THE SMART DUMB BLONDE
A complete retrospective of the films of Judy Holliday featuring many brand-new 35mm prints plus rare archival excerpts from her TV appearances.

August 25 – 31
Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center, New York City
165 West 65th Street, plaza level

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Judy Holliday would have been 85 this year. She left us much too soon but with her soulful eyes, dimpled smile and double-register vocal technique—she could go from a screech to a growl without hesitation—endeared herself to audiences of the 1950’s as a dumb blonde to reckon with. The formula was not new; it was a staple of Hollywood comedy from Lucille Ball to Marie (My Friend Irma) Wilson. But no one developed it with more finesse than Judy whose original surname was Tuvim meaning holiday in Hebrew. The name was perfect: each screen appearance was a cause for celebration because of her many endearing charms.

Several of the screenings will be introduced by special guests including Judy’s son, Jonathan Oppenheim, biographer Will Holtzman and film critic Elliott Stein among others. Curated by Joanna Ney, Producer, Arts Programming, the Film Society of Lincoln Center.

Complete Schedule

Adam’s Rib
George Cukor, U.S., 1949; 100m
Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin wrote this sharp script about professional rivalry. Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy play husband-and-wife lawyers on opposite sides of the same attempted murder case. An abused wife is accused of shooting her two-timing husband, Tom Ewell, with intent to kill. In the courtroom, Amanda (Hepburn) uses feminist arguments to build her defense case while Adam (Tracy) argues for the prosecution. Repartee on both sides is fast and furious, but not the least of the film’s pleasures is the defendant herself, a screwball hilariously played by Holliday in her breakout role. The camera stays on her without a cut, as Hepburn interrogates the baffled brunette, and, voila, a new star is born. Jean Hagen, Tom Ewell and David Wayne are all amusing. Wayne, as a nosy upstairs neighbor, sings “Farewell Amanda,” a song Cole Porter provided for the occasion. Preceded by a sketch in which Judy plays the only female juror on an all-male jury.
Fri Aug 25: 2; Mon Aug 28: 4; Tue Aug 29: 6:15

Something for the Boys New 35mm print
Lewis Seiler, U.S., 1944; 87m
Loosely based on the Broadway musical by Herb and Dorothy Fields, this amiable comedy fable features music and lyrics by Cole Porter, Jimmy McHugh and Harold Adamson. The story is about a trio of footloose characters who inherit an old Southern plantation and turn it into a retreat for army wives. The proprietors of the place are Phil Silvers, Carmen Miranda and Vivian Blaine and of course, they put on a talent show. A sleek new singer named Perry Como stops by to croon “I wish I didn’t have to say goodbye.” Phil Silvers engages in slapstick hijinks and does an amusing job with the Southern songs. Carmen Miranda sings “Samba Boogie” with awesome gusto. Judy Holliday appears briefly as a defense plant welder with a peculiar dental problem. Preceded by a short spoof of Judy as a multi-cultural chanteuse.
Fri Aug 25: 4:15; Mon Aug 28: 6:15

Born Yesterday New 35mm print
George Cukor, U.S., 1950; 103m
Uncouth, shady tycoon Harry Brock (Broderick Crawford) arrives in Washington, D.C., with political ambitions and a dumb blonde girlfriend, Billie Dawn (Judy Holliday), who is in dire need of cultural makeover. Harry, ashamed of what comes out of Billie’s mouth (screeches, yelps, and bad grammar) hires suave newspaper reporter Paul Verrall (William Holden) to smooth off Billie’s rough edges and turn her into a woman of substance. No mean feat when you consider that this ex-chorus girl is, in the words of screenwriter Garson Kanin, “breathtakingly beautiful and breathtakingly simple.” Billie Dawn was the character with whom Judy Holliday was most identified, although she was not the original choice for either the play or film. Holliday became an overnight sensation on Broadway and ultimately reprised the role in the hit film and even won an Oscar for it, trumping Bette Davis and Gloria Swanson! It now seems inconceivable that this canny dumb blonde could have been played by any other actress.
Fri Aug 25: 6:15 intro with Jonathan Oppenheim, Holliday’s son
Sat Aug 26: 4; Tue Aug 29: 1:30

