Billy Wilder directed the first of one of film’s greatest on-screen pairings in this ‘60s comedy.
The list of classics attached to Billy Wilder’s name continues to impress and reinforce his legacy as one of the richest cinematic storytellers who ever lived. Witness for the Prosecution, Some Like it Hot, Sabrina, Ace in the Hole, Double Indemnity, Sunset Boulevard, The Apartment, and The Seven Year Itch: all of these represent some of the best American film had to offer in terms of high cinematic quality. The problem with having so many classic titles attached to a name such as Wilder’s is that there are a number of other entries quite worthy in their own right of classic status, which sadly fall by the wayside. One of those titles is the little-appreciated 1966 comedy The Fortune Cookie. Besides being the film which won star Walter Matthau his Oscar, The Fortune Cookie is a masterclass on how to make a good comedy; it’s a laugh-filled waltz with surprising depth which shows Wilder at his absolute best.
In The Fortune Cookie, sports cameraman Harry Hinkle (Jack Lemmon) is knocked out when star football player Luther “Boom Boom” Jackson (Ron Rich) crashes into him during the filming of a game. While he sustains enough injuries to warrant a brief hospital stay, Harry’s brother-in-law, shady lawyer Willie Gingrich (Matthau) hatches a scheme to persuade the insurance company that the injuries are more severe than everyone thinks in an effort to collect a huge payout.
One of the calling cards of any Wilder film was the script, which in this case is chock full of oftentimes witty and hilarious dialogue, most of which comes from the unparalleled talents of Matthau. “Why don’t you kids go play on the freeway,” he asks his children who are making a ruckus while he’s on the phone.” Not to be outdone, Lemmon also throws in his comedic two cents, generating the kind of comedy timing which makes The Fortune Cookie come to hilarious life. “That’s quite a chariot,” Willie says, referring to Harry’s new wheelchair. “Does it come in a two-seater?” he asks. “You’ve already got a Mustang,” adds Harry, referring to the fact that Willie is already spending the insurance money before they’ve even won the case. The script is so plentiful it even gives the film’s side characters funny lines of their, own such as Team Official Thompson (Les Tremayne), who describes Willie by stating, “This guy is so full of angles and gimmicks and twists, he starts to describe a doughnut and it comes out a pretzel.”
Wilder was never a director who relied on funny lines to tell a comedic story, however, and he proves this with the various aspects of The Fortune Cookie which contain great comedy sans dialogue. These include Willie using a bedpan to put out a cigarette which he treats as if it were the most normal of gestures. And the recurring image of Harry’s mother/Willie’s mother-in-law, who continuously wails every time she sees her incapacitated son, causing her son-in-law to continuously utter, “Shut up mother,” never fails to hit. Meanwhile, touches including Willie bringing in a dentist, out on parole for tampering with horses, to help feign the enormity of Harry’s injuries, are wildly outrageous. Less funny, but still somewhat humorous, is the ongoing presence of Boom Boom, whose guilty conscience compels him to do everything he can for the ailing Harry, including helping him with his physical therapy.
The Fortune Cookie represents the first of what many fans consider to be one of the greatest unions in film history in its two leading men. Each actor possesses his own kind of comedy stylings, yet they are able to read each other so incredibly well, it’s almost a sad waste when they have to let another actor come into a scene. While Lemmon does exasperation perfectly, Matthau shoots out one quip after another as the audience has nothing else to do but simply marvel at the two as they proceed to create true movie magic.
As the film draws to a close, it ultimately becomes a lesson in what made Wilder such a great director. The Fortune Cookie’s tone, rhythm, and pace are all superb, knowing when to speed up the action and when to let certain moments breathe at their own speed. The film takes a different turn in the amount of pathos the director injects into The Fortune Cookie’s final act and the surprising and genuine bond that develops between Boom Boom and Harry, which causes the latter to reach into the depths of his humanity. Just as he did with all the other films which bore his name, Wilder was able to orchestrate it all perfectly.
The Fortune Cookie is now available on Blu-ray from Twilight Time.
