The Major and the Minor (1942)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Billy Wilder

Writers:

Fanny Kilbourne (story)
Edward Childs Carpenter (play)

Release Date:

16 September 1942 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

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.

Plot Keywords:

Train | Military School | Iowa | Framed Butterfly | Real Life Mother And Daughter Playing Mother And Daughter

Cast

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

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Australia:G | USA:Approved (PCA #8270) | Finland:K-16 (1943) | Finland:S (1964)

Filming Locations:

St. John's Military Academy - 1101 North Genesee Street, Delafield, Wisconsin, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

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.

Quotes:

Susan Applegate: You should be very glad I'm not 12. I was a very straightforward child. I used to spit.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Hellcats (#3.9)" (1990)

Soundtrack:

Dream Lover

Classic comedy

Billy Wilder's directorial debut is one of the American cinema's classic screwball comedies. Ginger Rogers is electric as the blue-collar gal whose adventures begin when she dresses herself up as a youngster so she can afford to ride home on the train (she only has half-fare). Robert Benchley heads a magnificent supporting cast, and Ray Milland acts his role to a "tee." If you've never seen this, you are in for a treat.