After the success of 1959’s “Some Like It Hot,” director Billy Wilder once again joined forces with Jack Lemmon in “The Apartment,” the 1960 comedy-drama. The pairing paid off handsomely, with “The Apartment” earning an impressive ten (10!) Academy Award nominations, five of which turned into gold.
The 33rd Academy Awards were the first ceremony to be aired on ABC, which has aired the Oscars every year except for a brief period between 1971 and 1975, when they were aired on NBC.
Written by Wilder and his favorite collaborator I.A.L. Diamond, “The Apartment” is a masterfully shot picture based on a wistful storyline whose value hasn’t diminished in over a half of a century.
Also, there a couple of other fun facts about this particular Oscars ceremony. It was the first year a red carpet would line the walk into the theater. Also, “The Apartment” was the last black-and-white film to win Best Picture until “Schindler’s List” (1993) achieved the feat over thirty years later.
