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The Major and the Minor (1942)
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Overview
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Director:
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Release Date:
16 September 1942 (USA)
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Tagline:
Is She A Kid - Or Is She Kidding?
Plot:
A woman disguises herself as a child to save on a train fare and is taken in charge by an army man who doesn't notice the truth. full summary | add synopsis
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Major Comedy
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Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | Ginger Rogers | ... | Susan Kathleen 'Su-Su' Applegate |
 | Ray Milland | ... | Major Philip Kirby |
 | Rita Johnson | ... | Pamela Hill |
| Robert Benchley | ... | Albert Osborne |
| Diana Lynn | ... | Lucy Hill |
| Edward Fielding | ... | Colonel Oliver Slater Hill |
| Frankie Thomas | ... | Cadet Clifford Osborne |
| Raymond Roe | ... | Cadet Lt. Anthony Wigton |
| Charles Smith | ... | Cadet 'Cozy' Korner |
| Larry Nunn | ... | Cadet Adjutant Babcock |
| Billy Dawson | ... | Cadet Lt. Miller |
| Lela E. Rogers | ... | Mrs. Applegate (as Lela Rogers) |
 | Aldrich Bowker | ... | Reverend Doyle |
| Boyd Irwin | ... | Major Griscom |
| Byron Shores | ... | Captain Durand |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
100 min
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Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)
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Fun Stuff
Trivia:
It was decided to include scenes of Susan's (Ginger Rogers's) mother. Spring Byington was the first choice but was appearing in another film. Rogers suggested her real mother Lela E. Rogers, who got the role.
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Quotes:
Cadet Clifford Osborne:
Well, the bus is here. The zombies have arrived.
Susan Applegate: Who?
Cadet Clifford Osborne: [disdainfully] The girls from Miss Shackleford's school.
Cadet Lt. Miller: We use 'em for women.
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Susan Applegate: Who?
Cadet Clifford Osborne: [disdainfully] The girls from Miss Shackleford's school.
Cadet Lt. Miller: We use 'em for women.
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in 'Sunset Blvd.': A Look Back (2002) (V)
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Soundtrack:
Lover
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The greatest trick this movie pulls off is in fooling its audience that it is a piece of fluff. Admittedly, it is to a certain extent, but nobody is more conscious of the limitations of the genre than the makers of this film themselves. The satire on the mistaken identity disaster is so well done here that every scene contains valuable clues and cinematic winks at the viewer. Is it plausible that a 30 year old woman can pull off acting like a 12 year old? The initial response is no, which Billy Wilder and Ginger Rogers reinforce through the disconnect between Rogers' SuSu and the precocious reality of the adolescent set. The pedophilic subtext of the film seems to be a remarkable case of flipping the proverbial bird to the often restrictive framework of the romantic comedy genre. Rogers' inability to escape predatory advances - whether it be by grownups in the big city or 13 year old military school boys - is an ironic point well made by Wilder; this film indeed seems an exploration of extreme fate. Take the inevitable wedding of Pamela that occurs regardless of the identity of the groom, or the fact that on every date Rogers is subjected to go on with a Cadet, it becomes the exact same date. More to the point, the connection between Ray Milland's Major Kirby and Rogers does not change as they meet with Rogers taking on three separate incarnations. The film is indeed deceptively smart; because it refuses to beat you over the head with the fact, it is still absolutely unassuming and lovable.