1960, Film and Television Awards: British Academy Awards (BAFTAs)

Best Film From Any Source
Winner: Ben-Hur (USA, William Wyler)

Ben-Hur Podter

Nominees:

• Anatomy of a Murder (USA, Otto Preminger)
• Ansiktet (Sweden, Ingmar Bergman)
• The Big Country (USA, William Wyler)
• Compulsion (USA, Richard Fleischer)
• Gigi (USA, Vincente Minnelli)
• Look Back in Anger (UK, Tony Richardson)
• North West Frontier (UK, J. Lee Thompson)
• The Nun's Story (USA, Fred Zinnemann)
• Sapphire (UK, Basil Dearden)
• Some Like It Hot (USA, Billy Wilder)
• Tiger Bay (UK, J. Lee Thompson) 
• Yesterday's Enemy (UK, Val Guest)
• Maigret tend un piège (France / Italy, Jean Delannoy)
• Popiół i diament (Poland, Andrzej Wajda)

Best British Film
Winner: Sapphire (Basil Dearden)

Sapphire Poster

Nominees:

• Look Back in Anger (Tony Richardson)
• North West Frontier (J. Lee Thompson)
• Tiger Bay (J. Lee Thompson)
• Yesterday's Enemy (Val Guest)

Best Foreign Actor
Winner: Jack Lemmon as Jerry / Daphne in Some Like It Hot

Marilyn Monroe as Sugar Kane Kowalczyk and Jack Lemmon as Daphne

Nominees:

• James Stewart as Paul Biegler in Anatomy of a Murder
• Takashi Shimura as Kanji Watanabe in Ikiru
• Zbigniew Cybulski as Maciek Chelmicki in Popiół i diament
• Jean Gabin as Jules Maigret in Maigret tend un piège
• Jean Desailly as Marcel Maurin in Maigret tend un piège

Best British Actor
Winner: Peter Sellers as Fred Kite / Sir John Kennaway in I'm All Right Jack

Peter Sellers as Fred Kite

Nominees:

• Laurence Olivier as General John Burgoyne in The Devil's Disciple
• Laurence Harvey as Johnny Jackson in Expresso Bongo
• Richard Burton as Jimmy Porter in Look Back in Anger
• Peter Finch as Dr. Fortunati in The Nun's Story
• Stanley Baker as Captain Alan Langford in Yesterday's Enemy
• Gordon Jackson as Sergeant MacKenzie in Yesterday's Enemy

Best Foreign Actress
Winner: Shirley MacLaine as Meg Wheeler in Ask Any Girl

Shirley MacLaine as Meg Wheeler

Nominees:

• Rosalind Russell as Mame Dennis in Auntie Mame
• Susan Hayward as Barbara Graham in I Want to Live!
• Ava Gardner Moira Davidson in On The Beach
• Ellie Lambeti as Chloe Pella in A Matter of Dignity

Best British Actress
Winner: Audrey Hepburn as Sister Luke in The Nun's Story

Audrey Hepburn as Sister Luke

Nominees:

• Kay Walsh as Miss D. Coker in The Horse's Mouth
• Sylvia Syms as Hetty in No Trees in the Street
• Peggy Ashcroft as Mother Mathilde in The Nun's Story
• Yvonne Mitchell as Mildred Farr in Sapphire

Best British Screenplay
Winner: Frank Harvey, John Boulting and Alan Hackney with I'm All Right Jack

I'm All Right Jack Poster

Nominees:

• Ben Barzman and Millard Lampell: Chance Meeting
• Wolf Mankowitz: Expresso Bongo
• Alec Guinness: The Horse's Mouth
• Nigel Kneale: Look Back in Anger
• Ted Willis: No Trees in the Street
• Robin Estridge: North West Frontier
• Janet Green: Sapphire
• John Hawkesworth and Shelley Smith: Tiger Bay

Most Promising Newcomer To Leading Film Roles
Winner: Hayley Mills as Gillie Evans in Tiger Bay

Nominees:

• Joseph N. Welch as Judge Weaver in Anatomy of a Murder
• Liz Fraser as Cynthia Kite in I'm All Right Jack
• Gerry Duggan as Pat Fulton in Four Desperate Men

1961, Film and Television Awards: British Academy Awards (BAFTAs)

Best Film From Any Source
Winner: ‘The Apartment’

Nominees:

• ‘The Angry Silence’
• ‘Inherit the Wind’
• ‘Let's Make Love’
• ‘Elmer Gantry’
• ‘Shadows’
• ‘Saturday Night and Sunday Morning’
• ‘Spartacus’
• ‘Tunes of Glory’
• ‘The Trials of Oscar Wilde’
• ‘La Dolce Vita’
• ‘Hiroshima mon amour’
• ‘Orfeu Negro’
• ‘Pote tin Kyriaki’
• ‘Le testament d'Orphée’
• ‘Les Quatre cents coups’
• ‘L'Avventura’

Best British Film
Winner: ‘Saturday Night and Sunday Morning’

Nominees:

• ‘The Angry Silence’
• ‘The Trials of Oscar Wilde’
• ‘Tunes of Glory’

Best Foreign Actor
Winner:  Jack Lemmon
As in Calvin Clifford (C.C.) "Bud" Baxter in ‘The Apartment’

Nominees:

• George Hamilton as as Robert in ‘Crime & Punishment USA’
• Burt Lancaster as Elmer Gantry in ‘Elmer Gantry’
• Fredric March as Matthew Harrison Brady in ‘Inherit the Wind’
• Spencer Tracy as Henry Drummond in ‘Inherit the Wind’
• Yves Montand as Jean-Marc Clément in ‘Let's Make Love’

Best British Actor
Winner:  Peter Finch
As Oscar Wilde in ‘The Trials of Oscar Wilde’

Nominees:

• Richard Attenborough as Tom Curtis in ‘The Angry Silence’
• Laurence Olivier as Archie Rice in ‘The Entertainer’
• Albert Finney as Arthur Seaton in ‘Saturday Night and Sunday Morning’
• John Fraser as Lord Alfred Douglas in ‘The Trials of Oscar Wilde’
• Alec Guinness as Major Jock Sinclair in ‘Tunes of Glory’
• John Mills as Lieutenant Colonel Basil Barrow in ‘Tunes of Glory’

Best Foreign Actress
Winner:  Shirley MacLaine
As Fran Kubelik in ‘The Apartment’

Nominees:

• Pier Angeli as Anna Curtis in ‘The Angry Silence’
• Monica Vitti as Claudia in ‘L'Avventura’
• Jean Simmons as Sister Sharon Falconer in ‘Elmer Gantry’
• Emmanuelle Riva as Elle in ‘Hiroshima mon amour’
• Melina Mercouri as Ilya in ‘Pote tin Kyriaki’

Best British Actress
Winner:  Rachel Roberts
As Brenda in ‘Saturday Night and Sunday Morning’

Nominees:

• Hayley Mills as Pollyanna Whittier in ‘Pollyanna’
• Wendy Hiller as Mrs. Morel in ‘Sons and Lovers’

 

Best British Screenplay
Winner: Bryan Forbes with ‘The Angry Silence’

Nominees:

• Howard Clewes: ‘The Day They Robbed The Bank Of England’
• John Osborne, Nigel Kneale: ‘The Entertainer’
• Val Guest: ‘Hell Is A City’
• Bryan Forbes: ‘The League Of Gentlemen’
• Wolf Mankowitz: ‘The Millionairess’
• Alan Sillitoe: ‘Saturday Night And Sunday Morning’
• Roger MacDougall, Guy Hamilton, Ivan Foxwell: ‘A Touch Of Larceny’
• Ken Hughes: ‘The Trials Of Oscar Wilde’
• James Kennaway: ‘Tunes Of Glory’

Most Promising Newcomer To Leading Film Roles
Winner: Albert Finney
As Arthur Seaton in ‘Saturday Night And Sunday Morning’

Nominees:

• Lelia Goldoni as Lelia in ‘Shadows’
• Jean-Pierre Léaud as Antoine Doinel in ‘Les quatre cents coups’
• George Peppard as Rafe Copley in ‘Home From The Hill’
• Joan Plowright as Jean Rice in ‘The Entertainer’
• Anthony Ray as Tony in ‘Shadows’
• Billie Whitelaw as Chloe Hawkins in ‘Hell Is A City’

1965, Film: “The Great Race”

The American comedy "The Great Race" is released on 1 July 1965. The film, written and directed by Blake Edwards, stars Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood, Jack Lemmon and Peter Falk. The music was written by Henry Mancini.

