wilder’s films. Even Osgood Fielding plays the game long enough to come to the rescue in the end, as is one of the few characters of the film who is simply, “himself,”

ix x | Watching Wilder: A Critical Guide to Director Billy Wilder’s Films

and ultimately there to help that poor damsel in distress. Even upon learning of Daphne’s identity, he proclaims one of the greatest ending lines of a film, “Nobody’s perfect.” I had the great privilege of meeting and listening to Shirley MacLaine’s take on “The Apartment,” at the Turner Classic Film Festival in 2015. I always interpreted this film as the ultimate , where the good guy wins, the bad guy clearly goes home alone, and the girl does not get the fuzzy end of the lollipop. (That was actually a line from “Some Like it Hot”). Shirley MacLaine told the audience that it was truly a story of the time (1959), and how women were depicted as nothing more than sex objects, and misogynistic men ruled the Office, and could disrespect and ruin a woman’s life and whatever small career she was allowed to maintain. She pointed out that women were clearly in second place, as phone operators, stenographers, secretaries and elevator operators. No woman at “Consolidated,” would ever run an office, but instead would be held back to serve the men who ran the company. Kindly CC Baxter changed the dynamic and whereas in the end, he doesn’t have anything to offer other than kindness. He works diligently to “beat the system,” to save the honor of the woman he loves.

— Felipa Solis Member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association Solis Media Group 2323 Louisiana El Paso, TX 79930 915.490.6020 INTRODUCTION

illy Wilder is accepted as one of the best film directors of the 20th century. Yet, he called himself a writer, first and foremost. This book B will guide you through the experience of critically watching the great American Wilder films…and even the not-so-great. His versatility as a writer and mastery of multiple film genres qualify Billy Wilder as one of the top ten directors of the 20th Century. He was born on June 22, 1906 in Sucha, Galicia, -Hungary, now part of Poland. At first he aimed to be a lawyer, but gave that up to work in journalism. On the weekends, he would dabble in filmmaking. He is reported to have worked undercover as a for a magazine story. As the Nazi regime gained momentum, he moved to France, but soon “fled” to America. He brought all of his experiences in Europe to bear in his writing of Amer- ican films. He often used other works as his inspiration, reworking plays and films that were originally presented in Europe. He also was fascinated and inspired by sensational news stories. We will examine those connections as we proceed through this book, exploring Wilder’s films chronologically. He arrived in the U.S in 1938, having barely escaped capture by the Nazis. He quickly got work in as a script doctor and “additional dialogue” writer. He also became rapidly frustrated by the way he felt his scriptwriting was being mishandled by the directors, resulting in his first foray into direct- ing in America, The Major and the Minor (1942), starring and , although Wilder continued to do screenwriting for projects he did not direct, often as an additional dialog contributor, or as a script doctor. The play on words in the title is perhaps the first clue to his sense of humor and early mastery of the English language. He spoke German and French and then learned English. So it is easy to admire his genius for dialogue which is evidenced in his choice of writing and producing partners. Having begun his film experience in Europe, he knew the basics of how to use a camera, set up shots and use lighting, wardrobe, makeup and sound to communicate his story. In many interviews, he said he chose to direct so his stories would be told the way he wanted, but first and foremost, considered

