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    Home»Movies»Movies by Decade»Movies - 1960s
    Movies - 1960s Movies - I 2 Mins Read

    Irma La Douce (1963)

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    The songs are gone, but the Broadway musical about the life of a French whore in Pigalle (the seedy red-light district of Paris) retains the colour, the wit, and the exposure of French hypocrisy – and the writing and direction by Billy Wilder add an extra dimension.

    Jack Lemmon plays Nestor Patou, a naive Parisian ex-policeman who falls in love with a prostitute called Irma la Douce (Shirley MacLaine) and becomes her pimp.

    Irma is the top poule and the best pro on the block. Transparent blouses, plunging cleavage, lace lingerie and nudity are the packaging of her stock and trade – and Shirley Maclaine wears them artfully and with style.

    Patou doesn’t want to share his girlfriend with anybody else so he takes on an alter-ego – a British gentleman called Lord X – to become Irma’s sole client.

    Lemmon does a series of impressions of English actors but it isn’t until the last one – a gap-toothed imitation of Terry-Thomas – that you realise what he was attempting.

    A nice Billy Wilder comedy/drama with perfect casting. Shirley MacLaine is a very strong lead and Jack Lemmon (Wilder’s favourite actor) is brilliant as always.

    This is the film that Shirley MacLaine says changed her life. I wouldn’t touch that one with a barge pole.

    Nestor Patou/Lord X
    Jack Lemmon 
    Irma La Douce

    Shirley MacLaine 
    Moustache

    Lou Jacobi 
    Hippolyte

    Bruce Yarnell 
    Insp. Lefevre

    Herschel Bernardi 
    Lolita

    Hope Holiday 
    Amazon Annie

    Joan Shawlee 
    Kiki the Cossack

    Grace Lee Whitney 
    Casablanca Charlie

    Herb Jones 
    Andre

    Paul Dubov 
    Jojo

    Diki Lerner 
    Zebra Twins

    Ruth Earl
    Jane Earl 
    Suzette Wong

    Tura Satana 
    Mimi the MauMau

    Harriette Young 
    Carmen

    Sheryl Deauville 
    Jack

    Jack Sahakian 
    Concierge

    Howard McNear 
    Customer from Texas

    James Brown 
    Tattooed sailor

    Bill Bixby 
    Officer Dupont

    Billy Beck 
    Police sergeant

    Cliff Osmond

    Director
    Billy Wilder

    Video

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