Billy Wilder

Irma La Douce (1963) Billy Wilder

By-the-book but bumbling Paris gendarme Nestor Patou (Jack Lemmon) saw his career end when he raided a brothel that provided kickbacks and services to his higher-ups. Sympathetic streetwalker Irma La Douce (Shirley MacLaine) offered him a new livelihood-as her pimp-but the smitten ex-cop embarked on a comic gambit to ensure that he'd be her only client. Billy Wilder's engaging and ribald farce, co-scripted by I.A.L. Diamond, also stars Lou Jacobi, Bruce Yarnell, Grace Lee Whitney. 143 min. Widescreen; Soundtrack: English; Subtitles: English; audio commentary; theatrical trailer.