Nacida ayer

Any play that runs 1642 performances on Broadway for three years you know will wind up in Hollywood. But usually the Broadway cast never makes it intact.

It didn't here, but we were lucky to get Judy Holliday to repeat her acclaimed Broadway role her as Billie Dawn, gal pal of junk tycoon Broderick Crawford. Judy only got the role because Rita Hayworth decided to marry Aly Khan and after testing several others who weren't quite right Harry Cohn decided to go with the original. She rewarded Cohn's late faith with a Best Actress Oscar for 1950.

Speaking of Oscars, Cohn had an interesting problem on his hands which he solved with Born Yesterday. Broderick Crawford had brought home an Oscar the year before for All the King's Men. But Crawford was hardly traditional leading man material. But there sure were enough similarities with the dictatorial minded Willie Stark with the tyrannical Harry Brock so that Cohn could cast Crawford and keep the momentum going for his career. Crawford's part was played by Paul Douglas on stage who would get to Hollywood right around this time as well.

Still neither Holliday or Crawford were box office and Columbia needed one name that had some guaranteed pull with movie audiences. That's where Bill Holden came in. The part was built up from the Broadway version, all that tourist business at the Capitol and other Washington sites were not on Broadway. The role of the intellectual newspaper reporter was played by Gary Merrill and Merrill was certainly better suited for the part than Holden. Personally I think that Cohn should have gone with his other reliable leading man, Glenn Ford in this part. Still even with the built up role Holden was a definite number three in this film.

The plot is very simple, the magic of Born Yesterday is watching Holliday's character grow in awareness of what's around her. She's the play thing of junk tycoon Harry Brock, a self made millionaire who's street smart, rich, and nothing else. He's aware of it though and aware that Holliday lacks the social graces as well.

Since Crawford can't or won't learn them, at least he wants a polished hostess to make up for it. He hires newspaper reporter Holden to teach Holliday. But he teaches her about democracy and the corrupting influence of special interests of which Crawford is one and she's now aware of.

Crawford also put a lot of his holdings in her name for tax purposes. That's a created situation, Crawford regrets starting.

Holliday became so identified with the Billie Dawn role that when she started having blacklisting problems due to her left wing politics, she went into character as Billie Dawn before Congress. The chumps in Congress actually bought it all and she skated. Actually in real life Holliday was a well read intelligent woman, the last thing from Billie Dawn you could imagine.

Judy Holliday spent the remainder of her career between Broadway and Hollywood so her film output remains small and she died way too young. Still as another uneducated character in a film said, what there is, is cherce.

Born Yesterday is as cherce as it gets.

Boisterous and highly enjoyable comedy written by the prolific and talented Garson Kanin and filmed by his regular collaborative director George Cukor, "Born Yesterday" showcases the talent of comedienne Judy Halliday to superb, or should that be "supoib" effect, so much so that she won the Oscar that year (over Gloria Swanson, no less in another Holden-starring feature, the great "Sunset Boulevard").

The story roughly adapts the old Pygmalion / Eliza Doolittle story, a sort of educating Billie, as mobster boss Broderick Crawford, with a finger in every pie and a bought-and-paid-for congressman in his pocket comes to Washington to expand his operation along with his dutiful attorney and tie up another major crooked deal. Staying in the best hotel suite in town, also in tow is his eye-candy "dumb blonde" fiancée played by Halliday, who is pressed for tax reasons into being a silent partner in Crawford's business empire and who duly signs every dodgy contract he places in front of her.

After Crawford bumps into William Holden's journalist, to amuse Billie and get her to better fit in with the higher class of the town's corrupt cognoscenti, he offers Holden the gig to educate her, which Holden does by bringing her books and teaching her history through visits to some of the capital's national monuments. A little knowledge as they say is a dangerous thing and it's not long before Halliday and Holden become an item and, even worse for Crawford, his bimbo doormat literally wises up to her situation and naturally rebels.

A good example of a stage play which cleverly belies its origins by having Holden and Halliday doing the town, the film nevertheless stands or falls on characterisation and dialogue and thankfully it's a winner in both respects. Halliday is a delight as the slowly dawning, now bespectacled former-airhead, seizing with relish on every new word or iota of information she absorbs and with a particular way with a put-down ("Vice-versa!") when she and Crawford are in full argumentative flow. Crawford too is a hit as the boorish kingpin, although I didn't like seeing his character revert to using his hands to get the upper hand over her, so to speak, even as I appreciate the scene's importance as a plot-point given that it actually signals the end of his sway over her. Holden too is fine in the kind of part Jack Lemmon would later make his own as the reliable if slightly put-upon regular guy who becomes Billie's ally.

