“There are laws, conventions. It's just not being done.”
Por qué es buena
It settles an argument by naming the rules, not the feelings.
Registro
Formal
Úsala tú
There are rules and conventions here, so we cannot just skip the process.
00:00 / 03:45
00:00 / 03:45
Jerry Gets Engaged to Osgood, Explained
Some Like It Hot · 1959
Capítulo 15 de 19 · 3'45"
Jerry is engaged — to Osgood, a millionaire — and is already planning the payoff. "I'll tell him the truth when the time comes," he says, expecting a quick annulment and monthly alimony. Joe, horrified, counters with "There are laws, conventions," but Jerry's answer is that this may be his last chance to marry a millionaire.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 1:19–1:50
Joe Tries to Talk Jerry Out of the Wedding
31s
Jerry Gets Engaged to Osgood, explained
What happens
Back in their room, Jerry announces he is engaged to Osgood and planning a June wedding. Joe points out that Jerry is a man, which Jerry brushes aside. Jerry's plan: tell the truth after the ceremony, get a quick annulment, collect a settlement and monthly alimony. Joe begs him to drop it and repeats, "You're a boy," until Sugar arrives to chat.
What's really going on
The comedy sits on a straight-faced absurdity: Jerry is a man in a dress calmly discussing a wedding, a honeymoon, and alimony as if they were logistics. Joe keeps appealing to reality — "But you're not a girl. You're a guy" — while Jerry treats marriage as arithmetic: quick annulment, a nice settlement, alimony checks every month. What Joe calls "laws, conventions" is his plea to protect his friend, but Jerry hears only the prize: "this may be my last chance to marry a millionaire." The scene's real subject is not romance but security, spoken aloud in a single word: "Security." Jerry's insistence on the role is played for laughs, yet it carries the film's running joke about what people will pretend to be for money and comfort.
Key lines & what they mean
- “There are laws, conventions. It's just not being done.”
- Joe's argument against the wedding: society has rules, and a man marrying a man is simply not something people do. It is about tradition, not a specific legal threat.
- “Shh! Joe, this may be my last chance to marry a millionaire.”
- Jerry's reason for going through with it: he sees the rich Osgood as a chance he cannot afford to pass up.
- “I'm going to see him again tonight and every night.”
- Jerry's giddy vow about the new romance, said while still keeping his real identity from Osgood.
- “But... But you're not a girl. You're a guy.”
- Joe's blunt reminder of the fact Jerry keeps ignoring — or choosing to ignore — as he plans the wedding.
- “Then we get a quick annulment, he makes a nice settlement on me, and I keep gettin' those alimony checks every month.”
- Jerry spells out the business plan: a short marriage, a quick annulment, a payoff, and steady alimony afterward.
Theme
- Money — Jerry's scheme is pure economics: marry, annul, take a settlement, and live on alimony — love never enters the plan.
- Identity — The whole argument is about who Jerry is: Joe insists 'you're a guy,' while Jerry chooses the role that pays.
Qué aprendes en este capítulo
Puntos de enseñanza
Repasa justo después de verMi nivel4/8
A1–C2 es la escala MCER. Las tarjetas por encima del nivel elegido se atenúan y la reproducción no se pausa en ellas.
Puntos de lengua
Toca una tarjeta para saltar a ese momentoFrases de oro
Una gran frase en sí misma: por qué y cómo usarla“Shh! Joe, this may be my last chance to marry a millionaire.”
Por qué es buena
Whispered greed and panic land in one line; it is funny and sad at once.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
This may be my last chance to study abroad, so I have to try.
“I'm going to see him again tonight and every night.”
Por qué es buena
Plain repetition of every night captures the urgency of new love.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
I'm going back to that class tonight and every night this week.
“But... But you're not a girl. You're a guy.”
Por qué es buena
Stammering the obvious is the joke; the audience knows and the character won't.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
But you're not a doctor, you're a student.
“Then we get a quick annulment, he makes a nice settlement on me, and I keep gettin' those alimony checks every month.”
Por qué es buena
A cold three-step plan for marrying rich lands as comedy through pure arithmetic.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
Then we win the lottery, I quit, and we travel all year.
Siguiente · 16be caught deadLa escena: Mulligan Grills Spats at the ConventionIdeas clave
Lo que te llevas- Jerry treats marriage as a business plan.
- Joe's warning is law and manners, not romance.
- Sugar's entrance cuts the argument short.
- Alimony turns a wedding into income.
Preguntas frecuentes
La pregunta, luego la fraseWhy does Jerry want to marry Osgood?
For security and money. Jerry jokes that a guy marrying a guy makes no sense, but when Joe asks why, his one-word answer is "Security." He also calls it his last chance to marry a millionaire.
How does Jerry plan to handle the truth?
He says he will tell Osgood the truth right after the ceremony, get a quick annulment, take a settlement, and keep collecting alimony checks every month.
Is Joe threatening Jerry with a specific law?
Not exactly. "There are laws, conventions" is Joe's way of saying society has rules and a man marrying a man is simply not done — tradition more than a specific statute.
Does Joe change his mind about the engagement present?
Yes. When Jerry says he will give Osgood's diamond bracelet back, Joe suddenly says not to be hasty and asks whether they really want to hurt Osgood's feelings — the diamonds change his tune.