xi xii | Watching Wilder: A Critical Guide to Director Billy Wilder’s Films

himself a writer. By his estimation, his considerable artistry as a director was secondary to his skill as a writer, which was also formidable. All of his films illustrate his cynicism in some way. His life in Europe may have fostered this attitude. In 1961, critic Pauline Kael even went so far as to refer to his “…contempt for people.”(McNally) In the 21st century, students’ remark on this attitude, which seems especially aimed at women. In the introduction to Billy Wilder, Movie-maker, Karen McNally also sug- gested Wilder was “…a writer and director absorbed by American modernity, while he simultaneously draws attention to the dangers of conformity and consumerism and the cold reality of their consequences.”(p. 3 McNally). He repeatedly commented on his view of Post-Victorian mores of twentieth cen- tury American society. In the introduction to A Foreign Affair: Billy Wilder’s American Films, Gerd Germünden wrote, “There is a decidedly transcultural dimension to Billy Wilder’s work, a status of being in-between nations, and drawing on very distinct cultural sensibilities.” (Germüden, 2008) All of these quotes can be applied to understanding his films as they reflect his diverse life, which was spread over Europe and America, seasoned with prejudice, persecution, opportunity and different influences along the way. He is adept at describing some of his characters’ contempt for others, which reflects back onto themselves and perversely, to the heedless audience. It is not difficult to identify his obsession with American mores, attitudes and character constructs as they clash with European mentality and behaviors. He was an outsider looking in on the American landscape and he struck out at hypocrisy when he saw it. But he kept his iron fist in a velvet glove, using humor to soften the blow. He used sex to make it fun to look into our Puri- tanical self-expressions even as we were breaking out of that mold. Clearly, his upbringing in Austria and his travels in Europe influenced him as a writer and a director. The film industry was taking off, and in , France, Sweden and Italy especially, there was a growing philosophy about film as art; perhaps more so than in the Unites States. Films from Hollywood were purely intended for entertainment, aimed at making high box office returns. European filmmakers seemed to have more interest in exploring film as a new medium for artistic expression. There were more efforts to use film as abstract expressionism rather than the cowboys and Indians-type films. Many film critics and historians offer a differentiation between “film” and “movies,” suggesting that film is a term for artistic endeavors, while the word movie refers to entertaining, commercial undertakings. Wilder’s films often qualify as both. Introduction | xiii

Wilder was able to hold up a mirror to our social construct, and show us the humor and the reality of the hypocrisy. He could soften the blow and make the pill a little less bitter to consume by letting us laugh at ourselves. As with all artists, Billy Wilder worked with what he knew about life, love and the pursuit of happiness. His struggles as a young man in Eastern Europe provided him with a view of the world as “a little bit”; a little bit corrupt, a little bit jaded, a little bit post-Victorian. When he came to the U.S., he saw hypocrisy in a social system that denied sexuality, especially in out-of-wedlock situations, and he branded his films with that perspective, showing his audience how much they hid the truth about sexual behavior in American society. From his point of view, people lied about their true feelings for the sake of social propriety. In Austria, Germany and France he did not witness this Victorian point of view, and he lambasted it in America. Even in the films that were shot in Europe, like A Foreign Affair, which was shot in 1948 in post-war ; 1961’s One, Two, Three, which was also shot in a recovering Berlin, as the Berlin Wall was being built, or 1957’s Love in the Afternoon, and Irma la Deuce which both include shots of , France, he knew his audience was Americans, and he continued to level his shots at their heads and hearts. As you watch Wilder’s films, consider the level of mocking that goes on. The characters mock themselves, and they mock each other. Behind the scenes, in the dialogue and story, Wilder is mocking us. Also, watch for and identify the way he exposes our foibles to ourselves, in such an appealing, entertaining way that we love it! He adopted the U.S. as his homeland after escaping a European landscape that was in disarray, threatened by persecution and ultimately by war. He loved his new country, but he was disappointed in the hypocrisy he saw every day, in the newspaper headlines and stories of love trysts, triangles and even murder. Most of his films are reflections of his observations. All of his films include awkward, complicated relationships. He cannot seem to appreciate or accept that a ‘young’ love could be fulfilling. In Sabrina (1954) and Love in the Afternoon (1956), both starring a gamine , her characters have childlike crushes on the older leading men, but it is presented as childish and immature initially, only growing to maturity when the older man succumbs to her youthful charms. Michel Hazanavicius, who won Best Picture for The Artist in 2011, gave a simple yet exuberant acceptance speech: holding the statue high over his head, he announced, “Billy Wilder! Billy Wilder! Billy Wilder!” Perhaps he hoped Billy could hear him in heaven. #1 1942 THE MAJOR AND THE MINOR