Edwards based the film loosely on the 1908 New York to Paris Race. As an admirer of silent comedy films he dedicated "The Great Race" to the comedians Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and Oliver Hardy (1892–1957). The film included several silent era visual gags, slapstick, double entendres, and absurdities.

Tony Curtis as "The Great Leslie"

Jack Lemmon as Prince Friedrich Hapnick

Natalie Wood as Maggie DuBois

Synopsis

The Great Leslie (Tony Curtis) and Professor Fate (Jack Lemmon) are two daredevils at the turn of the 20th century. Leslie, a classic hero, is always dressed in white. He is handsome, courteous, talented and very successful. Fate, a melodramatic villain, is usually dressed in black with a top hat. His great plans are always doomed to fail. Leslie proposes an automobile race from New York to Paris. The Webber Motor Car Company builds a new car for Leslie named "The Leslie Special". Professor Fate builds his own vehicle, the "Hannibal Twin-8", with several hidden devices of sabotage. Other cars enter the race, including a New York City's newspaper car driven by the beautiful journalist Maggie DuBois (Natalie Wood)...

Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon

Jack Lemmon, Natalie Wood and Tony Curtis

Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis

Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood and Keenan Wynn

Awards

• Academy Awards, USA: Oscar for Best Effects, Sound Effects: Treg Brown (1966)
• Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA: Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing (tie “With Von Ryan's Express” (1966)

Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood and Jack Lemmon

Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis

Keenan Wynn, Natalie Wood and Tony Curtis

Main Cast

• Jack Lemmon as Professor Fate and Prince Friedrich Hapnick
• Tony Curtis as Leslie Gallant III ("The Great Leslie")
• Natalie Wood as Maggie DuBois
• Peter Falk as Maximillian "Max" Meen
• Keenan Wynn as Hezekiah Sturdy
• Arthur O'Connell as Henry Goodbody
• Vivian Vance as Hester Goodbody
• Dorothy Provine as Lily Olay
• Larry Storch as Texas Jack
• Ross Martin as Baron Rolfe von Stuppe
• Hal Smith as Mayor of Boracho
• Denver Pyle as Sheriff of Boracho
• Marvin Kaplan as Frisbee
• George Macready as General Kuhster

Tony Curtis and Natalie Wood

Jack Lemmon, Peter Falk and Hal Smith

Jack Lemmon and Peter Falk

Natalie Wood

Trivia

• The film features the largest pie fight ever staged, with a running gag that The Great Leslie remains clean while everyone else is covered in pie. It was filmed over five days and 4000 real pies were used.
• When Prof. Fate, Max and Maggie DuBois drive into the Russian town, Maggie speaks a full sentence to the townspeople in Russian. Natalie Wood was of Russian descent and spoke fluent Russian. 
• Six "Hannibal Twin-8" were built powered by a Chevrolet Corvair six-cylinder engine. "The Leslie Special" was designed and built by the studio, Warner Brothers, using parts from several cars. Four cars were build

Natalie Wood

Natalie Wood

 
"The Great Race" Trailer (1965)

1966, Film: “The Fortune Cookie”

On 19 October 1966 the American film "The Fortune Cookie" is released. The film film stars Walter Matthau, Jack Lemmon, and is directed by Billy Wilder from a script by Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond.

This film marked the first pairing of Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, who subsequently worked together on 10 films: "The Fortune Cookie" (1966), "The Odd Couple" (1968), "Kotch" (1971), "The Front Page" (1974), "Buddy Buddy" (1981), "Grumpy Old Men" (1993), "The Grass Harp" (1995), "Grumpier Old Men" (1995), "Out to Sea" (1997), and "The Odd Couple II" (1998).

