The Major and the Minor (1942) User Reviews

Reviewing the review

[tobermory2-1 · 8/10 · 20 December 2009]

I wish I understood how reviews are selected to be displayed as the IMDb-approved review. The current one for "The Major and the Minor" is a major disgrace. The movie article the little girl picks up at Penn Station is NOT "Why I Hit Women," by Charles Boyer, it is "Why I Hate Women." It's a joke-- obviously too subtle for some-- because Charles Boyer is of course one of the great lovers of the screen, one everyone would have known when this film was released in 1941. It's similar too when Ginger Rogers' character as a girl on the train is asked to speak Swedish for the conductors, who question her veracity. She answers, "I want to be alone." Again, this joke is something every movie viewer then would have known as an allusion to Swedish film star Greta Garbo. "The Major and the Minor" is a marvelous film and deserves better treatment on IMDb.

One of Wilder's Best!

[gavin6942 · 8/10 · 23 December 2010]

Susan Applegate (Ginger Rogers) gives up on pursuing her dreams in New York, and decides to return home on the next train. Not being able to afford an adult ticket, she pretends to be 11 (12 next week). This plan is rough to start with, and gets more difficult when she meets a handsome military man (Ray Milland) on the train...

Billy Wilder had gotten sick of his writing being taken by directors and butchered from his original vision. This marks his directorial debut, and it is a brilliant piece of film. Is it his masterpiece? Probably not. But I'd say it is better than many other of Wilder's works.

Can Ginger Rogers pull off being 12? On one hand, clearly not. But, at the same time, any actress that could would probably not be able to be the woman that is hidden underneath the child disguise. For the most part, the transformation is impressive, even if not completely believable.

I absolutely loved this film, and have not found myself more engrossed by a classic film in a long time (and I do watch plenty of classics). If you love Billy Wilder or Ginger Rogers, or want to get acquainted with either one, I would say this is the film for you.

A great screwball comedy

[AlsExGal · 8/10 · 13 May 2016]

Ginger Rogers was lucky in that she wasn't pigeonholed into being a specific type of character and that she can play a variety of characters in different roles. She demonstrated a real knack for comedy here, in Billy Wilder's first job of direction. Ginger Rogers can't afford an adult train fare to Iowa, so she disguises herself as a pre-teen, and from there the film progresses into one long funny con-game.

I loved watching Ginger assemble her little girl outfit in the bathroom of the train station. Granted, even without makeup and with her hair in pigtails, Rogers does not look 12. However, that is also part of the comedy of the film. Co-star Ray Milland's character has poor eyesight in one eye and as a result, he cannot tell that she simply looks too old to be 12. I thought Rogers looked very pretty with just minimal makeup and with the darker hair.

Milland's character's fiancee's sister, Lucy, was hilarious and she was the one person who called Rogers out on her farce right away. Lucy is the real brains in the film and she actually says what the audience is thinking: "She doesn't look 12!" I loved how she blackmailed Rogers into helping out Milland whom Lucy seems to genuinely care about. She does not like her sister. And good for Rogers for being a 20-something ( actually a 30-something) who could still fit into a teenager's clothes! The squeaky voiced cadets at the school were funny with them all having the same pickup line about Sudan. I especially liked the cadet who thought he was more sophisticated because he was from New York. The actor played Nancy Drew's boyfriend Ted Nickerson (Ned Nickerson in the books) in the "Nancy Drew" films with Bonita Granville.

Robert Benchley was great as Rogers' old customer who by sheer coincidence is the father of the New York cadet. He always did the befuddled sophisticate very well and with great dry humor.

There were many things in this film that I recognized from I Love Lucy. 1) Rogers' hair treatment on Benchley with the oil, eggs and painful massage is similar to Lucy's scalp treatment on Ricky when he thinks he's losing is hair. 2) The cadets sing "Sweet Sue" on the way to picking up Rogers. That song was the song that the Ricardos and Mertzes sing in the "Breaking the Lease" episode. 3) Benchley's character's wife played Mrs. Benson in the episode where Lucy and Ricky moved into the 2-bedroom apartment.