It Should Happen to You New 35mm print
George Cukor, U.S., 1954; 87m
Another one of Judy’s delicious dumb blonde performances as a nobody who wants to be a somebody so bad that she blows her savings on a giant billboard with her name, Gladys Glover, splashed across it, right over Columbus Circle. Jack Lemmon, in his screen debut, is her perfect foil, an earnest documentary filmmaker who tries to dissuade her from her folly and Peter Lawford is amusing as the playboy who woos her with champagne and kisses and larceny in his heart. The cast is irresistible, with a nice cameo by sports writer Heywood Hale Broun as a local character who has a run-in with Gladys in Central Park. In our celebrity obsessed society, this sprightly comedy written by Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin should have a special nostalgic appeal. Preceded by a short sketch of Judy as an obnoxious movie fan.
Fri Aug 25: 8:45 (Judy’s biographer, now a playwright and screenwriter, Will Holtzman, will introduce)
Sat Aug 26: 6:15; Wed Aug 30: 4:15

Greenwich Village New 35mm print
Walter Lang, U.S, 1944; 82m
A musical with songs by Leo Robin and Nacio Herb Brown that stars Don Ameche, William Bendix and Vivian Blaine. The story takes place in the 20s when a hick composer comes to Bohemian Greenwich Village and falls in with a group of entertainers who work in a splashy nightclub. The proprietor wants to put on an uptown show and the novice composer happens to have a concerto handy that can be used for the opening. Reasons to see this film, besides its nostalgic songs (“Whispering” in repeated refrain), are a dance number by Sally and Tony de Marco, a specialty number by the Four Step Brothers, and above all, for a glimpse of a Greenwich Village act called “The Revuers” which consisted of Adolph Green, Betty Comden, Alvin Hammer, and Judy Tuvim, soon to be Judy Holliday. See if you can spot Judy et al as they hurry past Blaine approx. 22m into the film, and later as Judy emerges from the back bedroom holding two bottles of booze. Clue: Judy has brown hair and wears a dark orange dress. Preceded by a sketch of Judy on a blind date with Steve Allen — at the opera.
Sat Aug 26: 2; Mon Aug 28: 8:15

The Marrying Kind New 35mm print
George Cukor, U.S., 1952; 93m
In this tragicomedy, scripted by Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin, Judy truly comes into her own as a proletarian heroine. She and Aldo Ray play Florence and Chet, a working-class couple whose marriage is strained by unforeseen circumstances. Their struggles, emotional and financial, are presented in beautiful, intimate detail rarely depicted in films of the 50s, and it is refreshing to watch Judy create a strong woman character who is loyal, resilient, and intensely human. Aldo Ray is dynamic and virile as the more conventional husband and father who can’t seem to get it together. The story is told in flashback in divorce court, first from the husband’s point of view, then the wife’s. The film’s critique of traditional gender roles is somewhat ahead of its time. There are exceptional character bits by Madge Kennedy, Mickey Shaughnessy, and an unbilled Peggy Cass. In the post office scene, catch several glimpses of a smiling Charles Bronson. Among many New York locations to be savored is the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Sat Aug 26: 8:15 Introduced by Elliott Stein, film critic, historian and regular contributor to The Village Voice
Wed Aug 30: 2 & 6:15 (intro by writer Lee Israel at 6:15)

Winged Victory Rare 16mm print
George Cukor, U.S., 1944; 130m
James Agee reviewed this U.S. Air Force film made for the war effort, thus: “I suppose it is all right, but I don’t enjoy having anyone tell me, so cheerfully and energetically, that the Air Force personnel is, without exception, composed of boy scouts not old enough to shave.” The inspirational film, written by Moss Hart, is about the induction and training of pilots for combat during WWII. The gallantry and pathos of young servicemen rushing headlong into danger are captured with solid credibility. Lon McCallister, Edmond O’Brien, Lee J. Cobb, Barry Nelson, Karl Malden and Martin Ritt are the men. Jeanne Crain is the female star, and Judy appears in a featured role as O’Brien’s wife.
Sun Aug 27: 1:30 intro with Kitty Carlisle Hart

