Rating: 
Summary: Judy Holliday is a Scream as the Quintessential Dumb Blonde!
Review: A sparkling 50's comedy by Cukor. Filled with memorable performances mainly Judy Holliday and Broderick Crawford, William Holden does whatever he can with his limited character. Judy Holliday gives a priceless performance as the prototypical dumb blonde who turns out not to be that dumb. Broderick Crawford gives a powerful performance, but sometimes he goes a bit too far and we get scared instead of laughing. But Holliday's performance is the one that keeps the movie at a steady pace, nobody can deliver such funny lines in such opportune moments as she can. Filled with many memorable one-liners and the gin-sequence is a keeper. A very funny film that still sparkles after all these years. From a scale of 1-10 I give this film an 8!
Rating: 
Summary: Born Again.
Review: Born Yesterday has to be the only film that has an amazing cast, great dialogue and a history lesson all built into one. The film is centered around Judy Holiday (who won an Oscar for this role beating out Bette Davis and Gloria Swanson for All about eve and Sunset Boulevard)and rightfully so. From the first second you hear her speak your entranced by her. William Holden is also in the film but for the first and only time he seems to have taken a back seat in star wattage to Broderick Crawford his deep voice and impsoing stature is amazing on film. The plot is about a woman who everyone perceives is dumb but learns to respect herself and her intellignece through tutoring sessions with Holden and they eventually fall in love. Cukor frames the story beautifully. Never allowing the camera to seem as a third party to any of the personell scenes between Holden and holliday. The night they go to hear a symphony play is pure magic!! Watch Holliday breeeze through her lines with such class and humor. This has to be one of the funniest films ever made and can not be missed Judy Holliday deserved her Oscar for this film and she would have been amazing in Some Like It Hot!! Now that film would truly be perfect if she was in the role of Suga. But as it stand this film is the best romantic comedy EVER made period and should not be missed by anyone who enjoys laughing so much that their stomach cramps!
Rating:
Summary: Deft Comedy
Review: Dont waste your time with the remake with Melanie Griffith...its absurdly terrible.Just a few lines delivered by the great Judy Holday lets the viewer know what a deft and fragile comedy this film really is. Broderick Crawford is at his best and Holden plays the straight man. Considering what trash is made in hollywood today..this film evokes a time where writing, direction and acting all played a part in making timless comedy on film .Will we ever see that again. Sorry!
Rating:
Summary: Eliza Doolittle Meets Betty Boop.
Review: From the moment she enters the picture and screeches "Whaaaaattttt??", in a voice that could peel wallpaper, you can't take your eyes off Judy Hollidays "Billie Dawn." In this movie adaptation of the Garson Kanin play, directed by famed "womans director" George Cukor, she takes a wonderfully written character and turns her into a classic movie performance that no one else could have played. Her crass, monosyllabic Billie is SO dumb, that, when her corrupt bully boyfriend, played by Broderick Crawford, first proposes to the owlish journalist, played by William Holden, that he refine Billies rough edges so she can be presented into the Washington society that he hopes to manipulate, well...you wonder how he can EVER mold this dim-witted clay. Along the way, she, for the first time, begins to actually THINK, and her development of a conscience and awareness of her self worth is as moving as it is comical. The backdrop of corrupt politicians who can be bought for a price (some things never change), provides the moral (immoral) climate in which Billie has unquestioningly (til now) existed. Seeing her grow into someone with character is touching to behold. In the scene towards the end, in the Rotunda, where she finally realizes the changes within her, and the potential for the "good" in life, it always brings a tear to the eye. As everyone knows, Judy Holliday beat out the toughest competition ever, Bette Davis for "All; About Eve", and Gloria Swanson for "Sunset Boulevard", to win the best actress Oscar for 1950. A good friend of mine, who knew Judy Holliday, and is presently writing a play about her life, corroborates what many already know, that she was an intensely serious and intelligent woman. Tragically, she died much too young. But her film roles will always ensure her reputation as a brilliant actress, with her portrayal of "Billie Dawn" being the role for which she'll most be remembered. There will never be another Judy Holliday, nor another Billie Dawn. (Don't even MENTION the Melanie Griffith remake!) Thanks for all the joy, dear lady.
