Born Yesterday (1950 film)

Infobox Film
name = Born Yesterday


caption = Original film poster
director = George Cukor
producer = S. Sylvan Simon
writer = Garson Kanin (play)
Albert Mannheimer
starring = Judy Holiday
Broderick Crawford
William Holden
music = Frederick Hollander
cinematography = Joseph Walker
editing = Charles Nelson
distributor = Columbia
released = December 26, 1950
runtime = 103 min.
country = US
awards = Judy Holiday:-
Academy Award for Best Actress
Jussi Award for
Foreign Actress
Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Actress (Musical/Comedy)
language = English
budget =
amg_id = 1:6739
imdb_id = 0042276

*"For the 1993 remake, see Born Yesterday (1993 film)"

"Born Yesterday" is a 1950 film directed by George Cukor, which tells the story of a corrupt tycoon who brings his showgirl mistress with him to Washington when he tries to buy a Congressman. He hires a journalist to educate his girlfriend, and in the process, she learns just how corrupt her boyfriend is.

The screenplay was written by Albert Mannheimer, based on the play "Born Yesterday" by Garson Kanin.

Plot summary

Uncouth tycoon Harry Brock (Broderick Crawford) goes to Washington, DC with his brassy mistress, Emma 'Billie' Dawn (Judy Holliday), and his crooked lawyer, Ed Devery (Howard St. John), to "influence" a politician or two.

He becomes disgusted with Billie's ignorance and lack of manners (though he himself is much worse) and hires a tutor for her, Paul Verrall (William Holden). Blossoming under Paul's encouragement, Billie turns out to be much smarter than anybody knew and begins thinking for herself. The two fall in love.

Meanwhile, Devery had persuaded Harry to sign over many of his assets to Billie to hide them from the government. When Harry needs to get them back, he comes into conflict with Billie's new-found independence. She and Paul use her leverage to escape from Harry's domination; she promises to give him back his property little by little as long as he leaves them alone.

This film shows more post-WWII Washington D.C. than any other film of its time.

In the episode "Stage 5" of "The Sopranos", JT (Tim Daly) cites this movie as the inspiration for the mob boss character in the movie "Cleaver".

Awards and nominations

The film won the Academy Award for Best Actress (Holliday) and was nominated for Best Costume Design, Black-and-White, Best Director, Best Picture and Best Writing, Screenplay.

The film also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Actress - Musical or Comedy (Holliday), and was nominated for the awards for Motion Picture Drama, Best Motion Picture Actress - Drama (Holliday), and Best Motion Picture Director (Cukor).

The film also won a Jussi Award (the main film award in Finland) for Foreign Actress (Holiday), and was nominated for the Venice Film Festival Golden Lion Award and the Writers Guild of America Best Written American Comedy Award (Mannheimer).

Cast

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

External links

*imdb title|id=0042276|title=Born Yesterday
*amg movie|id=1:6739|title=Born Yesterday
*rotten-tomatoes|id=1002930-born_yesterday|title=Born Yesterday