The Apartment (1960) | |
| Director(s) | Billy Wilder |
| Producer(s) | I.A.L. Diamond (associate), Doane Harrison (associate), Billy Wilder |
| Top Genres | Comedy, Drama, Romance |
| Top Topics | Apartments, Based on Play, Infidelity, Romance (Drama), Secretaries |
Featured Cast:
The Apartment Overview:
The Apartment (1960) was a Romance - Comedy Film directed by Billy Wilder and produced by Billy Wilder, I.A.L. Diamond and Doane Harrison.
The film was based on the musical Promises, Promises written by Neil Simon performed at the Shubert Theatre, NY from Dec 1, 1968 - Jan 1, 1972.
SYNOPSIS
An ambitious young insurance clerk tries to get ahead by lending his apartment key to several of the company's philandering executives for the occasional afternoon rendezvous. But when he falls in love with the building's elevator operator, he soon realizes that she's the woman his married boss has been taking to the apartment for romantic trysts. Spurred on by the exhortations of the philosophizing doctor who lives next door to him, the troubled young man eventually reexamines his priorities and decides to be true to himself and drop out of the rat race.
(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).
FACT FROM THE VAULT:
It was so cold the night Jack Lemmon "slept" in rainy Central Park, that he was sprayed with anti-freeze to prevent the water from turning to ice!
.The Apartment was inducted into the National Film Registry in 1994.
Academy Awards 1960 --- Ceremony Number 33 (source: AMPAS)
| Award | Recipient | Result |
| Best Actor | Jack Lemmon | Nominated |
| Best Supporting Actor | Jack Kruschen | Nominated |
| Best Actress | Shirley MacLaine | Nominated |
| Best Art Direction | Art Direction: Alexander Trauner; Set Decoration: Edward G. Boyle | Won |
| Best Cinematography | Joseph LaShelle | Nominated |
| Best Director | Billy Wilder | Won |
| Best Film Editing | Daniel Mandell | Won |
| Best Picture | Billy Wilder, Producer | Won |
| Best Writing | Billy Wilder, I. A. L. Diamond | Won |
BlogHub Articles:
ONE MOVIE, THREE QUOTES: The Apartment (1960)
By Carol Martinheira on Dec 14, 2022 From The Old Hollywood GardenONE MOVIE, THREE QUOTES: The Apartment (1960) On December 14, 2022 By CarolIn Uncategorized It?s Chriiiiistmaaaas! December?s ONE MOVIE, THREE QUOTES goes out to one of the best?. New Year?s Eve movies?? That?s right, The Apartment (1960, dir. Billy Wilder) doub... Read full article
Billy Wilder's "The Apartment" starring Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, and Fred MacMurray
By Stephen Reginald on Feb 15, 2022 From Classic Movie ManBilly Wilder's "The Apartment" starring Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, and Fred MacMurray The Apartment (1960) is a romantic comedy directed by Billy Wilder and starring Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, and Fred MacMurray. The cast includes Ray Walston and Edie Adams. The screenplay was written b... Read full article
This Magic Moment: The Apartment
By FlickChick on Jul 7, 2019 From A Person in the DarkWhile a film may be 2 hours or more in length, there are those special moments - unforgettable moments - that linger in the heart and mind. These moments can crystallize in a flash all we need to know about a character or their story. They are the poetry of motion or a word or a look that jolts the ... Read full article
The Apartment (1960, Billy Wilder)
By Andrew Wickliffe on Nov 16, 2018 From The Stop ButtonThe Apartment does whatever it can to remain a dramatic comedy when it shouldn?t be anymore. And sort of isn?t. When the film shifts into real drama, there?s no going back. Director Wilder gets it too. The film has a good comedy opening, a breathtaking dramatic middle, and a decent comedy end. The c... Read full article
National Classic Movie Day: The Apartment is One Big Movie Hug
By FlickChick on May 15, 2018 From A Person in the DarkThis is my contribution to the Classic Comfort Movie Blogathon, hosted by Rick at The Classic Film & TV Cafe. Click HERE and find out what movies comfort us when we need a movie hug. it's an awesome lineup! Having a bad day? Whose day could be worse than CC Baxter’s? CC Baxter... Read full article
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Quotes from
J.D. Sheldrake: Ya know, you see a girl a couple of times a week, just for laughs, and right away they think you're gonna divorce your wife. Now I ask you, is that fair?
C.C. Baxter: No, sir, it's very unfair... Especially to your wife.
[first lines]
C.C. Baxter: [narrating] On November 1st, 1959, the population of New York City was 8,042,783. If you laid all these people end to end, figuring an average height of five feet six and a half inches, they would reach from Times Square to the outskirts of Karachi, Pakistan. I know facts like this because I work for an insurance company - Consolidated Life of New York. We're one of the top five companies in the country. Our home office has 31,259 employees, which is more than the entire population of uhh... Natchez, Mississippi. I work on the 19th floor. Ordinary Policy Department, Premium Accounting Division, Section W, desk number 861.
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Facts about
The office Christmas party scene was actually filmed on December 23, 1959, so as to catch everybody in the proper holiday mood. Billy Wilder filmed almost all of it on the first take, stating to an observer, "I wish it were always this easy. Today, I can just shout 'action' and stand back."
The studio wanted Groucho Marx for the role of Dr. Dreyfuss, but Billy Wilder said no, stating that he wanted an actor with more dramatic weight for the part.
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