Synopsis

CC Baxter (Jack Lemmon) is a bright young insurance clerk working for a large firm in New York.

Anxious to get ahead, Baxter agrees to let his boss J.D. Sheldrake and a number of other senior executives use his conveniently located apartment as a place to meet their mistresses.

As Baxter finds himself rising in the corporate hierarchy, he considers asking the building's attractive elevator operator, Fran Kubelik (Shirley Maclaine) out on a date, not realising that she is the woman Sheldrake is having an affair with.



Billy Wilder co-wrote and directed The Apartment in 1960, right after he did the even better-known Some Like It Hot.

It's hard to think of anyone currently working in Hollywood who could remotely match his achievement in making these two contrasting but equally brilliant comedies back to back.

Jack Lemmon, who stars in both, was also at his peak, a fascinating actor capable of combining traditional physical comedy with a modern sense of performance as neurosis. Lemmon throws himself into the role. -- IMDb

Cast: Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray, Ray Walston, Jack Kruschen, David Lewis, Hope Holiday, Joan Shawlee, Naomi Stevens

Venice (In Competition): Volpi Cup - Best Actress