Billy Wilder receiving the Irving G. Thalberg Award

Legendary filmmaker Billy Wilder ("Some Like It Hot," "The Apartment," "Stalag 17," "Sunset Blvd.") receiving the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award for his outstanding body of work - 60th Annual Academy Awards® in 1988. Presented by Jack Lemmon.

[@carlosesquivel6253]

Soy de la Ciudad de Mexicali, Baja California, México y cada vez que veo y escucho el discurso del Gran Billy Wider, no puedo evitar las lagimas. Billy Wilder es uno de los Mas Grandes, Escritores y Directores del Mundo y es uno de mis favoritos. Gracias Billy Wilder por Tus Grandes y Bellas Películas!!!.

[@jorgeponce5512]

"Write some good ones". That was 54 years ago. I've tried ever seen.

[@demh7823]

I've watched all of Billy Wilder's Oscar videos, and I swear he looks the same age in ALL of them.

[@gigirossi9885]

Because cancer man doesn’t look old , always has a baby face .

[@drstrangelove6558]

this man is a goddamn Genius! He made masterpeices like sunset boulevard, the apartment, double indemnity, witness for the prosecution, some like it hot, the lost weekend, stalag 17, a foreign affair, Sabrina, one,two,three, ace in the hole, Irma la douce etc etc. What a Filmmaker!:)

[@user-km2jj8fb7j]

이 명작에 잭레몬이 몇개에 출연한거야 ^^

[@astronomo16]

any film of wilder is pure art. bravo master, RIP

[@tomasitoumali4634]

After only watching The Apartment a few minutes ago, BW and JL are some - if not the greatest - humans "unfailingly true to himself and to his audience" for many genrations to come. God bless

[@lonelygnome1]

I adore his movies. and for that matter, his glasses as well.

[@2011littleguy]

What a treat to see a young, vibrant Jack Lemmon! Who can forget his amazing performance in Billy Wilder's The Apartment. I will always remember him using a tennis racket to strain spaghetti lol. And what a great story by Wilder. They don't make 'em like that anymore.

[@SOXLUVER777]

He had a great backhand

[@jorgeponce7947]

He came to America with a very modest command over the English language. And became the 2nd most Oscar-nominated screenwriter (right after Woody Allen). It takes a genius. A gifted observer of the human condition.

[@gigirossi9885]

He and Sidney Lumet are the only American directors I have read their books or biographies.

[@gigirossi9885]

He has 7 wins from 21 nominations, but Allen has 4 wins from 24 nominations, so Wilder is the Goat .

[@AuntieMamie]

Never tire of his films.

[@ahmedramic8013]

nobody can match Billy Wilder

[@lepetitchat123]

I am from Hong Kong and I have loved his films since I was a teenager. Only his films I can watch repeatedly (at least 1,000 times) over the years and never feel bored.

[@MrImiller07]

In today's Oscar climate. Billy Wilder's Thalberg Award would have been presented to him at the smaller ceremony given in November of the year preceding the Oscar show in February. It is as if no film pioneer below the age of 45 is deemed acceptable to appear before a mass audience.Wilder wrote and directed some of the most memorable films of the twentieth century, including Sunset Boulevard, Sabrina, Stalag 17, The Lost Weekend, The Major And The Minor, The Seven Year Itch, Love In The Afternoon, The Apartment, Some Like It Hot and Irma La Douce. He is a true icon of cinema.

[@erikaust2205]

+MrImiller07 Couldn't agree more with your comments. Ageism is "alive and well" at the Oscars, like one other "ism" I can think of.

[@philipzamora4259]

I don't agree at all that this is an example of ageism. It's more likely that they are trying to keep the show under three hours because attention spans are not what they used to be.

[@rkomgm3932]

Unfortunately your words are chillingly correct How sad that is!