While the screenplay may slightly overdo its promotion of American capitalism and democracy to signpost Billie's awakening and at the same time, demonise Crawford's criminality, it's still a fast-paced, sharply-drawn and well-realised contemporary comedy with a political edge. There's an interesting real-life postscript too, in that when the left-leaning Halliday was later called by the House Of Un-American Activities to testify before them and name names, she invoked the empty-vessel Billie Dawn character under interrogation to cleverly avoid giving up her friends. Crazy like a fox, indeed.

"Born Yesterday" is a comedy with some serious ideas behind it. The film does a wonderful job in its subtle take about corruption in high places, the role of the lobbyists and influential people in Washington politics. The movie presents an interesting aspect for today's audiences, as things related to the film have been in the news lately, making the film relevant.

The comedy by Garson Kanin ran for years on the New York stage. Judy Holliday had starred on Broadway opposite Paul Douglas. For the movie version Broderick Crawford was selected. George Cukor directed with his well known style and getting excellent performances of this ideal cast.

The film is the gem it is because the great star turn by Judy Holliday, an actress that was unique in everything she did. Billie Dawn was one of the best achievements in the movies. Ms. Holliday was an intelligent actress who knew what made her character work. She made a wonderful contribution with Billie, who in spite of being supposed to be a girl without brains, Ms. Holliday shows her to be a smart no-nonsense woman with more common sense than anyone could give her credit for.

Broderick Crawford made quite an impression as the ruthless Harry Brock, a man that can't see the goodness in Billie. He constantly belittles her and even goes as far as slapping her on occasion, but that is what someone like him would normally do when he can't get his way, or thinks is being threatened by a woman like Billie. Mr. Crawford was a wonderful actor as proved in his appearances in Fellini's "Il bidone", and in "All the President's Men".

The other good performance was William Holden, who as Paul Verrall, transforms Billie from an abused woman into someone that is not afraid to open her mouth against the bully that has been taken her for granted for a long time. Mr. Holden clearly understood the man he was playing and makes a wonderful match for Ms. Holliday.

"Born Yesterday" is a fun film to watch because all the elements that went into it and the inspired direction George Cukor and the ensemble work of the cast, but especially from its star, Judy Holliday.

She bursts into the screen. Every tiny little nuance in her extraordinarily telling eyes are absolutely true and we surrender to her persona without even thinking about it. She was miraculous. "I'm stupid and I like it" she tells William Holden with devastating sincerity. She exudes such honesty that it's impossible to be indifferent to her. Ruth Gordon and Garson Kannin concocted a realistic fairy tale that Judy Holliday inhabits (rather than inhibits)with overwhelming naturalness. It is a sensational creation and George Cukor, as usual, puts the camera at her service to magnificent results. Look at the card game, no cut aways from her face for which, I was enormously grateful. If you haven't seen it, rent it now. You'll have an unforgettable time.

Delightful! Hilarious! How often do we get to see a perfect performance? We're closing in on a century of movies and, as we can see, it's pretty rare. So flawless was Judy Holliday's portrayal of Billie Dawn that, as a relative unknown, she came from behind to beat out two heavyweights for the Oscar in 1950. I'm sure this was due in no small part to her refining the role for nearly three years on stage.

Everything else fell into place as well. Broderick Crawford was just excellent as Harry Brock. Crawford is able to swing you back and forth between anger and sympathy for his character. Not an easy task! William Holden is perfectly calm and reserved as Paul Verrall. His character forms a wonderful opposite to Billie. And, with direction, George Cukor worked his usual magic.

Most of the themes are timeless. A person lives in ignorant bliss until their eyes are opened. They realize that there is a better life for them and begin their struggle for improvement. They discover that their greatest opponents to advancement are not those above them, but those at their current level.

A few of the elements are dated. Particularly Jim's speech about how hard it is to find a corrupt politician in Washington. Wow. Maybe that was the case in 1950. Now it's impossible to find an honest one.

It all comes back to Judy Holliday. This movie is her vehicle. She was a rare talent who we were only able to see for a very short time. I love all of her movies and this one, Born Yesterday, is my favorite.

Thank you Judy!!!!!!