SLIH Cast and Characters
Jerry/Daphne
In a manic portrayal by Jack Lemmon, bull fiddle player Jerry transforms into "Daphne" and genuinely creates what at times seems like a completely different—and quite female—character. Before donning drag, Jerry was a worrywart, a practical and put-upon sidekick to the more risk-taking and liberated Joe. He has fun, but he doesn't know how to loosen up; his idea of a good use of his meagre musician's pay-check is going to the dentist and getting a filling. "Daphne" allows Jerry to loosen up and tap into his playful side. As "Daphne," Jerry is reactive, romantic, bold, and free. He delights in spending time with the girls in the band, seeking to forge a close connection with Sugar (to limited success). On his romantic date with Osgood, he basically falls in love with the millionaire, taking his role as eligible female very seriously and forgetting that he is a man altogether. He relishes the thought of a marriage to Osgood, and delights in the prospect of marrying a bachelor and finally becoming wealthy. It takes Joe's insistence to snap Jerry out of his fantasy and remind him that he is a man.
Jack Lemmon
After graduating from Harvard and joining the Navy, Hollywood comedy legend Jack Lemmon began studying in New York with the acclaimed acting coach Uta Hagen. After some smaller roles in films, he landed a career-defining role as Jerry in Billy Wilder's Some Like it Hot. Lemmon was a favourite of Wilder's, who cast him in The Apartment, Irma la Douce, The Fortune Cookie, The Front Page, Avanti!, and Buddy Buddy. Often paired with Walter Matthau in films, Lemmon gained acclaim for his portrayal of Felix Ungar in The Odd Couple in 1968. He also was a frequent collaborator of Blake Edwards, who cast him in The Great Race, Days of Wine and Roses, and That's Life! He received two Academy Awards in his career, one for Best Supporting Actor in 1956 for his work in Mister Roberts, then for Best Actor in 1973 for Save the Tiger.
Asked about his collaborations with Lemmon, Billy Wilder said, "I would describe him as a ham, a fine ham, and with ham you have to trim a little fat."
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Joe/Josephine/Junior
Joe is Jerry’s best friend, a tenor saxophone player who uses his considerable charm to manipulate women (and Jerry) into doing whatever he wants. At the start, Jerry is staring at the women in the chorus line at the speakeasy, and in contrast to Jerry's dental concerns, wants to spend his pay-check gambling at the dog races. He is not always the most practical man, but he is proactive and crafty. "Josephine" is Joe’s alter ego when they join the all-girl band. "Josephine" is quite a lady, somewhat stand-off-ish and not as playful as Jerry's "Daphne." As "Josephine," Joe becomes one of Sugar's main confidant, a kind of wiser older sister to Sugar's naive romantic. Yet another character that Joe puts on is that of oil tycoon and millionaire "Junior," a cold man, who prefers classical music to jazz and has never been able to feel anything sexual towards women since a terrible event in his romantic past left him traumatised. As "Junior," Joe struggles to affect the air of a blue-blooded heir, but his failings go largely unnoticed by the wide-eyed and equally naive Sugar, who falls for him without questioning the authenticity of his character.
Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis is one of Hollywood's most famous leading men. After being discharged from the Navy, Curtis began working in films, and it was not until he married actress Janet Leigh that his career really took off. His most famous films include Houdini, Operation Petticoat, Some Like it Hot, Spartacus, and The Defiant Ones.
Of Some Like it Hot, Curtis said, "From my recollection, I don't remember any more beautiful girl that was a guy than me."
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Sugar Kane
The sexy lead singer and part-time ukulele player of the all-girl band that Jerry and Joe join undercover, Sugar is a naive, earnest, and as she says herself, "not very bright." At the beginning, she is portrayed as a lush, always looking for a drink to drown her sorrows and her loneliness. She is also, however, exceedingly charming, exhibiting a lovable innocence at every turn, which endears other people to her, especially Joe and Jerry. Sugar describes herself as always getting "the fuzzy end of the lollipop" because she constantly falls for saxophone players who leave her high and dry. Now she’s on the lookout for a brainy millionaire type with glasses. Tenor sax player Joe uses this inside information that he gets as "Josephine" to set himself up as precisely that, and the two fall in love.
