Well, nobody's perfect! A tribute to Jack Lemmon
After Isaac watched a few other films, he asked me: 'Does Jack Lemmon play the same kind of character in all of his movies?'
'Well, yes and no,' I began. I was about to support my answer, but we were interrupted. I never finished my explanation, so this critic's notebook is my full response to Isaac.
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Jack Lemmon pictured in 2000 with his award for outstanding lead actor in a miniseries or movie for "Tuesdays with Maury" at the 52nd annual Primetime Emmy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
Kevin Winter/ImageDirect via Getty Images
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It's perfect timing, as Jack Lemmon's centennial is this year. To celebrate, here are some movies that showcase his unmatched skill at both comedy and drama. While he definitely had a familiar onscreen persona, he was willing to step away from it when necessary. Let's start with Isaac's fave:
'The Apartment' (1960)
'The Apartment' won the best picture Oscar back in 1961 and, based on an impromptu Bluesky poll I conducted, it's a favorite among Lemmon fans.
The role of C.C. Baxter cemented the fussy, nebbishy Lemmon persona that Isaac saw in the movies he watched. Baxter rents out his apartment to higher-ups for their adulterous trysts. In exchange, he works his way up the corporate ladder.
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Unfortunately, Baxter falls for his office's elevator operator, Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine, in her greatest performance). She's been to his apartment more than once when he wasn't home; she's the mistress of Baxter's evil boss, Sheldrake (Fred MacMurray).
'When you're in love with a married man, you shouldn't wear mascara,' advises Kubelik in one of many memorable lines scripted by Wilder and his screenwriting partner, I.A.L. Diamond. Speaking of great lines, the one that ends this movie is the second greatest last line in cinema history. Stay tuned for the only one that bests it.
(Available on Tubi, Kanopy)
'Days of Wine and Roses' (1962)
Playing against type, Lemmon earned an Oscar nomination for this often harrowing drama — it's his version of 'The Lost Weekend.' Lemmon and fellow Oscar nominee Lee Remick play a couple whose brutal descent into alcoholism is depicted with minimal melodrama. Director Blake Edwards made the two best films of his career in 1962, this and the gorgeous widescreen black and white neo-noir, 'Experiment in Terror.'
(Available on Tubi)
Jack Lemmon (right) with James Cagney in "Mr. Roberts."
Getty Images
'Mister Roberts' (1955)
A staple on NYC's Channel 5 when I was a kid, this fun CinemaScope comedy was my introduction to Lemmon. Jimmy Cagney costars with William Powell and Jason Voorhees's killer Mom herself, Betsy Palmer. Leading the cast is Henry Fonda who, back in 1948, played the titular character on Broadway for over 1,000 performances. Fonda got a best actor Tony for his troubles. As Ensign Pulver, the movie's version of the play's comedy relief character, Jack Lemmon also got an award for his troubles: the best supporting actor Oscar.
(Available on AppleTV)
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'The China Syndrome' (1979)
Lemmon won best actor at Cannes for teaming up here with Michael Douglas, and Fonda's daughter Jane. The title refers to a nuclear meltdown. It became an unlikely hit when, 12 days after its release, Three Mile Island's nuclear accident happened. Full disclosure: My parents took me to the drive-in to see this — and I fell asleep. I put it on here so you can guilt me into watching it.
(Available on Prime)
Jack Lemmon with Tony Curtis in "Some Like It Hot."
Getty Images
'Some Like It Hot' (1959)
I revisited this hilarious classic last week as part of the Lemmon retrospective at NYC's Film Forum, and it played like gangbusters. Lemmon's son, Chris, and several of his family members were on hand to tell stories about their beloved relative.
Director Billy Wilder and his co-writer, I.A.L. Diamond, made Lemmon a star by putting him in drag alongside a similarly clad Tony Curtis. After witnessing the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, this disguised duo go on the run from gangster George Raft (who hilariously mocks his trademark coin-flipping here). Marilyn Monroe sings, shimmies, and falls in love with Curtis in her second pairing with Wilder. And lest I forget, this film has the greatest last line in cinema history.
(Available on Tubi, Kanopy)
'Save the Tiger' (1973)
The sleaziest film on this list won Lemmon a best actor Oscar over Al Pacino ('Serpico'), Jack Nicholson ('The Last Detail'), and Marlon Brando ('Last Tango in Paris'). Lemmon plays Harry Stoner, a WWII vet suffering from PTSD and contemplating whether to torch his failing apparel factory for the insurance money. It's the actor's most nakedly desperate portrayal of a loser until his turn as Shelly 'The Machine' Levene in the equally sleazy '
('Tiger' available on Kanopy, AppleTV; 'Ross' on Prime)
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'Missing' (1982)
This horrifying true story mystery, about a man who goes missing during the 1973 coup d'état in Chile, was my introduction to the films of director Costa-Gavras ('Z,' 'Music Box'). It's my pick for Lemmon's best dramatic performance. Cannes thought so, too; they gave Lemmon his second Cannes best actor award and the film the Palme D'Or. Lemmon lost the best actor Oscar, though. Sissy Spacek is also excellent as his daughter-in-law.
(Available on WatchTCM)
Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau in "Grumpier Old Men."
Liaison Agency via Getty Images
'The Odd Couple' (1968)
Wilder paired Lemmon with Walter Matthau in 1966's 'The Fortune Cookie,' the first of 10 movies they did together. This is their most beloved (though lovers of 'Grumpier Old Men' may protest this statement). In one of the few tolerable
(Available on Apple TV+)
'The Front Page' (1974)
This Matthau-Lemmon-Wilder collaboration was a hit despite being a lousy take on the famous 1928 play by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur. It's the first movie adaptation to use the play's
'son of a bitch stole my watch,'
which the censors of old Hollywood wouldn't allow. That old-timey censorship makes me mad, but not as mad as I am at this movie. You see, 'The Front Page' convinced me that a job at the newspaper would be full of booze and brawls, typewriters, cigarettes, and shouted demands to 'Stop the presses!' We don't have
any
of that stuff here! I was livid when I found this out. In fact, I'm
still
livid.
(Unavailable for streaming as of now)
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Odie Henderson is the Boston Globe's film critic.
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