GENRE Romantic Comedy

ACTOR CHARACTER NAME GINGER ROGERS SUSAN APPLEGATE RAY MILLAND MAJOR KIRBY RITA JOHNSON PAMELA HILL ROBERT BENCHLEY MR. OSBORNE LUCY HILL COLONEL HILL FRANKIE THOMAS CADET OSBORNE RAYMOND ROE CADET WIGTON CHARLES SMITH CADET KORNER

1 2 | Watching Wilder: A Critical Guide to Director Billy Wilder’s Films

ACTOR CHARACTER NAME LARRY NUNN CADET BABCOCK BILLY DAWSON CADET MILLER LELA ROGERS MRS. APPLEGATE ALDRICH BOWKER REVEREND DOYLE BOYD IRWIN MAJOR GRISCOM BYRON SHORES CAPTAIN DURAND RICHARD FISKE WILL DUFFY NORMA VARDEN MRS. OSBORNE GRETL DUPONT MRS. SHACKLEFORD

Plot and Commentary

This is Wilder’s American directorial debut. Ginger Rogers campaigned for him to get the assignment, which is at least partly why she took the lead part. Ray Milland is cast as Major Kirby. Wilder would use him again in “The Lost Weekend.” A down-on-her-luck young woman decides to leave New York when her dreams of fame and fortune don’t pan out. In fact, she is attacked by a client whose hotel room she visits. The complication is that she’s so broke that she doesn’t even have the train fare home. While she is sulking in the train station, she sees a little girl get a half-fare child’s ticket and she is inspired to pose as a child. Fearing the ticket agent will recognize her from an earlier encounter, she convinces a man to buy her ticket, after which he keeps all the change, leaving her broke. She boards the train, where she meets “The Major” (Ray Milland) of the title of the film. He thinks she’s just a child who’s hungry and has no place to sleep, so he lets her sleep in his lower bunk. Of course she’s attracted to him, but she cannot reveal her true age; she would have to leave. And he can’t help but find her enchanting—but she’s a child! She gets off the train with him and the rest of the film is their story as she struggles to maintain her disguise as a 12-year-old, all the while falling for the confused major. This film challenges the audience to suspend their disbelief on several fronts; we are asked to overlook Ginger Rogers’s lovely countenance, which is that of a mature young woman, complete with lipstick and mascara. The audience is also expected to accept that the major cannot detect her obvious adult-like charms, and to accept that he cannot stop himself from pursuing her—stopping short of actually kissing her! Miss Rogers’ talent allows us all Chapter #1 The Major and the Minor | 3

to buy into her youthful exuberance, but the hair and makeup department did not help by scuffing her up a little. There are some scenes where she looks makeup free, but in others she looks made up. Beyond that one flaw, the script is sharp and the cinematography is exemplary, well-lit, and fast-paced, to keep the comedy moving. Her adult countenance is so obvious to us when she finally is unveiled in the film, it makes the major out to be quite a fool. There is an implication that borders on pedophilia, which makes modern audiences uncomfortable. In spite of these problems, Wilder will tackle the issue again, both in theme (Love in the Afternoon) and casting ( and against Audrey Hepburn, in Sabrina and Love in the Afternoon, respectively). The director seemed fascinated with the idea of an older man with a much younger love interest.

You Are the Critic

1. Comment on the wardrobe choices for Ginger Rogers’ two personas: the young, disheartened woman and the teen-aged sophisticate. 2. Do you perceive Mr. Osborne’s behavior as unseemly? Shocking? Do you think it would have been perceived in the same way in 1942? 3. What are the implications of a mature man such as the major, who develops romantic feelings and sexual attraction for a young girl on the train? When do we see him struggle with those feelings? 4. Examine the dialogue in the scene in the hotel room with Mr. Osborne and Susan and compare it to the dialogue between “Sue-Sue” and Major Kirby on the train. Can you identify any double-entendres? 5. Describe any differences of reaction to any scenes by a 1942 audience compared to a twenty-first-century audience. 6. Does Rogers pull off her “alter-ego” at the formal dance? 7. Explain the purpose of Diana Lynn, who plays Lucy Hill, the young teenager who “outs” Susan Applegate as an adult.

Figure Credits Fig. 1-1: , 1942.