What was so interesting was the whole angle of an adult pretending to be a child who is falling in love with an adult who thinks she's a child. I thought it was strange when Milland complimented "12 year old" Rogers on her legs saying that they were a "nice shape" (or something like that). That seems like a strange comment to make toward a child. It's not something you'd see today in film.

I liked that Milland's character kept meeting Rogers at all these different ages: 12, 20s, presumably 40s-50s and didn't really seem to question it, only that it was remarkable how all these ladies look so much alike.

I saw this on the Universal DVD (although it's actually a Paramount film) the other night, and Robert Osborne's introduction is great, but it is a bit sad seeing him looking so hearty and strong in this eight year old DVD release versus the downturn his health has taken recently.

Half fare please!

[jotix100 · 10/10 · 28 November 2005]

Billy Wilder and his excellent collaborator, Charles Brackett, knew what the movie going public of the time wanted to see. So, it's not a surprise they achieved a great hit with "The Major and the Minor". One has to go back to the time this film was made to realize what the creators of this comedy accomplished. This marked the first Hollywood film Mr. Wilder directed and his touch is everywhere. The movie stands the passage of time.

"The Major and the Minor" works because of its two stars. Ginger Rogers and Ray Milland were versatile actors who showed perfect chemistry in the film. Both do excellent work guided by the masterful hand of Billy Wilder.

Ginger Rogers' take on the little girl is fine. Of course, we, the viewers, know what is going on, but to the rest of the people she is nothing but the innocent, and young SuSu Applegate. Ray Milland, on the other hand, is proper throughout the film until the end, when the mystery is solved. Mr. Milland's timing is impeccable and he makes his Maj. Kirby a sort of absent minded "uncle" to the young SuSu.

Billy Wilder showed a flair for this type of comedy. He got wonderful supporting performances from Rita Johnson and the disarming Diana Lynn, as the two sisters with different viewpoints on everything. Also, the opening sequence involving the incomparable Robert Benchley shows us a lecherous man who has hired the grown up Susan for a scalp treatment, that in his mind will lead into something else. Mr. Benchley and Ms. Rogers are hilarious.

This film established Billy Wilder as a director who went far and enjoyed a long career.

Major Comedy

[eglynn · 10/10 · 29 October 2002]

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.

Wilder's debut

[Petey-10 · 10 September 2001]

Ginger Rogers plays Susan Applegate who wants to leave New York behind and go back home to Iowa.But she doesn't have the railway fare so she disguises herself as a 12 year old girl to ride half fare.At the train she meets Major Philip Kirby (Ray Milland) who takes "the little girl" with him to military school.There little Susu is surrounded by all the boys because she is a knock out for a 12 year old. The Major and the Minor from 1942 is a Billy Wilder comedy with some funny moments.It's not his best work but it is much better than many comedies nowadays.Ginger Rogers is brilliant in the lead.She makes a great kid even though she doesn't seem like a kid.In 1955 they made a remake for this called You're Never Too Young with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, which was also funny.This movie is a must see for every Billy Wilder fan because this was his American debut.

"I'll try and be a better lightbulb, Uncle Phillip."

[ackstasis · 7/10 · 1 March 2008]

Billy Wilder began his career in Hollywood as a screenwriter. However, dissatisfied with how directors were treating his screenplays, he yearned to have greater creative control over his films. Though he had co-directed a single film in the past, the ultra-obscure French drama 'Mauvaise graine (1934),' it wasn't until 1942 that he was given a genuine opportunity to display his directorial talent, and a penchant for audacious comedy. On the surface, 'The Major and the Minor (1942)' might easily be mistaken for a silly, fluffy screwball comedy – and it works quite effectively when viewed as such – but closer inspection reveals an abundance of mature, and even slightly scandalous, themes coming into play. Ginger Rogers and Ray Milland co-star in Wilder's improbable but highly entertaining satire of inherent human sexuality, loaded with unsubtle innuendo ("Why don't you get out of that wet coat and into a dry martini?") and difficult romantic situations. It must have taken a bold director, indeed, to present a grown man falling in love with (what he believes to be) a twelve-year-old girl; a contentious subject even today.

