Episode 66: Billy Wilder with Farran Smith Nehme, Sheila O’Malley, and Steven Mears

Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw, with your host, Nicolas Rapold. 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. It turned out to be a collection of writings from when Wilder as a brash young journalist—his previous career before becoming one of Hollywood’s absolute greatest directors. It’s a fascinating read, and as for his career, you can’t go wrong with a track record like Sunset Boulevard, Double Indemnity, Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, Ace in the Hole, 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’s work. I was joined by three powerhouse critics of classic Hollywood who practically need no introduction: Farran Smith Nehme, Sheila O’Malley, and Steven Mears. Special thanks to Noah Isenberg who edited Billy Wilder on Assignment (Princeton University Press) which helps launch our conversation. You can support this podcast and read show notes with links at: rapold.substack.com Opening music: “Monserrate” by The Minarets Photo by Steve Snodgrass