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe is perhaps one of the most famous actresses and sex symbols in Hollywood history. In addition to being the image of Hollywood glamor and sexuality throughout much of the century, she was a talented actress who appeared in such films as Niagara, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, How to Marry a Millionaire, The Seven Year Itch, Bus Stop, Some Like it Hot, and The Misfits. The iconic "blonde bombshell," Monroe notably struggled with depression and addiction throughout her career, and her acting abilities are often overshadowed by her sexy image and her untimely death of a drug overdose in 1962 at only 36.
Monroe's experience filming Some Like it Hot is somewhat infamous now. Allegedly, she was very difficult on set, demanding retakes and complaining about the script. When she took the part, Monroe was upset that Sugar seemed like any other "dumb blonde," but at the encouragement of her husband, playwright Arthur Miller, and the studio (who promised her 10% of the film's earnings) she took the part. She often arrived late to set, didn't know her lines, and clashed with the equally strong-minded director, Billy Wilder. Referring to Monroe's bad behaviour on set, Tony Curtis allegedly remarked, "Kissing Marilyn was like kissing Hitler."
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Osgood Fielding III
The all-girl band has been booked to play a hotel in Florida which is mainly populated by wealthy older men who have migrated south for the winter. One of the many older millionaires looking to find younger women is Osgood Fielding III, an eccentric millionaire who says he has been married seven or eight times and who sets his leering eye upon "Daphne." He is lascivious and will not take "No" for an answer, eventually wooing "Daphne" with a night of dancing at the hotel.
Joe E. Brown
In the 1930s and 40s, Joe E. Brown was one of the most popular comics around, known for his roles in Earthworm Tractors and Alibi Ike. After starting out in vaudeville and on Broadway, Brown started working with Warner Bros. and became a successful film star.
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Spats Colombo
Named for his natty footwear, Spats is a stone-faced and unflappable mob boss. He runs the speakeasy at which Joe and Jerry work in the beginning, which gets raided by the police early on. To get revenge on another mobster, Toothpick Charlie, for telling the police about the speakeasy, Spats kills Charlie and his friends in the garage where Joe and Jerry just happen to be picking up a car for a gig. After they flee certain death, Joe and Jerry encounter Spats yet again when he comes to a mobster convention at the very same hotel where they are hiding out. Spats is killed by Little Bonaparte.
George Raft
George Raft was known for playing criminals and gangsters, even though he also appeared in many films as a likeable leading man. In addition to Some Like it Hot, his notable films include Scarface (the original), They Drive by Night, and Each Dawn I Die. In addition to being an accomplished actor, he was a dancer and a performer at speakeasies and on Broadway. In real life, too, Raft was linked to a number of criminal and mafia related events throughout the 40s, 50s, and 60s. Perhaps this connects to his desire not to be categorised as an actor; "I wanted to be me," he allegedly said.
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Detective Mulligan
Detective Mulligan is hot on the trail of Spats immediately after the massacre and follows him down to the Florida hotel where Spats, Jerry and Joe are all staying. Mulligan is probing and tough-as-nails, perfectly suited for his tasks of bringing violent, corrupt mobsters to justice.
Pat O'Brien
Known for his portrayal of Irish-Americans, Pat O'Brien appeared in many films throughout his career, including Knute Rockne, All American, Angels with Dirty Faces, and Some Like it Hot.
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Sweet Sue
The bandleader of the all-girl band that Joe and Jerry join. She is the only one associated with the band who senses that there is something "off" about "Daphne" and "Josephine." She is very protective of the girls in her band, not wanting them to drink on the job.
Joan Shawlee
Shawlee's main claim to fame was her expert portrayal of small roles in Jack Lemmon and Billy Wilder films. In addition to Some Like it Hot, she appeared in The Apartment, Irma la Douce and Buddy Buddy.
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Bienstock
The traveling manager of Sweet Sue and Her Society Syncopators. Sweet Sue has a domineering habit of yelling “BEINSTOCK” whenever one of the girls in the band causes trouble.
Dave Barry
Barry was multi-talented, working as a both a live action actor and a voice actor, as well as a comedian.
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Little Bonaparte
Bearing more than a little physical resemblance to former Italian dictator Mussolini and with a name that recalls the iconic movie gangster played by Edward G. Robinson in Little Caesar, Little Bonaparte is the mob boss of mob bosses, who has determined that Spats Colombo has got a little too big for his spats. Little Bonaparte is himself the mastermind behind the mobster convention at the Florida hotel, the setting for his murder of Spats.
