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Born Yesterday (1950)
One of Oscar's biggest upsets was when Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, Gloria Swanson, and Eleanor Parker lost the Outstanding Lead Actress Oscar of 1950 to Judy Holliday for her performance in a little black and white comedy called Born Yesterday.
Based on a play written by Garson Kanin, this is the story of Harry Brock (Broderick Crawford) a junk tycoon who arrives in Washington DC to buy a couple of congressman, accompanied by his mistress, a voluptuous, not-too-bright, ex-chorus girl named Billie Dawn (Holliday) who is an unwilling participant in some of Harry's shady business dealings. Harry decides that Billie has some rough edges that need to be smoothed out and he offers a reporter named Paul Verral (William Holden) $200 a week to educate Billie and make her more refined.
In addition to trying to educate Billie, Paul also ends up opening Billie's eyes to the kind of man Harry is and how nothing good can come of the relationship. Paul's influence on Billie also comes to light as she begins to question Harry's shady business dealings and the way he treats her. And as hard as he tries to fight it, Paul finally has to be honest about the fact that he's falling for Billie.
Judy Holliday became a Broadway star when she originated the role of Billie on Broadway but when Columbia president Harry Cohn purchased the rights for the movie he planned to have the current woman in his life, Rita Hayworth, play Billie in the film. At the same time, Holliday was appearing in the Tracy-Hepburn comedy Adam's Rib and when Katharine Hepburn heard Hayworth had been signed, Hepburn beefed up Hollliday's role in their film so the studio would notice and it worked, Columbia reconsidered and decided to let Holliday recreate the role she originated on Broadway.
One of the smartest decisions Columbia ever made, because Judy Holliday's performance is the centerpiece of this movie and what makes it worth watching. Holliday creates the real movie "dumb blonde" who really isn't as dumb as she looks and paved the way for girls like Marilyn Monroe to become a star. Holliday lights up the screen here, delivering one of the greatest comic tour-de-forces ever onscreen. This character is a clear collaboration of director George Cukor and the gifted actress who bring us a character we love from the first time she opens her mouth and that voice like nails on a chalkboard comes out. The character is a perfect counterpart to the loud and dangerous gangster Brock and the sensitive reporter who takes his job to educate Billie seriously without ever talking down to her.
The film features authentic DC scenery, solid black and white photography and costumes which aided Cukor in opening this story up for the screen. Broderick is kind of one-note as Brock, but Holden is his usual charming self, but this movie is the Judy Holliday Show and it is her performance alone that earns this film its rating.
One of Oscar's biggest upsets was when Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, Gloria Swanson, and Eleanor Parker lost the Outstanding Lead Actress Oscar of 1950 to Judy Holliday for her performance in a little black and white comedy called Born Yesterday.
Based on a play written by Garson Kanin, this is the story of Harry Brock (Broderick Crawford) a junk tycoon who arrives in Washington DC to buy a couple of congressman, accompanied by his mistress, a voluptuous, not-too-bright, ex-chorus girl named Billie Dawn (Holliday) who is an unwilling participant in some of Harry's shady business dealings. Harry decides that Billie has some rough edges that need to be smoothed out and he offers a reporter named Paul Verral (William Holden) $200 a week to educate Billie and make her more refined.
In addition to trying to educate Billie, Paul also ends up opening Billie's eyes to the kind of man Harry is and how nothing good can come of the relationship. Paul's influence on Billie also comes to light as she begins to question Harry's shady business dealings and the way he treats her. And as hard as he tries to fight it, Paul finally has to be honest about the fact that he's falling for Billie.
Judy Holliday became a Broadway star when she originated the role of Billie on Broadway but when Columbia president Harry Cohn purchased the rights for the movie he planned to have the current woman in his life, Rita Hayworth, play Billie in the film. At the same time, Holliday was appearing in the Tracy-Hepburn comedy Adam's Rib and when Katharine Hepburn heard Hayworth had been signed, Hepburn beefed up Hollliday's role in their film so the studio would notice and it worked, Columbia reconsidered and decided to let Holliday recreate the role she originated on Broadway.
One of the smartest decisions Columbia ever made, because Judy Holliday's performance is the centerpiece of this movie and what makes it worth watching. Holliday creates the real movie "dumb blonde" who really isn't as dumb as she looks and paved the way for girls like Marilyn Monroe to become a star. Holliday lights up the screen here, delivering one of the greatest comic tour-de-forces ever onscreen. This character is a clear collaboration of director George Cukor and the gifted actress who bring us a character we love from the first time she opens her mouth and that voice like nails on a chalkboard comes out. The character is a perfect counterpart to the loud and dangerous gangster Brock and the sensitive reporter who takes his job to educate Billie seriously without ever talking down to her.
The film features authentic DC scenery, solid black and white photography and costumes which aided Cukor in opening this story up for the screen. Broderick is kind of one-note as Brock, but Holden is his usual charming self, but this movie is the Judy Holliday Show and it is her performance alone that earns this film its rating.