[@film79]

Who cares? This had nothing to do with age btw, people have little to no interest in industry awards anymore an that is a great thing. For every one lifetime achievement the Oscars gave a giant like Wilder how many other filmmakers did they ignore? I have been a film lover for decades and the negatives of being a current film lover are not that older creators are being forgotten, it's that film projection is disappearing. The respect, and relevancy of older filmmakers is probably higher than it's ever been in my lifetime. And the availability of older films is incredible. Back in 1987 when this award was given to Wilder I was still trying to watch Ace in the Hole for god sakes, now it's probably got a Blu-ray from criterion and streaming. So while people like you can bitch and moan about how an outdated award ceremony, than never did a good job of recognizing great works to begin with, isn't the same anymore I'll happily be watching great movies and discussing them with other fans.

[@susanb2015]

There shouldn't be awards shows anymore. Especially the Oscars. New movies and TV shows suck. They don't deserve an award.

[@rr7firefly]

Despite his pronounced German accent, Wilder was a master of writing dialogue. He had the genius to know how a line should sound, so he had the capacity to write a terrific screenplay. When a character speaks in one of his movies what he or she says always sounds true.

[@CJODell12]

+Noe Berengena Austrian, actually.

[@rr7firefly]

German is a language, the one that is spoken in Germany, Austria, parts of Switzerland and Italy. There is no language called "Austrian."

[@CamhiRichard]

​@@rr7firefly But there is such a thing as an Austrian accent. In fact, many different ones. Anyway, Billy Wilder was born in what is now Poland. He probably spoke Yiddish as his first language, then Polish, then Viennese dialect, then Berlin dialect ...

[@rr7firefly]

@@CamhiRichard I see your point. Of course, just like how there is actually no universal Italian that is spoken identically from top to bottom of the boot. I had a hard time with that because I studied in Rome but had very little idea what people in Naples or Sicily were saying. About the Berlin accent... is it true that most southern Germans say Berliners are the people who say "ick" (ich)?

[@CamhiRichard]

@@rr7firefly It may well be. I'm no expert. I have noticed that Berliners often pronounce a hard G as a Y, as in "sehr yut."

[@rc.atelier]

This man is a genius...

[@fifeco]

The best of the best. And that's it!!!

[@vittoriostoraro]

I never forgot this speech... priceless.

[@ashleyg325]

I love him.

[@villanodeoro]

Viva el gran Billy Wilder.....de todas partes del mundo se le reconoce como un astro y parte fundamental de la historia del cine mundial.

[@sapantiapagopo]

A genius, simply a genius.

[@orbison]

The final message to I.A.L was to his longtime collaborator I.A.L Diamond who helped co-write all of Wilder's films from Love in The Afternoon all the way to Wilder's last film, Buddy, Buddy. Diamond was very ill at the time of this, and sadly died more than three weeks later.

[@2011littleguy]

Thanks for explaining that. I wondered what he was talking about.

[@ToughXArmy69]

Billy Wilder is to me the greatest of all film directors with his masterpieces Sunset Blvd, Some Like It Hot, Double Indemnity, The Apartment among other fine films. Wilder worked with Garbo, Marilyn Monroe,Kim Novak, James Cagney, Jack Lemmon, Barbara Stanwyck, Audrey Hepburn, William Holden, Gloria Swanson, Kirk Douglas, Shirley MacLaine, Walter Matthau, Jean Arthur, Claudette Colbert, the above mentioned professionals all.

[@SalamiKing7]

One of the truly best filmmakers ever!

[@nealhurwitz]

amazing story

[@Tifflet]

Very apt that Jack Lemmon should present this award to Billy Wilder, they did so many wonderful films together.

[@reveriemephisto1995]

RIP Jack Lemmon. No one could replace you as John from Grumpy Old Men.

[@sriharsha5036]

What a story

[@jorgeponce7947]

Billy wrote the screenplay of 'Ninotchka' (1939), with this prologue, "This picture takes place in Paris in those wonderful days when a siren was a brunette and not an alarm --- and if a Frenchman turned out the light, it was not on account of an air raid ! "

[@alchemelixor5508]

How beautiful! Thanks for sharing 👍

[@lynngregory393]

Ace in the Hole-this film is unforgettable!