Rating:
Summary: Terrifically funny
Review: George Cukor's 1955 screen adaptation of a Broadway play. Beautifully scripted with stunning performances by Broderick Crawford and Judy Halliday as New Jersey shady scrap-metal millionaire and his truly dense girl. Crawford enlists the help of a sophisticated Washington journalist (William Holden) to "smarten her up". Unfortunately she gets too smart for his own good.... Classy acting and a razor sharp dialogue make this my favourite film. Do not confuse the original with the witless 90's remake.
Rating:
Summary: A very good film.
Review: I highly recommend this film. Judy Holiday and William Holden do a wonderful acting job in it and make a great pair. It's a film well worth seeing.
Rating:
Summary: A very good film.
Review: I highly recommend this film. Judy Holiday and William Holden do a wonderful acting job in it and make a great pair. It's a film well worth seeing.
Rating:
Summary: COMIC GENIUS!!
Review: I think I over-rate this movie, but it has had a big effect on me and my movie-watching tastes. I first watched this movie in June this past summer, after the American Film Institute had placed it at 24 on their list of the 100 funniest American comedies. Judy Holliday won a deserved Oscar AND a Golden Globe award for her hilarious performance. There are a few things I don't like about this film, such as Broderick Crawford's obnoxious character, but I laughed my head off. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this movie! George Cukor directed many great movies (including three other movies in which he collaborated with Holliday and Garson Kanin), and this one is one of the best, displaying his comic genius at work. I could go on forever about this movie, but I'll try to finish up. Born Yesterday is one of my all-time favorite movies, and is legions ahead of its 1993 remake, and is also one of the all-time funniest comedies in the past 50 years. I know I'm over-rating it, but, I repeat, it had a big effect on me. I guess it was a just a matter of watching the right movie at the right time.
Rating:
Summary: One smart cookie--don't let the blond hair fool ya!
Review: Judy Holiday is great as the seemingly dumb blonde who soon proves to be anything but "born yesterday". Holiday is the pretty fiancee of a street-raised, crooked junk yard millionaire played by Broderick Crawford. In an effort to rub shoulders with important polititians Crawford hires a "tutor" (William Holden) to give Holiday some "schoolin' & refinement", so he can show her off in higher circles. The plan backfires, because Holden not only polishes up Holiday's English and wits, but also convinces her to stand up to the bullish Crawford. -- This is a delightful classic comedy. Judy Holiday's Best Actress Oscar was well-deserved. "Born Yesterday" also has a superior screen play. This is one of Hollywood's Best!
Rating:
Summary: Razor Sharp and Lots of Fun
Review: Judy Holiday won an Oscar for this film, and no wonder: her performance of Billie Dawn, a "dumb broad" who suddenly wises up in a most unexpected way, is certainly one of the finest and most original film performances in 20th Century American cinema. The story, from the stage success, concerns a crass junk yard tycoon (Broderick Crawford) who goes to Washington to buy a Senator--and promptly considers that his blonde-bimbo mistress Billie Dawn (Holiday) lacks enough poise for such refined circles. He accordingly entices a reporter (William Holden) to "smarten her up." But things soon get out of hand: once her mind is awakened, Billie Dawn begins to perceive her lover and his political intrigues in a very different light. The comedy is genuine, and Crawford and Holden are as memorable as Holiday herself. But there is some serious stuff behind the hilarity: issues of personal integrity, honesty, and civic duty become increasingly important as Billie evolves, and ultimately she must make a choice between her old life and a new one. The film very neatly balances its comic elements with its serious side, and neither predominate nor throw the film off center; director Cukor steers a perfect course. A must-see and a must-own.
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