The Making of "Some Like It Hot": My Memories of Marilyn Monroe and the Classic [Hardcover]

Tony/ Vieira, Mark A. Curtis (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc (2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1905264968
• ISBN-13: 978-1905264964
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.9 x 8.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,031,886 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Maybe worth a matinee, October 29, 2009

By 

K. Garner (Farmington, MI) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Making of Some Like It Hot: My Memories of Marilyn Monroe and the Classic American Movie (Hardcover)

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The one key advantage to Tony Curtis's breezy memoir "The Making of Some Like It Hot" is that you can read in about as much time as it takes to watch the movie. Curtis and his ghostwriter, Mark A. Vieira, aren't particularly introspective and are given to using sub-Hemingway declamatory phrasings such as: "I've got a rich memory bank. It's bursting with treasures. Almost anything can open it up. A sound, a song, a scent, and memories come pouring out." (29) Maybe, but if so, Curtis's memories are only occasionally revealing. The book's focus rests on squarely on Marilyn Monroe: the two of them had a brief relationship, in 1950, before they both became famous, and, on the set of "Some Like It Hot," they briefly resumed it. Yet, Curtis's account only re-affirms what we have known about Monroe for decades - her erratic behavior, her lack of professionalism, and her emotional vulnerability. The book's biggest revelation is Curtis' claim to having fathered the child that Monroe miscarried in December 1958, while her marriage to Arthur Miller was unraveling.

Yet, the focus on Marilyn ultimately takes away from the story of the film. Yes, the famous accounts of the constant delays and near-crack-ups due to Monroe are duly recounted. But Curtis's descriptions of Billy Wilder, I.A.L. Diamond and even his co-stars Jack Lemmon, George Raft, and Joe E. Brown are amazingly one-dimensional. He loves and admires them all and is honored to be working with them - and that's all he really has to say. If you love the movie and don't know a thing about its troubled history, this book is an OK introduction. But, please wait for the paperback version -- this is way too slight to pay the hardcover list price.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Catnip for Fans of "Some Like It Hot", September 28, 2009

By 

Priam Farll - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Making of Some Like It Hot: My Memories of Marilyn Monroe and the Classic American Movie (Hardcover)

As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of SOME LIKE IT HOT, one of the greatest comic films of all time, how lucky we are to have one of the movie's stars still alive and able to give us the behind-the-scenes stories of its creation. This day-to-day, sometimes minute-to-minute account affords the reader a front-row seat on how movies are made, from a man who spent a lot of years making a lot of movies. Great, great stories about Marilyn Monroe, Billy Wilder, Jack Lemmon, and oh, so many more -- told with exquisite detail. The most extraordinary aspect of the writing is that at age 84, Tony Curtis has lost none of his youthful enthusiasm for the film industry. If you love SOME LIKE IT HOT (and who doesn't?), you'll love this book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars couldn't put it down, January 16, 2010

By 

R. Gold - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Making of Some Like It Hot: My Memories of Marilyn Monroe and the Classic American Movie (Hardcover)

This is a fascinating account of the preproduction and day to day filming of one of the funniest movies ever made. Tony Curtis seems to have a very detailed memory of what happened. He tells this story very much from his point of view, so you soon realize that this is his interpretation of the events. His story of his relationship ( both personal and professional ) with Marilyn Monroe is fascinating, and has him playing a very important role in her life that I have not come across in anything else I have read about her. I couldn't put this down once I started reading. It's a gossipy glance at the making of a great movie and an interesting look at all of the varied personalities involved. When I finished the book, I got out the DVD and watched with new insight into what was really going on in many of the scenes. This is a must read for anyone who likes this movie and also likes to know what went on behind the scenes.