Wilder had to postpone production for weeks after Walter Matthau had a heart attack. Matthau's drastic weight loss from scene to scene is noticeable, he had slimmed from 190 to 160 pounds by the time filming was completed, and had to wear a heavy black coat to conceal the weight loss.

Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau

Jack Lemmon

Walter Matthau

Synopsis

CBS cameraman Harry Hinkle (Jack Lemmon) is knocked over during a football game by player Luther "Boom Boom" Jackson (Ron Rich). Hinkle's brother in law, Willie Gingrich (Walter Matthau) aka as "Whiplash Willie" the king of the ambulance chasing lawyers, starts a law suit...

Judi West

Main Cast

• Jack Lemmon as Harry Hinkle
• Walter Matthau as Willie Gingrich
• Ron Rich as Luther Jackson
• Judi West as Sandy Hinkle
• Cliff Osmond as Purkey
• Lurene Tuttle as Mother Hinkle

Ron Rich, Lurene Tuttle, Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau

Judi West, Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau

Awards

• Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor: Walter Matthau (USA, 1966)
• Academy Awards, Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Walter Matthau (USA, 1967)
• Laurel Awards, Golden Laurel for Male Supporting Performance: Walter Matthau (USA, 1967)

The Fortune Cookie Trailer

1972, Film: “Avanti!”

On 17 December 1972 the American Italian comedy film, produced and directed by Billy Wilder, “Avanti!” is released. Main stars are Jack Lemmon and Juliet Mills. The screenplay by Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond is based on the 1968 play by Samuel Taylor.

Jack Lemmon won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, and nominations went to Billy Wilder for Best Director, Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond for Best Screenplay, Juliet Mills for Best Actress, Clive Revill for Best Supporting Actor, and the film itself for Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy).

Jack Lemmon as Wendell Armbruster Jr.

Juliet Mills as Pamela Piggott

Synopsis

The Baltimore industrialist Wendell Armbruster Jr. (Jack Lemmon) meets the London shop girl Pamela Piggott (Juliet Mills) when they come to the resort island of Ischia to pick up the bodies of her mother and his father, who have been killed in an automobile accident after a ten-year summertime affair. Wendell tries to avoid a scandal while Pamela is impressed by the romantic setting...

Jack Lemmon and Juliet Mills

Jack Lemmon and Juliet Mills

Main Cast

• Jack Lemmon as Wendell Armbruster, Jr.
• Juliet Mills as Pamela Piggott
• Clive Revill as Carlo Carlucci
• Edward Andrews as J.J. Blodgett
• Gianfranco Barra as Bruno
• Giselda Castrini as Anna
• Pippo Franco as Mattarazzo
• Janet Agren as Nurse
• Giacomo Rizzo as Barman
• Ty Hardin as Helicopter Pilot
• Antonino Faà di Bruno as Concierge
• Raffaele Mottola as Passport Officer
• Harry Ray as Dr. Fleischmann

Jack Lemmon and Clive Revill

Awards

• Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Actor – Musical/Comedy: Jack Lemmon (USA, 1973)

Avanti! 1972 Trailer

1960, Film: The Apartment

The Apartment a 1960 American comedy produced and directed by Billy Wilder stars Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, and Fred MacMurray.

The film tells the story of Bud Baxter a struggling clerk in a huge New York insurance company. He discoveres a quick way to climb the corporate ladder by lending out his apartment to the executives as a place to take their mistresses. He often has to deal with the aftermath of their visits and one night he's left with a major problem to solve...

The Apartment received 10 Academy Award nominations and won 5 Academy Awards.

Best Motion Picture: Billy Wilder

Best Director: Billy Wilder

Best Writing, Story and Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen: I. A. L. Diamond and Billy Wilder

Best Art Direction-Set Decoration: Edward G. Boyle and Alexandre Trauner

Best Film Editing: Daniel Mandell

Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, and Fred MacMurray

Jack Lemmon

Lunch with Billy Wilder during filming

Jack Lemmon & Shirley MacLaine