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\nIt was so much fun appearing on Nicolas Rapold’s “The Last Thing I Saw” to discuss Billy Wilder. The other guests were Farran Smith Nehme (a good friend of mine), and Steven Mears. The inspiration to discuss Billy Wilder was the recent publication of a book called Billy Wilder on Assignment: Dispatches from Weimar Berlin and Interwar Vienna<\/a><\/i>. A treasure trove! He wrote about entertainment, he wrote about the rich coffee house culture, he wrote about movies, he shared stories of making his own first fledgling movies and – best of all – he wrote a fantastic personal essay about his experience as a hired dance partner for a swanky hotel. I mean, in the gigolo territory! So that book came out, and Nic approached us to talk about We each picked a movie to discuss – just to focus the conversation – although other movies come into it, of course. Here’s how Nic described the conversation: <\/p>\n A few months ago I caught wind of a book with an intriguing title: Billy Wilder on Assignment: Dispatches from Weimar Berlin and Interwar Vienna<\/em>. It turned out to be a collection of writings from when Wilder as a brash young journalist\u2014his previous career before becoming one of Hollywood\u2019s absolute greatest directors. It\u2019s a fascinating read, and as for his career, you can\u2019t go wrong with a track record like Sunset Boulevard, Double Indemnity, Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, Ace in the Hole<\/em>, to name only a few. So I decided to bring together three colleagues to pick one Wilder movie apiece — one per decade — and share a few things we love about the director\u2019s work. I was joined by three powerhouse critics of classic Hollywood who practically need no introduction: Farran Smith Nehme, Sheila O\u2019Malley, and Steven Mears. Special thanks to Noah Isenberg who edited Billy Wilder on Assignment<\/em> (Princeton University Press) which helps launch our conversation.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\n1. the book
\n2. Billy Wilder, in general. <\/p>\n