<P> It is February 1929 in the city of Chicago , during the era of prohibition . Joe ( Tony Curtis ) is an irresponsible jazz saxophone player , gambler and ladies ' man ; his friend Jerry ( Jack Lemmon ) is a sensible jazz double - bass player ; both are working in a speakeasy ( disguised as a funeral home ) owned by mob gangster `` Spats '' Colombo ( George Raft ) . When the joint is raided by the police after being tipped off by informant `` Toothpick '' Charlie ( George E. Stone ) , Joe and Jerry flee -- only to accidentally witness Spats and his henchmen exacting his revenge on `` Toothpick '' and his own gang ( inspired by the real - life Saint Valentine 's Day Massacre ) . Penniless and in a mad rush to get out of town , the two musicians take a job with Sweet Sue ( Joan Shawlee ) and her Society Syncopators , an all - female band headed to Miami . Disguised as women and renaming themselves Josephine and Daphne , they board a train with the band and their male manager , Bienstock . Before they board the train , Joe and Jerry notice Sugar Kane ( Marilyn Monroe ) , the band 's vocalist and ukulele player . </P>
where does some like it hot take place
Chicago