BORN YESTERDAY

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STUDIO: Columbia Pictures

RELEASED: 1950

STARS: Judy Holliday, William Holden, Broderick Crawford

PRODUCER: S. Sylvan Simon

DIRECTOR: George Cukor

WRITER: Albert Mannheimer (from Garson Kanin's play)

LENGTH: 1 Hour and 43 Minutes

PLOT: Crass junk tycoon Harry Brock (Crawford)
hires handsome young journalist Paul Verrall (Holden)
to educate his unsophisticated girlfriend, Billie Dawn
(Holliday), in the social graces. Paul's tutoring leads
Billie to open her eyes to Harry's crooked dealings and
open her heart to a romance with her charming mentor.

NOTABLE: Judy Holliday wins the Best Actress Oscar

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About the film...

        1949 was a tough year for the film industry. Profits were down and several long-standing movie theaters began to close. It's no small coincidence that this lull in the movie business occurred at the same time the upstart medium of television was beginning to catch on. It is estimated that roughly 5 million homes had television sets by the dawn of 1950. Those individuals who did not own a TV set, could often be found gathered in front of department stores, gazing spellbound through the display windows at the flickering black and white images. Each person who stayed home or was content to peer through the glass, was one less patron passing through the doors of their local movie theater. Columbia Pictures felt the pinch as much as any other movie studio. Columbia's president, Harry Cohn, was in desperate need of a hit film to lure audiences away from television screens and get them back in front of movie screens. He knew there was one film property in particular that, if he could just get his hands on it, would be the guaranteed hit he was seeking. The problem was, it was for sale to every single person in the free world except for one...Harry Cohn.

       During his frequent trips to New York, Cohn had fallen in love with a play called Born Yesterday. The play had been one of the hottest tickets on Broadway since it debuted on February 4, 1946, and it had made a star of it's leading lady, Judy Holliday. The play's author and director, Garson Kanin, had a stormy history with Cohn. A few years earlier, Cohn agreed to purchase a story that Kanin had written called A Double Life, but then reneged on the deal. Eventually, Kanin sold the rights to Universal Pictures and Ronald Colman won a Best Actor Oscar in the film's lead role. Regardless, the arduous negotiations and Cohn's ultimate failure to honor the deal, had left Kanin with a bitter taste in his mouth. When the time came for Kanin to sell the film rights to Born Yesterday, he instructed his agent that the property could be sold to anyone except Harry Cohn. Unwilling to leave the issue at that, Kanin added his now famous quote, "not even for one million dollars!" When Kanin's agent relayed the comment to Cohn, the stubborn studio boss defiantly offered one million dollars for the rights. With no other studio willing to match such an unheard of price (especially with business falling off), Kanin was forced to chose between a point of personal pride and $1 million. He wisely chose the money, but the Cohn-Kanin battle was far from over.

       Because he had paid a record-breaking price to acquire the rights to Born Yesterday, Harry Cohn demanded that Garson Kanin write the film's screenplay for half of his normal salary. Kanin balked at Cohn's attitude of entitlement and refused to write the screenplay at all. Not to be outdone, Cohn hired the Epstein brothers (Julius and Philip) who had previously worked on the screenplay for Casablanca, and paid them twice as much as he had offered to pay Kanin. Not well suited for a satiric political comedy, the Epsteins' script did not live up to anyone's expectations, including their own. They were later released from their contract with Columbia Pictures. By now, Kanin's close friend, George Cukor, had been signed to direct the project. Cukor seeing what the Epsteins' had written, begged Kanin to work on the screenplay as a personal favor to him. Kanin obliged his friend, but refusing to be an employee of Harry Cohn, he wrote it for free. Kanin sent the finished pages directly to Cukor, who integrated them into the script. Although Albert Mannheimer would receive the official credit, it was Kanin who actually wrote most of the screenplay. In the end, both Harry Cohn and Garson Kanin could claim victory. Cohn wound up getting Kanin's services for free and Kanin preserved the integrity of his work without having to answer to Cohn.

       Casting the roles in Born Yesterday proved to be an equally difficult and convoluted process. If Harry Cohn had gotten his way, Rita Hayworth and Humphrey Bogart would have occupied the lead roles. Hayworth was Columbia's top star and right from the start Cohn was dead set on Born Yesterday being a vehicle for her. Those plans were vanquished on May 27, 1949 when she married the Moslem prince, Aly Khan, and temporarily retired from the movie business. Bogart had already made Knock on Any Door, Tokyo Joe and In a Lonely Place for Columbia, but Bogart declined the Born Yesterday offer. Instead he did two films for Warner Bros. Studios, Chain Lightning and The Enforcer. With neither member of his dream team aboard, Cohn turned his attention to casting the part of Harry Brock, the hard-headed, quick-tempered junk tycoon. Garson Kanin later admitted that the character was named Harry because he was loosely modeled on his nemesis, Harry Cohn. It was suggested to Cohn that he hire Paul Douglas to repeat the role he had performed so well in the stage version. Initially Cohn resisted the idea because he had witnessed Douglas give an obviously intoxicated performance during a Born Yesterday matinee in 1947. Cohn was eventually talked into offering Douglas the role anyway, but Douglas promptly turned him down when he saw that the script would be even more slanted to the Billie Dawn character than the play. Cohn quickly signed his original choice for the part, Broderick Crawford, who had won an Oscar the previous year for All the King's Men. In an ironic casting twist, Crawford was originally offered the stage role, but turned it down, paving the way for Douglas' big break. This time, it was Douglas' refusal that opened the door for one of Crawford's most memorable performances.

