The Sublime Ms. Judy Holliday

I was reading up on screenwriter and director Garson Kanin in Backstory 2: Interviews with Screenwriters of the 1940s and 1950s. The highly-acclaimed Backstory series (volumes 1-4) by Pat McGilligan interviews scores of screenwriters from the 1920s through the 1980s. It's a fascinating look into the personalities, passions, and work methods of these talented and prolific writers and a great history of Hollywood to boot.

Garson Kanin was the author of such gems as It Should Happen to You, The Girl Can't Help It, and, with wife Ruth Gordon, Adam's Rib, and Pat and Mike. I had never seen Born Yesterday (1950), the first film he wrote, which he adapted from his stage play of the same name, so I decided to check it out. It's a wonderfully entertaining film with superb writing, but even more amazing was its star, Judy Holliday.

Holliday plays an ex-showgirl mistress to a nouveau riche junkyard tycoon. He's embarrassed by her lack of smarts and hires a tutor to teach her a little sophistication. With her tutor's help, she realizes she's not as dumb as all that. She soon falls for him, which naturally causes friction between her and the tycoon. Judy Holliday won Best Actress for her sublime portrayal of a ditzy blonde.  Watch especially the scene where she plays Gin Rummy with the boorish junkman, a classic of minimal means and comedic timing.

 To read more about Judy Holliday, check out this article in The Rake.

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