You’ve probably seen the clip. Marilyn Monroe, draped in a sheer, shimmering gown that looks more like a second skin of diamonds than actual fabric, leaning against a piano and breathing "I Wanna Be Loved By You" into a microphone. It is the definition of Hollywood glamour. But honestly? Behind that glowing black-and-white frame, things were a total mess.
The 1959 comedy Some Like It Hot is widely considered the greatest comedy ever made. It’s the story of two musicians, played by Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, who witness a mob hit and hide out in an all-female jazz band. It’s funny, it’s fast, and it’s surprisingly modern. But if you look at the history of Monroe Some Like It Hot, the "magic" on screen was built on a foundation of genuine suffering, extreme physical pain, and a flat-out war with the censors.
Most people think of Sugar Kane as just another "dumb blonde" role. Marilyn didn't see it that way. In fact, she almost turned the part down because she was sick of playing cartoons. She only signed on because her husband, playwright Arthur Miller, was drowning in legal fees from his battle with the House Un-American Activities Committee. She needed the paycheck, but she wasn't going to just show up and be a punchline.
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The Secret Battle on the Beach
While she was filming those iconic scenes at the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego, Marilyn was going through it. We aren't just talking about being a "difficult" star. She was struggling with a high-risk pregnancy. Her costume designer, Orry-Kelly, actually had to alter her dresses almost daily because her body was changing so fast. If you look closely at some of the museum-grade costumes today, you can see where they were let out to hide her baby bump.
She was also dealing with endometriosis and the early stages of the mental health struggles that would later be diagnosed by many historians as Bipolar Disorder.
Billy Wilder, the director, was a perfectionist. He famously got frustrated when Marilyn needed 47 takes to say the simple line, "It's me, Sugar." Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon actually started taking bets on how many tries it would take her to get a sentence right. It sounds mean, but the set was tense. Wilder later joked that he had to see his psychiatrist just to get through the production.
But here is the thing: when she finally got it, it was perfect.
"I saw she was suffering," Jack Lemmon once said. "Suffering and still producing that magic on film. It was a courageous performance, really courageous."
Why the Censors Hated Monroe Some Like It Hot
It’s hard to imagine now, but this movie was basically illegal when it came out. In 1959, the Motion Picture Production Code (often called the Hays Code) was still the law of the land in Hollywood. They had strict rules: no "sexual perversion," no "suggestive" costumes, and certainly no men dressing as women for anything other than a quick, mocking gag.
Billy Wilder basically told the censors to shove it.
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He didn't even submit a finished script for approval because he knew they’d tear it apart. The movie was released without the official Code seal of approval. This was a huge gamble. Many theaters wouldn't even show movies that didn't have that seal. But the buzz was too loud. People wanted to see Marilyn.
The Kansas censor board actually demanded 105 feet of film be cut, mostly because of a "long" kissing scene between Marilyn and Tony Curtis. The Catholic Legion of Decency gave it a "B" rating—"objectionable in part"—and called it "outright smut."
The movie didn't just survive the controversy; it killed the Code. Its massive success proved that the old-school moral police were out of touch with what audiences actually wanted to see. It paved the way for the more daring films of the 1960s.
The "Jell-O on Springs" Entrance
One of the most famous moments in Monroe Some Like It Hot is Sugar’s entrance at the train station. You know the one—she’s walking down the platform, the train blows a puff of steam right as she passes, and Jack Lemmon says she moves like "Jell-O on springs."
That wasn't in the original script.
Marilyn herself suggested the rework. She felt the introductory scene wasn't "her." She wanted something that felt more like a star entrance. She spent hours perfecting that walk. She knew exactly how to use her body to create a comedic effect that wasn't just "sexy" but was also genuinely funny.
She also insisted on her acting coach, Paula Strasberg, being on set at all times. This drove Wilder crazy. He felt like he was directing two people instead of one. But Marilyn felt she needed that support to survive the 18-month hiatus she had just taken from Hollywood. She was terrified of failing.
What Happened After the Cameras Stopped
The tragedy of the film is that shortly after production wrapped in late 1958, Marilyn suffered a miscarriage. It was her third one.
She had given everything to the role of Sugar Kane, often working through 100-degree heat in heavy gowns while feeling physically ill. The "lightness" you see on screen was a mask. Tony Curtis famously (and maybe a bit cruelly) once said that kissing her was like "kissing Hitler," referring to how difficult the atmosphere on set had become by the end. He later walked that back, explaining he was just frustrated by the delays.
Despite the behind-the-scenes chaos, the film is a masterclass in timing.
- The "Junior" persona Tony Curtis used was actually a dead-on impression of Cary Grant.
- Frank Sinatra was originally considered for the role of Jerry (Jack Lemmon's part), but he stood Billy Wilder up for lunch, so he lost the job.
- The film was shot in black and white not just for style, but because the heavy "female" makeup on Curtis and Lemmon looked green and garish in early color tests.
The Actionable Legacy
If you’re a film buff or just a fan of Marilyn, there are a few things you should do to truly appreciate Monroe Some Like It Hot in a modern context.
First, watch it again but ignore the plot. Watch Marilyn’s eyes. She’s doing a lot of subtle character work that people missed at the time because they were too busy looking at her curves. She plays Sugar as someone who is deeply lonely and looking for a way out, which wasn't far from her own reality.
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Second, check out the The Making of Some Like It Hot by Tony Curtis. It’s a raw, honest look at what it was like to be in the trenches with a fading icon.
Finally, recognize that this film was a turning point. It wasn't just a movie; it was a middle finger to the censorship that had throttled American creativity for decades. It showed that you could be funny, queer-coded, and scandalous, and still be a massive hit.
Next time you see that clip of her singing about being loved by you, remember: she wasn't just a "blonde bombshell." She was a woman fighting through physical pain and industry gatekeepers to create something that would outlast them all. And she won.
The best way to honor that performance is to see it for what it was—not a lucky break for a pretty face, but a calculated, grueling, and brilliant piece of work by a woman who knew exactly what she was doing.
Next Steps for Film History Buffs:
- Visit the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego to see the original filming locations which are still preserved today.
- Compare the 1959 film with the 2022 Broadway musical adaptation to see how the themes of gender and identity have evolved.
- Research the "Double Obie" lighting technique used by cinematographer Charles Lang Jr. to understand how they made Marilyn "glow" on screen.