Ginger Rogers plays Susan Applegate, a proud and independent woman living in the city. Wilder doesn't shy away from revealing the darker, even somewhat predatory, sexual nature of most men, and the camera shows countless male heads turning towards Susan as she passes through a hotel lobby, each pair of eyes eagerly passing over her attractive body. When a married scalp-massage client (Robert Benchley) mistakes their appointment for something more than a massage {the early stages of Wilder's preoccupation with marital infidelity}, Susan decides to return to her quaint, uncorrupted hometown, only to find that she lacks the money for an adult train ticket. In a burst of genius, she decides, in order to claim a half-fare ticket, to masquerade as a twelve-year-old, her appearance drastically altered by styling her hair into pigtails, wearing children's clothing and carrying a balloon. That any intelligent human being would actually be fooled by such a scheme is highly debatable, but if the viewer learns to suspend ample disbelief, then many laughs are due to follow.

Ray Milland plays Major Philip Kirby, a handsome and respectable military man, who meets Susan {now using the childish moniker "Su-Su"} on the train, and takes to her almost immediately. After intense flooding brings their train to a halt, Kirby agrees to bring Susan back to his residence at a boy's military school, where she is immediately the sensation of the college. As a young girl, Susan's experiences with male sexual desire change little: the hordes of gawking and opportunistic men give rise to equally-rapacious hordes of gawking and opportunistic boys, and even Major Kirby himself, to his horror, finds himself becoming attracted to Su-Su, as her "mature charm" begins to exhibit itself. In a particular sequence, one that the censors no doubt would have watched warily, Kirby attempts to explain to Susan the "birds and the bees," likening her female attraction to a light bulb surrounded by moths, and, one eye clamped firmly shut, suddenly declares her to be a "knock-out!" Billy Wilder's first feature film is audacious, well-written, brilliantly-acted, and, most importantly of all, very funny; it deserves to be seen alongside the director's other various classics.

Delightful, charming romantic comedy.

[Dan Burgess · 9/10 · 30 June 2002]

Billy Wilder scores an early winner with this wonderful film. The story, characters, and dialogue combine to make this a classic romantic comedy from the early 1940s, and the legendary writing combination of Wilder and Charles Bracket is as witty as ever. At a Chicago screening in June 2002, the audience was delighted by the comedy and laughed constantly -- the timelessness of this film is just one of its great qualities.

Billy Wilder was a genius, and this film is but one chapter of his saga...

An unforgettable comedy and Billy Wilder's first effort at directing.

[gitrich · 7/10 · 3 January 1999]

Major and the Minor is a lot of fun. Ginder Rogers and Ray Milland are outstanding in this romp about a young woman who is tired of life in the big city and wants to get home to a small town in Iowa. She convinces a ticket agent to sell her a child's ticket because she doesn't have enough money to get a regular fare home.She passes for 12 years old which was frankly hard for me to believe. But still, Rogers is endearing and Milland is perfect as a Major in a military school. Early on look for Robert Benchley who plays a rich hotel resident wanting more than a combination egg and shampoo treatment. Rogers real life mother can be seen at the end of the film playing same.

A classic screwball comedy

[MOscarbradley · 8/10 · 27 December 2018]

This classic screwball comedy marked Billy Wilder's directorial debut and in the Wilder canon it's largely been neglected but it remains a joy from start to finish with a great comic performance from that greatest of comediennes Ginger Rogers. She's a hard-boiled Hannah who has to pass for a 12 year old in order to get a half fare rail ticket, (you see, she doesn't have the money to buy an adult ticket). It's utterly ridiculous which is why it's so funny; that and the fact that it's graced with a great Wilder and Brackett script. Ray Milland is also superb as the Major of the title that she latches onto and naturally falls for and there's a terrific supporting cast that includes Robert Benchley, Diana Lynn and the underrated Rita Johnson. Of course, it lacks the cynicsm of Wilder's later work which in this case is all for the best.

If You Can Suspend Belief, Ginger Makes It Fun

[ccthemovieman-1 · 6/10 · 24 February 2006]

This movie was charmer, with some funny moments and two attractive likable leads in Ginger Rogers and Ray Milland. This is one of those classics I really enjoyed when I first watched it but dragged too much when seen recently. Sometimes, the more you get used to modern movies, the more some of these classic films can seem too slow. This is an example.

