The Major and the Minor (1942)

A frustrated city girl disguises herself as a youngster in order to get a cheaper train ticket home. But little "Sue Sue" finds herself in a whole heap of grown-up trouble when she hides out in a compartment with a handsome Major.

Director:

Billy Wilder

Writers:

Charles Brackett, Billy Wilder

Stars:

Ginger Rogers, Ray Milland, Rita Johnson

3 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ginger Rogers	...	Susan ('Sue-Sue') 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 Osborne
Raymond Roe	...	Cadet Anthony Wigton Jr.
Charles Smith	...	Cadet Korner
Larry Nunn	...	Cadet Babcock
Billy Dawson	...	Cadet Miller
Lela E. Rogers	...	Mrs. Applegate (as Lela Rogers)
Aldrich Bowker	...	Reverend Doyle
Boyd Irwin	...	Major Griscom
Byron Shores	...	Captain Durand

Storyline

New York working girl Susan Applegate is desperate to go home to Iowa but does not have the railway fare so she disguises herself as a child to ride half fare. Enroute she meets Philip Kirby, an Army major teaching at a military school.

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Plot Keywords:

military school | older woman younger man relationship | conundrum | army officer | steaming open an envelope | 

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Taglines:

Is She A Kid - Or Is She Kidding?

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

Remade as the 1955 Dean Martin/Jerry Lewis comedy You're Never Too Young (1955), with Lewis playing a male version of Ginger Rogers' character and Diana Lynn playing a female equivalent of Ray Milland's character.

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Goofs

The cadet left the switchboard to get a radio, and returned with a battery portable valve radio. Although quite expensive to buy and to operate, there was a very large market for battery portable valve radios and they were very common throughout the valve era. Batteries were the only possible power supply, because valves with "heaters" used with AC mains power electricity appeared after the D.C. battery types. Texas Instruments in 1952 demonstrated their all-transistor AM radios, but their performance was well below that of equivalent battery tube models. In August 1953 a workable all-transistor radio was demonstrated at the Düsseldorf Radio Fair by the German firm Intermetall. If you had no knowledge of the existence of battery portable valve radios in 1942, you might mistakenly believe that the portable radio is a fake, because the portable transistor radio was not invented till 1952.

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Quotes

Susan Applegate: What do you expect me to do?
Lucy Hill: Help.
Susan Applegate: I haven't any pull in the War Department. I knew a Washington Senator once. He played third base.

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Crazy Credits

"The Dutch bought New York from the Indians in 1626 and by May 1941 there wasn't an Indian left who regretted it. "

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Connections

References Grand Hotel (1932)

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Soundtracks

Isn't It Romantic?
(1932) (uncredited)
Music by Richard Rodgers
Played on the radio in Mr. Osborne's room

User Reviews

Sounds ridiculous, but it really is good!

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!

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 December 1942 (Mexico)

Also Known As:

The Major and the Minor

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$928,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1