Some Like It Hot (1959) is showing at Amherst Cinema in Massachusetts on Tuesday, October 6 at 7:00 pm, kicking off a series of three Billy Wilder classics with an introduction by local film expert Nina Kleinberg.
And with another ‘Noirvember’ on the horizon, Henry Hathaway’s Niagara (1953 – “one of the rare classic noirs shot in Technicolor, featuring incredible, eye-bursting colour” – is coming to Amherst on November 8-10.
The Niagara screenplay was written by Charles Brackett, who was Wilder’s writing partner during the 1940s before going it alone. Brackett’s diaries from 1950-55 are collected in the newly published An Insider’s Hollywood, edited by Anthony Slide.
“An Insider’s Hollywood uses the diaries of producer/writer Charles Brackett to provide a unique insight into the workings and social life of the film community from 1950 through 1956, with particular emphasis on the films that Charles Brackett produced at 20th Century-Fox, including Titanic, Niagara, The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing, and The King and I. Daily meetings with Darryl F. Zanuck are here along with interactions with directors, such as Henry Hathaway, Henry Koster, Mitchell Leisen, and Jean Negulesco. Brackett and Wilder may no longer be a partnership, but Billy Wilder still features much in the diaries. Contained here are fascinating glimpses into the parties and dinners that Brackett attended, with guests including Lauren Bacall, Joan Crawford, Hedda Hopper, Ethel Merman, Louella Parsons, Cole Porter, and Clifton Webb. The entries are, in turn, waspish and also tender and compassionate.”
And heading west, both of Marilyn’s Billy Wilder films are coming to the historic Hi-Pointe Theatre in St. Louis, Missouri as part of an ongoing retrospective, Wilder Times. Cliff Froehlich, Cinema St. Louis’ retired executive director, will introduce and lead post-film discussions at the 1 p.m. Thursday matinees.
- SOME LIKE IT HOT (35 mm): Thursday, October 8 at 1:00 pm and 7:00 pm.
- THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH (1955): Thursday, October 15 at 1:00 pm.
