Born Yesterday (1950)

Uncouth, loud-mouth junkyard tycoon Harry Brock (Broderick Crawford) descends upon Washington D.C. to buy himself a congressman or two, bringing with him his mistress, ex-showgirl Billie Dawn (Judy Holliday). Brock hires newspaperman Paul Verrall (William Holden) 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 and allows hilarity to ensue.

Trivia: Judy Holliday, who played Billie Dawn on Broadway, was the third choice to play Billie after: Jean Arthur and Rita Hayworth. The part of Billie Dawn was written by Garson Kanin for Jean Arthur. A couple of nights before the play was due to open, Arthur abruptly dropped out and Judy Holliday was drafted in, having to learn the part in three days. She ended up playing it on Broadway for 4 years. To help facilitate shooting, George Cukor decided to rehearse "Born Yesterday" as if it were still a stage play. For two weeks, the cast worked on their lines while a construction crew built a 300-seat mini-theater within one of the studio's sound-stages. It was there that Judy Holliday, William Holden and Broderick Crawford gave six performances in front of a live audience so that Cukor could precision-time the pacing of the film's jokes.

After watching this and reading that Judy Holliday almost didn't get the part I am aghast. I can't see this movie working quite as well without Judy and her unique voice. It really lends to her dumb blonde feel. Those of you who do not know Judy Holliday, you would probably recognize her if you heard her, her voice is one of the most unique in the business. William Holden is quickly becoming one of mine favorite actors. He just has a certain bearing that makes like him.