       Rita Hayworth's sudden departure left Cohn without a leading candidate to play the wise-cracking, intellectually-challenged Billie Dawn, but the field was wide open. Hollywood gossip columnists ran their inkwells dry trying to keep up with all the latest "it" girls who were rumored to have the inside track on the coveted part. Historically, the names of over 35 actresses have been linked to the film role. Some were little more than Harry Cohn thinking out loud, but many were given serious consideration (including Barbara Stanwyck, Lana Turner, Ida Lupino, Lucille Ball, Marie Wilson, Alice Faye, June Havoc, Evelyn Keyes) and several were given screen tests (among those confirmed are Jean Hagen, Marie MacDonald, Celeste Holm, Gloria Grahame, Barbara Hale, Jan Sterling and Cara Williams). When the name Judy Holliday was suggested to him, Cohn replied, "that fat Jewish broad?" Cohn, like everyone else, had enjoyed Judy's stage portrayal and never doubted her acting talent for an instant, but he felt that she lacked the glamour and sex appeal that was essential for the film version. He also did not want to risk casting an actress who was unknown to movie audiences, especially in a film he had just paid $1 million to acquire. Cohn was so against the notion of Judy repeating her stage role, that he wouldn't even consent to let her make a screen test. Judy was devastated by Cohn's staunch and blunt rejection of her. Unbeknownst to her, a plan to win her the role was already being hatched on her behalf.

       Over at MGM Studios, George Cukor and Garson Kanin were set to start production on the courtroom comedy Adam's Rib, starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. All four were big fans of Judy's work in Born Yesterday and felt that they needed to do something to open Cohn's eyes to the obvious. Kanin expanded the supporting character of Doris Attinger, a housewife and mother accused of attempting to murder her philandering husband, Warren. Cukor tried to entice Judy to accept the role, but she declined because Doris was supposed to be portrayed as dowdy and frumpy, everything Cohn thought Judy Holliday was in real life. Despite Cukor's assurances that by the end of the film, the character would have a very flattering look and a big scene for her to display her comedic talents, Judy remained unconvinced. It took a personal visit from Hepburn and Tracy to get Judy to change her mind and accept the role. From that moment on, Katharine Hepburn became Judy Holliday's ambassador and advocate. She insisted that Judy be shot from the more flattering angle in one scene and she played their big courtroom scene mostly with her back to the camera to give Judy more face time. It was a lesson in generosity that Judy never forgot and kindly did likewise for others later in her career. Hepburn was not even close to being done though. She instructed the MGM press agents to plant gossip items in the press about how great Judy was doing and how she was "stealing" the picture from both Hepburn and Tracy. Hepburn knew Cohn would see these glowing reports and that he might relent, but she went one step further just to be sure. She sent word to Cohn that if he had ever hoped to use her services in a Columbia film someday, he'd better give serious consideration to Judy Holliday for the part of Billie Dawn.

       As Judy was preparing to leave California, she received word that Cohn had hurriedly arranged a screen test for her. Judy arrived at Columbia's studios wearing a dress that she had borrowed from Katharine Hepburn. The atmosphere wasn't quite like she imagined it would be. Due to the abrupt scheduling, the test took place on a Sunday...Father's Day, no less. The crew had been called in on short notice and she perceived that they were less than enthusiastic about her presence. Complicating matters was the fact that the script she was working from was the version written by Epstein brothers, which resembled nothing like what she had performed over 1,000 times on the stage. She got through the test and it was good enough to get her onto Cohn's list of possibilities, but he still wanted an established film star. Judy heard that Cohn was showing her screen tests to other actresses that were auditioning for the part and telling them "make like that." More screen tests followed for Judy, with different outfits and different scripts. Finally, on January 10, 1950, Harry Cohn announced to the world that he had found his Billie Dawn...and her name was Judy Holliday. The following day she officially signed her studio contract with Columbia Pictures. It called for her to make one picture a year for the next seven years.

       The final lead part to be cast was that of the sophisticated liberal journalist, Paul Verrall. In the film version, this role would be featured more prominently than it had been in the play. This was the result of Harry Cohn's desire to have the film focus more on the romance between Billie and Paul, and less on Brock's political manuevering. Gary Merrill had originated the part on Broadway, but Columbia had their sights set on leading man William Holden for the film. No stranger to the Columbia lot, Holden had previously made The Dark Past, Miss Grant Takes Richmond and Father Is a Bachelor for the studio. He had recently finished filming two films for Paramount Pictures, Sunset Boulevard and Union Station, when he received the offer for Born Yesterday. After leafing through the script, Holden determined that taking the role would be a backwards step career-wise. Like Humphrey Bogart before him, he was concerned that even with the added emphasis on the love story, Paul would be totally overshadowed by Billie. It took an impassioned personal plea from Garson Kanin coupled with some sage advice from Holden’s friend, director Billy Wilder, to convince him otherwise. Finally, all the pieces were now in place to make Born Yesterday a reality.

       As the start of production neared, Judy flew to Hollywood to meet the irascible Harry Cohn in person. Though they had met briefly in New York several years earlier, all of the negotiating for Born Yesterday and her studio contract had been done through lawyers and studio representatives. This would be their first real face to face encounter. Judy's flight arrived in Los Angeles very late in the evening. She was met at the airport by a Columbia Pictures press agent and driven immediately to studio. Upon entering Cohn's office, the press agent announced, "Mr. Cohn, may I present Miss Judy Holliday?" On cue, Judy smiled politely and extended her hand toward the stocky, balding, studio boss. Cohn ignored her outstretched hand and silently circled around her, looking her up and down before mumbling resignedly, "Well, I've worked with fat asses before." Judy knew well of his crass reputation (which included urinating with the door to his private bathroom open, while conducting business meetings with his top actresses) but she was not prepared for such a direct verbal assault, only seconds after being introduced. Despite the callousness of this first meeting, they would eventually develop a lot of admiration for one another, and even a fondness, as the years passed by.

       At Judy's suggestion, George Cukor had the cast rehearse the script for the first two weeks. During the third week, they presented selected scenes in play form for the employees of Columbia Pictures. This helped all of the actors with their timing and gave them the chance to see what was coming across as funny and what wasn't. Judy also used the three weeks of rehearsal to drop 15 pounds, much to Harry Cohn's delight. Judy's battle with her weight would be repeated time and time again on her subsequent films. It got to a point where Cohn made her weigh in every day and would not green-light a production to begin until she had gotten down to a weight that he considered acceptable.

       Production on Born Yesterday cruised along happily and without incident. The filming was completed in early August of 1950. When Cohn screened the completed picture, he knew he had the hit he wanted. To make sure that it qualified for that year's Academy Awards, the film premiered on December 26th. The reviews were sterling for everyone involved, but especially so for Judy Holliday. The picture did very big business at the box-office, more than justifying Harry Cohn's original investment. It ended up being the 6th highest grossing film in the United States for 1951. The only negative words about the film came from groups like the Catholic War Veterans who picketed various New York screenings of the picture. Their point of contention was that 6 months earlier Judy Holliday was named as a suspected Communist in a booklet called "Red Channels." J. Edgar Hoover, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, even ordered a secret investigation into Judy Holliday while she was in Hollywood making "Born Yesterday." FBI informants, who worked on the Columbia Pictures lot, kept tabs on her whereabouts and reported any overheard conversations, but failed to come up with any evidence against her. The FBI eventually concluded their report on Judy Holliday by stating that their investigation "did not reveal positive evidence of membership in the Communist Party."

        Born Yesterday was nominated for five Academy Awards that year: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Screenplay and Best Costumes. Given the stiff competition that year, which included such all-time classics as Sunset Boulevard and All About Eve, the film figured to be a dark horse at best in all of the categories. But on March 29, 1951, Judy Holliday shocked the entire motion picture industry by pulling off an upset victory over Bette Davis, Gloria Swanson, Anne Baxter and Eleanor Parker to claim the Oscar as Best Actress. Moments after her name was announced as the winner, Gloria Swanson called Judy over, seemingly to congratulate her. Instead, Swanson whispered bitterly in her ear, "Why couldn't you have waited till next year to win?" Time was not on Judy's side however. It would prove to be her one and only Oscar victory. In fact, she never even received another nomination. No role that was offered to her ever matched the broad public appeal of Billie Dawn. 50 years after Born Yesterday was released, it was named the 24th greatest comedy in cinema history by the American Film Institute and today is considered by many to be a national treasure.

----By Glenn McMahon

National Film Registry Nominations

Each year 25 films are added to the Library of Congress' National
Film Registry. All films that are selected are protected and
preserved for all-time under the National Film Preservation Act
of 1988. Currently "Adam's Rib" is the only Judy Holliday film
included in the registry. If you would like to nominate a Judy
Holliday film (and/or any of your favorite American movies) for
inclusion, send an e-mail to the Library of Congress. You can
read more about the National Film Registry and view a list of
the 375 films that have already been selected here.