Billy Wilder

     Like many great Americans, Billy Wilder was an immigrant. Born in Austria, Wilder had been a successful screenwriter in the German film industry before the rise of the Third Reich. Being Jewish, he moved to Paris. Then, in 1933, to Hollywood. Within six years, he had learned English well enough to write Oscar nominated screenplays. After that, he did what any former tabloid reporter with intimate knowledge of political tyranny and religious persecution would do. He perfected film noir.

     While Double Indemnity established his reputation as a director, and even though he continued to write and direct cynical, tough war dramas, as well as noir classics like Sunset Boulevard, Wilder's particular genius was his sense of humor. He is one of the few people to have won Oscars for writing, directing, and producing the same movie. And his accomplishment doing this is even more notable due to the fact that the movie was a romantic comedy, not Oscar's favorite genre.

     The Apartment is a perfect combination of charm and worldliness. Jack Lemmon's is the only character that isn't so jaded as to be completely incapable of joy. And somehow, his naivete is what wins him the girl. This movie is set in the world we wished we lived in, a story that can only happen in movies, and no matter how many times I have seen it, no matter how long it has been on, if it is on television, I sit down and watch it. Who could do otherwise? Two minutes of this movie is enough to become fully, and hopelessly immersed.

     I loved Billy Wilder movies before I even knew who he was. Back when AMC would actually show classic American movies, it aired Stalag 17 every weekend for what seemed like years. When it stopped, I rented it from a video store to be able to watch it more. I've always preferred it to The Great Escape when it comes to WWII Prisoner of War dramas. The Roger Ebert of Oklahoma, BJ Wexler, was clearly a fan. Through the OETA Movie Club he introduced me to The Fortune Cookie, Some Like it Hot, and The Spirit of St. Louis, and is probably responsible as much as anyone else for my love of movies.

     Why am I posting about Billy Wilder? Sometimes writing a blog post is like choosing a movie. Sometimes you just don't know what to do. It seems like you've seen every single thing you could possibly be interested it. You'd watch an old favorite, but you are tired of them. You want the feeling you get when you get sucked into something new. Something fresh enough to be interesting. Then, when you finally settle on a classic, it somehow gives you that feeling anyway. That's Billy. Smart, charming, sophisticated, and innocent. It's guys like him that can keep you writing.