Born Yesterday (1950)

A tycoon hires a tutor to teach his lover proper etiquette, with unexpected results.

Director:

George Cukor

Writers:

Garson Kanin (play), Albert Mannheimer (screenplay)

Stars:

Judy Holliday, William Holden, Broderick Crawford

Won 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Judy Holliday	...	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	...	Anna 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.

---

Plot Keywords:

national film registry | political satire | education | rye whiskey | washington d.c. | 

---

Taglines:

"MY FATHER ALWAYS SAID: Never do nothin' you wouldn't want printed on the front page. Now he's afraid to buy his morning paper..."

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

February 1951 (USA)

Also Known As:

Nacida ayer

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$12,000,000, 31 January 1970

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Judy Holliday and Broderick Crawford extended their famous gin-rummy scene to their off-screen relationship. Afraid of flying, Holliday insisted on taking the train to Washington for location shooting. Crawford went along and they passed the four-day trip playing gin for money. When they arrived in Washington, Holliday had won $600 from him, along with his undying friendship.

---

Goofs

While visiting the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, Paul Verral explains to Billie Dawn that the country's whole government is based on "these three pieces of paper." In reality, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights were written on vellum, or parchment, which is made of stretched and treated animal skin.

---

Quotes

Billie: Are you one of these talkers or would you be interested in a little action?

---

Connections

Version of Au théâtre ce soir: Ferraille à vendre (1972)

---

Soundtracks

America, the Beautiful
(uncredited)
Music by Samuel A. Ward
Played when they're at the Jefferson Memorial

User Reviews

A perfect performance from a classy lady!

Delightful! Hilarious! How often do we get to see a perfect performance? We're closing in on a century of movies and, as we can see, it's pretty rare. So flawless was Judy Holliday's portrayal of Billie Dawn that, as a relative unknown, she came from behind to beat out two heavyweights for the Oscar in 1950. I'm sure this was due in no small part to her refining the role for nearly three years on stage.

Everything else fell into place as well. Broderick Crawford was just excellent as Harry Brock. Crawford is able to swing you back and forth between anger and sympathy for his character. Not an easy task! William Holden is perfectly calm and reserved as Paul Verrall. His character forms a wonderful opposite to Billie. And, with direction, George Cukor worked his usual magic.

Most of the themes are timeless. A person lives in ignorant bliss until their eyes are opened. They realize that there is a better life for them and begin their struggle for improvement. They discover that their greatest opponents to advancement are not those above them, but those at their current level.

A few of the elements are dated. Particularly Jim's speech about how hard it is to find a corrupt politician in Washington. Wow. Maybe that was the case in 1950. Now it's impossible to find an honest one.

It all comes back to Judy Holliday. This movie is her vehicle. She was a rare talent who we were only able to see for a very short time. I love all of her movies and this one, Born Yesterday, is my favorite.

Thank you Judy!!!!!!