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The Apartment Details

FULL SYNOPSIS

Widely regarded as a comedy in 1960, The Apartment seems more melancholy with each passing year. Jack Lemmon plays C.C. Baxter, a go-getting office worker who loans his tiny apartment to his philandering superiors for their romantic trysts. He runs into trouble when he finds himself sharing a girlfriend (Shirley MacLaine) with his callous boss (Fred MacMurray). Director/co-writer Billy Wilder claimed that the idea for The Apartment stemmed from a short scene in the 1945 romantic drama Brief Encounter in which the illicit lovers (Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson) arrange a rendezvous in a third person's apartment. Wilder was intrigued about what sort of person would willingly vacate his residence to allow virtual strangers a playing field for hanky panky. His answer to that question wound up winning 6 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. The Apartment was adapted by Neil Simon and Burt Bacharach into the 1969 Broadway musical Promises, Promises. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

  • Release date:June 15, 1960

Awards

Awarded by
Nominee
Category
Year
Status
British Academy of Film and Television Arts Billy Wilder Best Film - Any Source 1960 Winner
Directors Guild of America Billy Wilder Best Director 1960 Winner
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Billy Wilder Best Original Screenplay 1960 Winner
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Billy Wilder Best Director 1960 Winner
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Billy Wilder Best Picture 1960 Winner
New York Film Critics Circle Billy Wilder Best Director 1960 Winner
New York Film Critics Circle Billy Wilder Best Screenplay 1960 Winner
Hollywood Foreign Press Association Billy Wilder Best Director 1960 Nominee
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Jack Kruschen Best Supporting Actor 1960 Nominee
British Academy of Film and Television Arts Jack Lemmon Best Foreign Actor 1960 Winner
Hollywood Foreign Press Association Jack Lemmon Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy 1960 Winner
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Jack Lemmon Best Actor 1960 Nominee
British Academy of Film and Television Arts Shirley MacLaine Best Foreign Actress 1960 Winner
Hollywood Foreign Press Association Shirley MacLaine Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy 1960 Winner
Venice International Film Festival Shirley MacLaine Volpi Cup for Best Actress 1960 Winner
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Shirley MacLaine Best Actress 1960 Nominee
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Joseph La Shelle Best Black and White Cinematography 1960 Nominee
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences I.A.L. Diamond Best Original Screenplay 1960 Winner
New York Film Critics Circle I.A.L. Diamond Best Screenplay 1960 Winner
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Dan Mandell Best Editing 1960 Winner
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Alexandre Trauner Best Black and White Art Direction 1960 Nominee
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Gordon Sawyer Best Sound 1960 Nominee

Cast

Jack Lemmon
as C.C. Baxter
Shirley MacLaine
as Fran Kubelik
Fred MacMurray
as J.D. Sheldrake
Ray Walston
as Mr. Joe Dobisch
Edie Adams
as Miss Olsen
David Lewis
as Mr. Al Kirkeby
Jack Kruschen
as Dr. Dreyfuss
Joan Shawlee
as Sylvia
Hope Holiday
as Margie MacDougall
Johnny Seven
as Karl Matuschka
Joyce Jameson
as The Blonde
Benny Burt
as Bartender
Hal Smith
as Santa Claus
Dorothy Abbott
as Office Worker

Crew

Billy Wilder
Director
Billy Wilder
Producer
Billy Wilder
Screenwriter
I.A.L. Diamond
Screenwriter
Joseph La Shelle
Cinematographer
Adolph Deutsch
Composer (Music Score)
Dan Mandell
Editor
Alexandre Trauner
Art Director
Doane Harrison
Associate Producer
I.A.L. Diamond
Associate Producer
Fred Lau
Sound/Sound Designer
Milt Rice
Special Effects
Hal W. Polaire
First Assistant Director
Irene Caine
Costumes Supervisor
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