This source looks at Billy Wilder’s social life and career.  The fourteenth chapter is the most relevant regarding the movie Some Like it Hot. In this chapter there are many details and quotes concerning Billy Wilder’s relationship with Marilyn Monroe and the many trials of making a movie with a star.  Wilder was very patient with Marilyn whose temper was tolerated because her talent was immense.  Wood’s book also slips in historical and external aspects affecting the making of Some Like it Hot. For example during the time when the movie was being shot Marilyn’s husband Arthur Miller was under investigation for communist allegiances, and later in the production she became pregnant (a baby which was miscarried one of the last days of shooting).   This small bit of information might explain Marilyn’s exceptionally unruly temperament during this productions making.

            Some Like it Hot was so much more than just another Wilder film, the entire survival and later success of the Mirisch Company a fairly new instillation in Hollywood at the time, was dependant on this movies success.  This book does an excellent job of interweaving Hollywood politics, Wilders life, and movie making process to paint a full picture of the framework for one of the greatest comedies of all time.

                        In assessing this source it was determined to be reliable in its factual representation of the surrounding Wilders life.   Written fairly early the author had access to many first hand sources for information about Wilders life. 

This particular book about Billy Wilde gives accounts of conversations and experiences which illustrate both his personal and social life.  Zolotow looks at exchanges Wilder has with different actors, directors etc. and incorporates dialogue from these dialogues into the bibliographic form in order to give the reader a more engaging account of the events in Wilders life. 

            A book such as this gives a good background perspective on Wilders life and personality from exchanges he has with people.  It is through gaining this greater understanding of the director and his life that one gains insight into the director’s work. Billy Wilder was a dynamic genius who gave his movies a great deal of attention and care which is how he was able to produce several masterpieces.  It is the often overlooked and even the seemingly inane details that make scenes in Wilders movies works of art.  One example the book offers of Wilders cinematic brilliance is from a scene in the movie Some Like it Hot. In the scene when Daphne (Jerry) tells Josephine (Joe) that he is engaged a rich billionaire, Wilder insisted that Jack Lemmon who plays Daphne have maracas and shaken them after every line.  In this scene the maracas were added to give the audience a chance to laugh during the maracas shaking sequence, and then settle down in time to hear the rest of the witty dialogue. A simple detail such as this shows the care and consideration Wilder has for his audience.

            The conversationalist tone taken by the speaker gives this book the feel of a story.  And while this tone makes the book reader friendly it also gives it a seemingly less credible foundation.  The lack of references and a background research section also make the book a questionable source.

Born near in a small town near Vienna, Billy Wilder would come from humble beginnings to later develop into an infamous producer, whose movies that have stood the test of time.  Bernard Dick’s book observes Wilders life through a very appropriate lens, his life’s work.  Each of Wilders films seems to exhibit a character or signature of sorts that only the best of directors are capable of creating.  In this biography of sorts each movie is treated as a venue through which the reader can understand Wilders life, and directing/producing styles that made him capable enough to transform a mediocre screen play into a box office hit.

            One impressive signature of many of Wilders movies is his ability to make the characters in the film very human despite fantastical situations and unbelievable occurrences.  Chapter 7 of Bernard Dick’s book called, “The Human Comedies: Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, and Avanti!” address’ Wilders humanizing ability.  In Some Like it Hot Wilder was able to make Daphne and Josephine (Joe and Jerry in drag) into relatable feminine figures despite the slapstick parody driven comedy of the plot and the insanity of their drag charade.  Several pages of this chapter are centered upon looking at how Wilder uses comedy to enhance not substitute for character depth.  Despite their antics Joe/Josephine and Jerry/Daphne are very human with emotional vulnerabilities, and individual personalities.  One simple example the book offers reference the scene in the movie when Jerry decided that he wants his drag name to be Daphne, instead of Geraldine (an easy feminine twist to his name).  The look on his face when deciding this is one of satisfaction, you see Jerry becoming comfortable in him feminine role and this makes the viewer more comfortable as well. Though this may seem simple little decisions such as this are what give the characters real personality.

            As a source this book provides well thought out and researched insights into Billy Wilder’s life and movies.  The bibliography is selective which leaves some vagueness regarding the credibility of some of the material.  Additionally, some of the insights into the movies and their meanings seem to be opinion based and therefore more biased and less steadfast.                

Richard Buskins book is essentially a window into the world of one of the most extraordinary cinematic talents of this century, Marilyn Monroe.  This book takes an interesting form in its attempt to paint a picture of the woman, and not just create a biographical compilation of the events in her life.  Buskin looks at Marilyn’s life by following her career from one movie to another, and capturing a three dimensional view of her life by quoting; Marilyn herself, and fellow actors, directors, friends, and admirers who she knew. 

            In this books attempt to draw a line through Marilyn’s life using her career, the 1959 picture Some Like It Hot is a notable stop on the way.  Arguably one of Marilyn Monroe’s most famous performances this starlet was the heart of the movie, a sexual sweetheart who always got “the fuzzy end of the lollypop”.  After Buskin does a brief synopsis of the movies plot, the book delves into life behind the scenes, and we catch a glimpse of the devil behind the Monroe’s angel face. Screaming, cursing, undependable, and insisting on dozens upon dozens of takes she was difficult to work with to say the least.  But in the end the director Billy Wilder admitted that “she was actually worth all the aggravation.” Some Like It Hot is a movie defined by the talent of its cast, and this book gives an essence of the star actress.  Marilyn was and still to this day is a star, with a presence and reputation that surpasses her time.

            In terms of reliability as a source this book is strongly rooted in primary sources using quotations from Marilyn’s fellow actors and directors to characterize her.  The author spent almost a decade to write this book, named a great deal of notable institutions in citing his research, and  acknowledged several dozen people who interviewed with him about their personal relationship with Marilyn Monroe.  Therefore I would consider this source to be fairly trustworthy.