Also (and I am a classic movie fan despite these comments), this film is another example of how much viewers were asked to suspend belief in these older films. Here were asked to believe that no one would suspect that a grown-up Ginger Rogers couldn't pass as a 12-year-old? One look at the very female-like Rogers and it's previous obvious she's and adult, especially at the dance near the end of the film.

Well, if you can overlook that, this is still a fun movie. Sometimes the dated dialog and attitudes of the time period make it all the more fun. Rogers was a great comedienne, not just Fred Astaire's most famous dance partner. She is the big star of this film.

There is a bit of "Lolita" mentality in here as Milland begins to fall for this "12- year-old." They never really tell you here whether Milland knew how old she was all along, however. The end the film a bit too abruptly as the two run off to get married!!!!

As I said, there are lots of holes in this story but it is entertaining enough that you don't care. Of note, too, is that Rogers' real-life mother plays her mom in this film.

Ginger Rogers masquerading as anything but herself, and Ray discovering her with one eye.

[clanciai · 9/10 · 9 August 2017]

In Billy Wilder's first American comedy he secured the stage and his basis for the rest of his days in America. His films were always good, and the remarkable thing is that he never repeated himself - every film he made is thoroughly original, and already in his first hit he ventured on some very bold challenges to spice his audience with which proved more than successful. The script is ingenious, and although you know from the start that they will win each other in the end there are many troublesome question marks on the way, and the great issue is how on earth they will manage themselves out of this mess of masquerade and intrigue. Ginger Rogers was always a superb comedienne, and Ray Milland was never better than in the beginning - he later turned to more and more doubtful characters, from "The Lost Weekend" and on, but here he is still sparkling.

The triumph though is the script, so eloquent, intelligent and ingenious, and every detail, although the intrigue many times turns into precarious and dangerous ground, is perfect. There is even some trying suspense, as Ginger at the telephone while the whole army is after her.

Great entertainment on level with the best screwball comedies, and yet this one is rather overlooked and unknown.

Just don't think too hard about the premise

[davidmvining · 7/10 · 26 November 2019]

In terms of first films, Billy Wilder could have done much worse than The Major and the Minor, a light and occasionally delightful comedy. I mean, have you seen Fear and Desire? I have.

Susan Applegate is a small town girl living in New York City and at the end of her rope. After one more job in a long series of jobs ends with a middle aged man expecting more than just a hair treatment, Susan throws up her hands and decides to go back home to Iowa (after giving the man a head full of egg). She's saved exactly twenty-seven dollars and fifty cents for a return journey, but she finds out that prices have gone up and she doesn't have the extra five dollars to get home. She gets the idea of dressing up like a little girl and getting a half-price ticket and ends up losing all but fifty cents of her money to the man of low morals she ropes into the scheme to buy the ticket for her.

Alone on the train, she tries to keep up the façade, but she can't quite do it. She ends up running from the conductors right into the sleeping cabin of the titular Major Kirby. Kirby, instantly buying into the idea that this woman is a twelve year old girl who talks like a six year old, he treats her kindly and offers her his extra bed. Through a farcical mistaken identity mix up, Kirby has to take Susu (as he calls her) to meet his fiancée and superiors at the military school he teaches at in Indiana. She ends up trapped and staying for three days surrounded by three hundred boys who find her completely enrapturing and a real twelve year old girl who sees right through Susu's pretense.

This being a farce and somewhat of a screwball comedy, Susan stays and has a series of small adventures. She goes on a handful dates with pre-pubescent boys, each one with very intricate theories about the fall of France at the hands of Hitler. She also discovers that Kirby's fiancée is actively trying to keep Kirby at the military school when Kirby is making desperate attempts to get put back into active service in preparation for the conflict with the Axis Powers that is surely in the near future. Susan uses her power over the boys to get control of the school's switchboard, call one of the fiancée's old friends who lives in D.C. and is married to a general, mimic the fiancée's voice and convince the friend to work towards Kirby's activation. She does all of this while completely bungling the rest of the calls within the school to delightfully screwy effect.

Of course, this movie isn't trying to be tricky. It's easy to see from the beginning where it's going to go. Susan and Kirby end up together, though it takes Susan running back to Iowa, Kirby visiting while Susan pretends to be her own mother, and then meeting Kirby as herself at the small train station right as Kirby is about to leave.

What makes the movie work is the light touch of the comedy and Ginger Rogers as Susan. She's winning overall, but her first transformation into Susu is strong comedy. Her face doesn't look twelve, but she puts everything into the act, trying to look twelve but overdoing the youth to the point of acting half that. There is a certain weirdness to the romance once you think about it, though. Kirby obviously has a certain affection for this girl he thinks is twelve years old, even going so far as to say that he's twenty years too late for her. And, upon the final reveal that the adult Susan is in fact Susu, Kirby's reaction of calling out "Susu!" so emphatically it enters weirdness, but the movie very quickly ends and you're not supposed to think about it. It's certainly...odd.

Anyway, the movie's light and fun with a very winning performance from Ginger Rogers. Wilder could have started out his legendary Hollywood career in much worse fashion.

It's No Laughing Matter

[StrictlyConfidential · 1/10 · 23 July 2018]

Yes. Indeed. I have certainly seen some pretty stupid Hollywood movies in my days - But, believe me - When it comes to stepping over that line into pure preposterous asininity - I'd say that 1942's "The Major and the Minor" really takes first prize in my books.

If you can just imagine for a minute a 30-year-old/full-figured woman trying to pass herself off as being only 11 (Yes! That's right! ELEVEN!!) - Then - I think you get a very clear picture of this film's completely contrived plot that (get this) eventually works its brain-dead story into a frickin' romance. (Spare me!)

And, worst of all - This movie makes the males out to be the stupidest ones of all - With Major Philip Kirby being the biggest dumby of the lot - Accepting "Sue Sue" (in make-up and revealing cleavage) as a sweet, little tyke of only 11. (Ho-hum!)

Anyway - Due to this whole aspect of age deception by the Susan Applegate character - "The Major and the Minor" clearly told me that it was giving an approving nod towards pedophilia... Tsk. Tsk.

Sounds ridiculous, but it really is good!

[Topaz2 · 30 January 1999]

I have to admit, when I first read the synopsis for this movie, it sounded so ridiculous I almost didn't watch it. I want to urge others not to make this mistake. This is one terrific film. Ginger Rogers is absolutely perfect. No, she doesn't really LOOK like she is 12, but who cares, it's a comedy. There are many humorous moments, and Rogers' character is quite well developed. Ray Milland also comes off well. This is one of Billy Wilder's finest efforts!

Classic comedy

[missy_baxter · 10/10 · 25 June 2001]

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.

Wilder's Directing Debut - "Su-Su you're a knockout!"

[theowinthrop · 10/10 · 29 March 2006]

Billy Wilder, like his contemporary Preston Sturgis, gained attention in Hollywood at Paramount Studio as a screen writer. And oddly enough both decided to become directors because of unfair feelings towards the work of director Mitchell Leisin with their scripts. Wilder did not like Leisin's work with MIDNIGHT, and Sturgis did not like his work with REMEMBER THE NIGHT. It was unfair because Leisin did not have the cynical edge of Wilder and Sturgis, but Leisin was into bringing a more human element into his films (oddly enough, in later years, Wilder would too). They both got permission from Paramount to direct - Wilder a little after Sturgis did, because Sturgis had demonstrated he could be quite successful as a director.

THE MAJOR AND THE MINOR is Wilder's first film as director, and his first comedy. He demonstrated in it that he was above average in his ability to direct, getting the first good performance he got out of Ray Milland and an equally good one out of Ginger Rogers. He and his partner Charles Brackett did the screenplay here - a simple story of a woman who gets fed up with her failing life in New York City, and decides to return (however regretfully it may seem) to her small mid-western town. But Susan Applegate has a problem - she hasn't enough money for her ticket by train. Then she discovers she does have enough for her ticket if she can convince everyone she is a very tall teenager. So she does, as twelve year old "Su Su Applegate". Complete with pig-tales and a balloon (and temporarily accompanied by Tom Dugan, who agrees to be her "father" for a price) "Su Su" gets her ticket, only to be cheated by Dugan out of most of the remaining money she was carrying (she does kick him though!).

She ends up hiding from suspicious conductors in a private sleeping compartment with Major Philip Kirby (Milland), who is returning to his job at a military academy after a fruitless attempt to get into the war effort (it is 1942). Kirby is engaged to the daughter of the commandant of the academy, Pamela Hill (Rita Johnson). What he doesn't know is that Pamela is determined to undermine every attempt he makes to get a war job. She has connections through her father's friends, which she uses like an expert. It helps that Philip has an eye problem (though not a major one).

Because she is traveling alone, Philip takes Su-Su to the academy until they can have her picked up or driven to her home. She becomes an instant social success with all of the cadets - most of whom test out their young libidos on her by demonstrating how the Nazi blitzkrieg by-passed the Maginot Line (you have to see it to believe it). Only one person is not taken in - Pamela's sister Lucy (Diana Lynn). Lucy is going to be a scientist, and she can tell that Su-Su is just too well developed to be her age. But Lucy and Su-Su soon develop a close friendship (as Lucy eventually admits, Susan is far more of a sister to her than Pamela ever was). So Su-Su's secret is safe - and she and Lucy soon are trying to figure out how to counteract Pamela's efforts against Philip.

The film has many lovely touches, like Su-Su taking over the switch board (the cadet who is caught as a result, and who has been listening to "My Mother Done Told Me", looks angrily at her and yells out "A woman's a two-face!"). There are also the appearances of Robert Benchley as the amorous Mr. Osborne, who knew Susan as Susan in New York, but meets Su-Su at a dance at the military academy (Benchley's son is a cadet there). He goes crazy trying to figure out where he met this girl before.

But best is the interaction between Milland and Rogers, one highlight of which shows Wilder at his wickedest (and would not be repeated in 1940s comedies again). Trying to get little Su-Su to be careful with the cadets, "Uncle Philip" gives her a "birds and the bees" lecture. She asks him if he thinks she is attractive. He looks carefully at her, and says, "Why Su-Su you're a knockout!' She leaves, and he shuts the door smiling. The smile has a touch too much teeth in it - almost a sensual smile. And Milland realizes it...and a moment later he cringes thinking that he is becoming a potential child molester.

Will Philip get his wartime commission? Will Pamela get defeated, and Susan eventually reveal herself to Philip as a grown woman (she likes him very much)? You have to see the film to see how it works out. It also has the added attraction of Ginger Roger's mother Leila playing Susan's mother. Altogether a capital film, and a good directorial debut for Wilder.

Wilder's comedy debut as director.

[jpstewart-02578 · 6/10 · 5 March 2018]

I cannot claim this as among the great comedy films which would come later for Wilder (I'm thinking Some Like It Hot Kiss Me Stupid and The Front Page) this is certainly very good. Ginger Rogers looks glossy and glamorous in the opening shot and is in the last shot too, giving an excellent performance in a part which could easily have fallen flat on its face. In this she is helped along by Ray Milland who gets every little thing right in another performance which could easily have fallen on its nose. There are plenty of plot twists and turns. The plot ground covered is unusual. A nice touch is that Ginger Rogers' mother is played and very well by her real-life mother.

A Cute Film By Billy Wilder

[atlasmb · 8/10 · 6 March 2017]

Ray Milland plays the army Major (Philip Kirby) who meets Ginger Rogers (Susan Applegate) on a train as she is pretending to be a 12-year-old. That's quite a stretch for an actress who is age thirty, but director Billy Wilder found that audiences will accept such credibility testers in a comedy. And Ginger shows some versatility in the role.

"Little" Susan is on her way back home to Iowa after rejecting the values of the big city. Along the way, her trip is sidetracked as are her intentions. Diana Lynn (Lucy Hill)is a teen who sees through Susan's ruse and sets her on another path. This is Miss Lynn's second credited role and her talent is readily apparent. (Six years prior, at age 10, she was a child prodigy as a pianist; she was also a recording artist.)

Miss Rogers earned her Academy Award for "Kitty Foyle" only two years earlier. Ray Milland's famous portrayal in "The Lost Weekend", which will win him the Oscar, will follow in only three years. Both of them were well cast in "The Major and The Minor". The script, written in part by Billy Wilder, is full of humor and heart. About the filming, Ginger Rogers wrote, "I believe I had more fun playing this role than any other, with one exception...'Kitty Foyle'." She reported that Billy made things easy and respected her as an actress. The joy the actors experienced making the film may have contributed to the final product's enjoyability. Ginger also enjoyed her mother being on set, playing the mother of her character in a small role.

This American directorial debut by Billy Wilder shows the promise that his later films would deliver on.

High-spirited nonsense...

[moonspinner55 · 6/10 · 6 January 2008]

Ginger Rogers usually has sparkle and ladylike gumshun to spare. Still, in Billy Wilder's "The Major and the Minor", her dry, pithy wit and grounded charm are given a real workout. A woman in her twenties must disguise herself as a preteen in order to pay the child's fare for a train trip. After her secret is discovered by the train's officials, she takes refuge with passenger Ray Milland, who is (fatefully) near-sighted. Parts of the picture work a strident sort of magic, most certainly due to Wilder's adroit pacing, however the star performances do help. Milland is very loose here and, although she eventually begins to wear down one's nerves, Rogers is a straightforward presence on the screen (she connects with the audience in a direct, likable way, as if she were an old friend). Remade in 1955 as "You're Never Too Young". **1/2 from ****

Out Of Wet Clothes Into A Dry Martini

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 31 March 2010]

Paramount Pictures finally gave Billy Wilder a chance to direct his own material with The Major And The Minor. This rather interesting comedy depends a great deal not on just Wilder's writing and directing, but on the considerable comedy talents of Ginger Rogers to put it over. It's not easy for an actress in the full flower of maturity to pretend to be an adolescent, but Rogers was certainly up to the task.

Rogers plays Susan Applegate from Stevenson, Iowa who has had just about enough of New York. After trying several professions and making no headway in any of them, she's ready to cash it in and go back to Stevenson, maybe marry a local guy there. But cash is the problem when she comes up just short of the fare from New York to Stevenson. What to do, but pretend she's a child and travel for half fare.

A rather interesting set of circumstances has her stopping off as a guest of Ray Milland whom she has 'fooled' into thinking she is only an early teen. That doesn't sit well with Milland's fiancée Rita Johnson, a real ice princess who suspects something's up. And Johnson's sister Diana Lynn knows there is, but doesn't care. Milland is an instructor at a boy's military school and the sight of his female guest sends the cadets into hormonal overdrive. Milland's feeling a bit antsy around Rogers though he can't quite figure out why.

Wilder showed that even in his first film he was a master at slipping stuff by the censors. In a recent biography of Billy Wilder that was more important on this film than most because the subject matter was weaving dangerously close to pedophilia.

Paramount was disposed to let Wilder have this project especially after another of their writers a couple of years earlier showed he had the directing chops. But Preston Sturges was given a tryout in the studio's B picture unit with The Great McGinty. The Major And The Minor was an A film all the way because Wilder was able to sell Ginger Rogers on the story. He also brought the film only slightly over budget which definitely insured he would have a directorial career at Paramount.

Robert Benchley is also in the film as a lecherous old goat who is the one who finally sends Rogers packing to Iowa after putting the moves on her while she is trying the profession of masseuse. Wouldn't you know it, he turns out to be the father of a chip off the old block in the person of Cadet Frankie Thomas. Benchley's scenes in the film are precious indeed.

The Major And The Minor still holds up very well after over 60 years, no doubt because of the risqué subject matter. It's a film definitely guaranteed to make you a fan of the talents of its director and its stars.

Not the best of Wilder

[fletch5 · 6/10 · 16 September 2001]

The Major and the Minor isn't horrible, but it's certainly not in the same league with Wilder's comedy masterpieces. To find this kind of stuff funny, one has to suspend one's disbelief quite a lot. I personally thought that the premise of a visibly grown up woman disguising herself as an eleven-year-old girl was a bit too silly.

Based on a single joke, the whole thing feels drawn out even at 95 or so minutes.

Major Falls for Minor

[smithy-8 · 10/10 · 26 October 2003]

"The Major and The Minor" is director, Billy Wilder's, first directorial movie, and it was a hit. About 90% of Billy Wilder's comedies were hits. It's an adorable story about a New York City working girl (Ginger Rogers) wanting to go home to Iowa, but not having enough money for the train fare so she goes as a minor (12 years old). Along the way, she meets a Major from a boys military school (Ray Milland) and gets involved with his life unintentionly and falls in love.

It is an unusual story, but it works. The chemistry between Rogers and Milland is perfection. They made a great team. In 1944, they made another terrific movie, "Lady in the Dark", which was a comedy with musical numbers. This was Ginger Rogers' best movie and Ray Milland was her best leading man. They complimented each other. Ginger Rogers and Ray Milland had something in common, they could do comedy and drama easily. Not many actors can do that.

My favorite thing about this movie is the romance, but the next thing I liked is the supporting actress, Rita Johnson, who was a superb villain in comedies. She was always fighting to get the guy.

I won't say the movie is dated but you do notice the movie represents the 1940's during the war years; it shows how the people looked and acted differently than they do today.

A minor film proves to be Wilder's major breakthrough...

[JoeytheBrit · 6/10 · 15 July 2011]

A thirty-something Ginger Rogers has the impossible task of fooling all other characters in this film into believing she is a twelve-year-old kid. She gives a good performance and carries the film effortlessly, but you'd have to be blind to believe she was a pre-pubescent child. Some may get a kick out of seeing a grown woman wearing knee-high socks while carrying a balloon, but in this day and age they'll probably find more graphic ways of feeding their fetish.

The script gets her into kids clothes by raising the cost of her train fare back home so that she can't afford the cost. Ginger hits on the idea of passing herself off as a kid so that she can travel half-price, but army Major Ray Milland takes her under his wing when she sneaks into his compartment to hide from suspicious conductors. The film starts pretty brightly with some amusing gags, but unaccountably loses its way once Ray and Ginger disembark from the train and the action is transferred to the military college at which he's stationed.

This must have been pretty risky subject matter back in 1942, a fact borne out by the way that Milland's incipient attraction to 12-year-old Ginger is explained away by his 'bum eye.' At the end of the film he doesn't seem even remotely surprised to discover that the person he'd though was a gawky little girl is in truth a lush, full-bodied woman. Couldn't believe his luck, probably

Doesn't work at all

[robert-temple-1 · 1/10 · 30 October 2009]

This one misfired entirely. The idea that Ginger Rogers could dress up as a child and pretend to be twelve years old is ridiculous in the ghoulish and horrible sense, not in an amusing way at all. She becomes a kind of Frankenminor, a monstrosity more imposthume than impostor. One wants to throw up. And then she meets the dour Ray Milland, who may make a good lead in a menacing thriller, but when it comes to interacting with kids, forget it. Milland was in real life so fantastically mean with money that he would always stick a travelling companion with the cab fare, pretending he had forgotten his wallet, as I was told by victims of this tactic. A man who cannot bring himself to spare a nickel is equally ungenerous with his affections, so Milland has about as much ability to relate to a 'child' as a mole could relate to an eagle (one living underground, the other in the clouds, and in Milland's case, he was the mole). Milland and Rogers have about as much chemistry between them as two rocks. This film is just a ludicrous attempt to cheer up the American public during the early stages of the War. Men watching must have been driven to enlist, if only to escape such drivel, and women watching would have been glad they were not twelve, if twelve is a woman in a school hat with a silly voice. This was Billy Wilder's first pathetic attempt to make something that was funny. Even Robert Benchley could not manage to raise a laugh, so the lead balloons were everywhere, tied to everyone's ankles by a misconceived project, an inane script based on an obviously very silly play, and inadequate direction. Perhaps this was the kind of target the Japanese were really after: bad movies, but they only got as far as Pearl Harbour, about which many bad movies were later made (excepting always the wonderful 'The Winds of War' TV series of 1983, one the finest series ever made for television).