Born Yesterday (1950)Judy Holliday is brilliant in this comedy-drama, opposite the delicious William Holden. Holliday plays Billie, a woman who is in a nowhere relationship with a scrap metal tycoon named Harry, played by the gruff Broderick Crawford. She doesn't know how to mingle with the rich, and she's constantly being harrangued by Harry, who thinks she's a bubblehead. Harry decides to hire Holden to be her tutor, and as the movie progresses, Billie learns a lot more than what's in the books.
Judy Holliday picked up an Oscar for this performance, and it's easy to see why. She's absolutely riveting and is able to manipulate her voice in such a comical way. She goes from airhead to genuinely intelligent, and the transformation is subtle and real. I love watching her big, expressive eyes -- almost like Betty Boop.
The best scene is when she's playing Gin Rummy with Harry. Not only does she win 4 straight games in a row -- irritating her boyfriend -- but she has a routine of shuffling and re-shuffling her cards. Then she starts to hum a tune, and she gets so in to it she says "Na na na...Bum DUM BA DUM Na na na na..."
I saw this through my Moxi by looking for William Holden, and I don't see it showing any time soon, so you have to rent it!
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