I have seen both many times, but I watched them again recently to see how well Jack Lemmon, Dustin Hoffman, and Tony Curtis femulated in their roles.
My critique of Some Like It Hot
I loved the 1920s flapper-era outfits.
I have always thought Jack Lemmon’s wig was awful and I still think it was a poor choice.
In some scenes the boys passed; in others, they clearly looked like guys in dresses.
Tony Curtis made a better-looking woman than Jack Lemmon. That said, with a better wig, Daphne might have given Josephine a run for her money.
I was very impressed with Tony Curtis’s femme voice. It was right on the money. I wish I could speak en femme the way he did in that film.
As it turns out, Curtis’s feminine voice was actually dubbed by Paul Frees. Curtis had trouble maintaining a high-pitched voice through an entire take, so Frees was brought in to femulate the voice.
My critique of Tootsie
I loved the 1980s power suits. Still, if I had to choose between the two films’ fashions, I would prefer the flapper-era.
Hoffman’s presentation was quite convincing. The hair, makeup and clothing were excellent. Perhaps the fact that he was femulating a plain-looking middle-aged woman rather than a glamorous young lady helped make the illusion more believable.
His voice was also convincing. Although Paul Frees’s dubbing for Curtis was perfect, Hoffman deserves credit for performing Dorothy’s voice himself—and doing a very good job of it.
Bottom Line
Hoffman passed whenever he was en femme, compared to Curtis and Lemmon, who only passed some of the time.
Both films are outstanding and if you have not seen them, I highly recommend them.
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| Wearing LEAU |
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