Friends Flicks launched its 2020 movie season with a screening of the 1959 black and white romantic comedy ‘Some Like It Hot’ at The Crossing Theatre.
Friends Flicks brings main stream, non-mainstream, English language and foreign language, interesting, entertaining, and what used to be called ‘art house’ movies to its program.
‘Some Like It Hot’ is a comedy which didn’t confront the audience, although as Friends’ spokesperson Katie Bushby explained to the audience in her introduction, the movie was banned in Kansas because the cross-dressing of lead actors Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon was “too disturbing for Kansans”.
However, ‘Some Like It Hot’ survived that challenge and went on to be nominated for multiple Oscars and be hailed as one of the best movies of the decade.
There were difficulties around production of the movie, mainly down to one of the stars, Marilyn Munroe, who played the role of blonde bombshell ‘Sugar’ Kane.
Her delays and inability to learn lines reportedly cost the production $250,000 more than was budgeted.
Marilyn’s bungling of her lines – one scene requiring 59 takes – was legendary.
When interviewed by Michael Parkinson on UK television, Jack Lemmon said the part where Sugar Kane gets in bed with Jerry on the sleeper train to Florida was the only scene Marilyn Monroe managed to do in one take.
Next month’s Friends Flicks movie Priceless is a 2006 French comedy.
Friends Flicks was pleased with the audience numbers at the group’s first movie but is keen to see more people go along.
“Everyone is welcome,” said Friends chair Colin Tann.