[@paulienebz]

My family brought Billy to America and produced his first film. There is no taller tree in the forest.

[@normadesmond6017]

Don't fool yourself - this guy was one of the absolute best. He made Some like it hot, The Appartement, Sunset Boulevard, Double Indemnity, etc. Nobody can beat Billy. Well, Hitchcock, maybe. Absolute and complete genius. And he did this in Hollywood after most of his family was murdered in the concentration camps. Unbelievable. Greatest respect for the great Billy Wilder.

[@brosans1868]

honesty is still the best policy! thanx billy.

[@minekara7198]

This great Mans speech says it all about Trumps America today........without Great Men like Billy Wilder we would be very poor in the world. Love you and your films Mr Wilder

[@andressrojas]

"I would like to believe in God in order to thank him, but I just believe in Billy Wilder, thank you Mr. Wilder" Fernando Trueba oscar speech 1994.

[@user-km2jj8fb7j]

나에게 최고의 감독 사랑합니다. 와일더 감독님

[@sugatasenmazumdar7704]

Just GREAT

[@jackinmexico]

The montages are the most important thing, and they cut them off, Why?

[@gibsongirl2100]

I know - It would make these videos so much better if we could view from start to finish, especially the movie montages highlighting their work!

[@ScottRay67]

"The master" Cameron Crowe called him. Too true.

[@scorsese86]

What a lovely story! Haha, this guy knows how to tell stories.

[@marco70go]

because they do not own the copyright to the movies shown in the montages

[@JC-el1zu]

Double Indemnity, The Lost Weekend, Sunset Boulevard, Ace in the Hole, Stalag 17, The Seven Year Inch, Witness For the Prosecution, Some Like it Hot, The Apartment, The Fortune Cookie.

[@PierluigiPuccini]

saw the apartment last night. Genius

[@iheartbillywilder]

my username is extremely relevant

[@pedrobakale7180]

"Write some good ones." Lol

[@arpitdas4263]

Funniest dude who ever worked in Hollywood

[@TheMurePolly]

@lynchie3000 you must have a lot of friends

[@MrImiller07]

When Wilder made "Sunset Boulevard" in 1950 that is regarded as a classic about Hollywood's casting aside great silent movie stars as expendable, Louis B. Mayer of MGM remarked, "Who is this Wilder to make this film and bit the hand that feeds him?" Wlider turned and responded, "I'm Wilder and go fuck yourself".

[@ElectricGuitarManPL]

@pawelh9 Tak samo założyciel Metro Goldwyn Mayer, Samuel Goldwyn, urodzony w 1879 w Warszawie... Inni znani polskiego pochodzenia to Peter Falk, Harvey Keitel, Eli Wallach...

[@Cannibalization]

He and Sergio Leone.

[@bobwerner6967]

IMAGINE IF HAD NOT GOTTEN THAT TIP FROM THE NEIGHBOR. IMAGINE IF THE AMERICAN CONSUL WAS AN ANTI-SEMITE. OR HE JUST HATED GERMANS. IMAGINE ALL OF THOSE MASTERPIECES NEVER HAPPENED. LUCK, MR WILDER? I WOULD SAY, HUMBLY, DIVINE PROVIDENCE.

[@jonsandberg7309]

I cried . Imagine Italian not stamped . His life dramatically different

[@Cunninghamily]

6:41

[@peterhelbich3334]

Billy wilder Comes from a town where it all began ,.Haydn,.Mozart,.Beethoven,.schubert,.,.etc... vienna Austria

[@jorgeponce7947]

With all due respect, he was born in 1906 in Sucha Beskidzka, which is nowadays part of Poland, back then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

[@dougpiranha3619]

Gigolo

[@freelancer9073]

Write some good ones...

[@ashburn247]

damn, i never knew he escaped nazi germany....

[@TRINZINI]

He wasn't alone : Fritz Lang, Curd and Robert Siodmak, Edgar Ulmer, etc ...