Full of Life New 35mm print
Richard Quine, U.S., 1956; 91m
This little-known film written by cult author Joe Fante based on his own novel is something of a find. Part breezy comedy, part serious drama, with disturbing but emotionally compelling mood swings, it tells the story of an Italian American suburban couple played by Judy Holliday and Richard Conte, who are trying to make ends meet while awaiting the birth of their first child. When their house turns out to be termite ridden, Judy enlists the help of her temperamental papa-in-law, played by 50s Italian opera star Salvatore Baccaloni, as a modest builder with the ego of a Frank Lloyd Wright. Baccaloni has his own ideas about everything from construction to religion. Judy is having a tough pregnancy and Conte is just trying to cope. By turns heartwarming and hilarious, this is another example of Holliday’s skill as an actress. Preceded by a sketch with Barbara Baxley, Janet Blair and Judy as baseball players’ wives in the stands at a game.
Sun Aug 27: 4; Wed Aug 30: 8:20; Thurs Aug 31: 4:15

Bells Are Ringing
Vincente Minnelli, U.S., 1960; 127m
A sprightly adaptation of the Broadway musical hit by Betty Comden, Adolph Green and Jule Styne, with Holliday re-creating her starring role as an answering service operator who just can’t help getting involved in the lives of her clients. When she falls in love with a man she knows only as a voice on the telephone, romantic complications develop. Dean Martin sidles into his role as a drunken composer with typical nonchalance. He and Holliday are a pleasure to behold, and the wonderful songs include “Just in Time” and “The Party’s Over.” Sadly, this was Holliday’s last film, and it makes you appreciate her remarkable array of talents as actress, singer and irrepressible comic charmer all over again. In Cinemascope. With a winning supporting cast that includes Fred Clark, Eddie Foy, Jr., Jean Stapleton, Valerie Allen, Frank Gorshin and Judy’s beau Gerry Mulligan.
Sun Aug 27: 6 intro with Jonathan Oppenheim, Holliday’s son
Tue Aug 29: 3:45

Solid Gold Cadillac New 35mm print
Richard Quine, U.S., 1956; 99m
Dazzling Judy stars in this entertaining comedy about a small stockholder in a large company who becomes a corporate heroine by trying to oust the crooked board of directors. Richard Quine, who directed Judy so ably in Full of Life, knows how to bring out the sly best in her. The film is also blessed by the fortuitous casting of Paul Douglas, the original Harry in the Broadway production of Born Yesterday and he and Judy make an exceptionally appealing couple on screen. The shamelessly corrupt directors of the board include superb character actors Fred Clark, John Williams, and Hiram Sherman. George Burns is the off-screen narrator. Exteriors were shot in New York, including a gorgeous Rockefeller Plaza. Preceded by a short with Dick Shawn as a self-centered pianist preparing for a concert and Judy, his wife, doesn’t have a thing to wear.
Sun Aug 27: 9; Thurs Aug 31: 2 & 8:15

Phffft! New 35mm print
Mark Robson, U.S., 1954; 91m
Holliday and Lemmon are the couple whose marriage has gone phffft. Each partner looks forward to newfound freedom and dating, but the reality of a womanizing bachelor (Jack Carson) for HER and goodtime gal Kim Novak for HIM turns out to be less alluring than anticipated. George Axelrod wrote the screenplay based on his unproduced play, and it sparkles. Lemmon is expert at wringing comic mileage out of each anxious moment as he tries to keep up with a surprisingly witty Novak doing a Monroeish turn with pom-poms and a chorus of “Boula Boula” easily one of the film’s highlights. Holliday is a marvel of conflicting emotions, and they all register subtly. She’s sexy, funny, poignant and just a little bit odd. As in It Should Happen to You, the chemistry between Holliday and Lemmon is palpable — it’s like watching two comic pros get off on each other’s brilliance. Preceded by short sketch of Judy as Harpo Marx.
Mon Aug 28: 2; Tue Aug 29: 8:30; Thurs Aug 31: 6:15