How a Marilyn Monroe film predicted same-sex marriage… in 1959
You might think same-sex marriage is a relatively modern idea… but it’s prophesied perfectly in 1959 film Some Like It Hot.
The iconic camp comedy features Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon as two men who go into hiding as female musicians to escape violent gangsters.
However, Lemmon’s character Jerry begins to embrace his female side, courting eccentric billionaire Osgood Fielding.
Though intended as comedy at the time, the film includes some of the earliest positive references to same-sex marriage – and one memorable scene has aged brilliantly into the era of equal marriage.
Revealing news of the proposal to his friend (Curtis), Jerry exclaims: “Osgood proposed to me… we’re planning a June wedding.”
Joe shouts: “Jerry, you can’t be serious! You’re not a girl, you’re a guy, and why would a guy want to marry a guy?”
Jerry says, prophetically: “Security!”
The comedy, which also stars Marilyn Monroe, continues to riff off of the theme – despite being made a full thirty years before the world’s first same-sex unions in Denmark, and 42 years before the world’s first same-sex weddings in the Netherlands.
We won’t spoil the film’s iconic ending, as Jerry finally reveals his identity to Osgood… you can watch it below:
