Born Yesterday (1950)

A million dollar Tycoon hires a tutor to teach his lover proper etiquette.

Director:

George Cukor

Writers:

Garson Kanin (play), Albert Mannheimer (screenplay),

Stars:

Judy Holliday, Broderick Crawford, William Holden

Won 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Judy Holliday	...	Emma 'Billie' Dawn
Broderick Crawford	...	Harry Brock
William Holden	...	Paul Verrall
Howard St. John	...	Jim Devery
Frank Otto	...	Eddie
Larry Oliver	...	Congressman Norval Hedges
Barbara Brown	...	Mrs. Hedges
Grandon Rhodes	...	Sanborn
Claire Carleton	...	Helen

Storyline

Uncouth, loud-mouth junkyard tycoon Harry Brock descends upon Washington D.C. to buy himself a congressman or two, bringing with him his mistress, ex-showgirl Billie Dawn. Brock hires newspaperman Paul Verrall to see if he can soften her rough edges and make her more presentable in capital society. But Harry gets more than he bargained for as Billie absorbs Verall's lessons in U.S. history and not only comes to the realization that Harry is nothing but a two-bit, corrupt crook, but in the process also falls in love with her handsome tutor.

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Plot Keywords:

congressman | etiquette | washington d.c. | mistress | crook | 

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Taglines:

A perfectly swell motion picture!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 May 1951 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Nacida ayer

Filming Locations:

Jefferson Memorial - 900 Ohio Drive SW, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Paul Douglas, who created the role of Harry Brock on stage, turned down the chance to play him in the movie adaptation because the part had been considerably reduced for the film. He later went on to star opposite Judy as Edward L. McKeever in the 1956 film, The Solid Gold Cadillac where Judy once again plays a ditsy blonde who ends up outsmarting her opponents.

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Goofs

When Barry threatens Billie with a 'bloody nose', the position of her right arm changes between the long shot (holding onto the banister) and the closer shot (holding a handkerchief to her nose).

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Quotes

Billie Dawn: This country and its institutions belong to the people who inhibit it.
Paul Verrall: inHABit.
Billie Dawn: InHABit it.

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Connections

Featured in Precious Images (1986)

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Soundtracks

"The Battle Hymn of the Republic"
(uncredited)
Music by William Steffe
Played when Billie is looking at the Gettysburg Address display

User Reviews

One Holiday performance I especially liked

More often than not, I get annoyed at the sound of Oscar award winning (for this part) Judy Holiday's (né Judith Tuvim) voice but it served her character well in this moving drama in which she plays a dim witted and exploited partner of a uncouth and domineering man (Broderick Crawford). William Holden, as always, is very good in his role; this time he is the reporter hired to refine Holiday but falls in love with her. There are so many memorable scenes in this movie but I think the best ones are the card game between Judy and Broderick, the somewhat heavy handed references to Jefferson, and of course the comeuppance of Broderick. The supporting actors, especially Broderick's longsuffering lawyer are also more than competent in their complimentary roles. 8/10.