Wilder's forte is the great American congame. In practically all of his movies (original stories and adaptations alike) the plot revolves around some sort of swindle. (p. 2)

In Wilder's view, sex and money are inextricably linked. His characters use sex to obtain cash and position and involve themselves in frauds to get sex. Sometimes, however, greed and lechery conflict, and the whole scheme blows up…. This kind of mordancy is often charming but sometimes, in more serious situations, makes Wilder's attitude seem repulsively petty…. Wilder uses the sex-greed conflict as a comment on human frailty; nature won't even let people be evil, just weak. Only in a few cases is he entirely sympathetic to their swindles—at the very lowest level, where they do little harm, or when the characters are actually trapped in a situation which has robbed them of choice…. Wilder simultaneously indulges in an irresponsible...