Born Yesterday (1950)
When the topic of the film “Born Yesterday” comes up, most people think of the horrible re-make from the mid-nineties. Melanie Griffith starred in that particular movie. Though she proves quite often that she looks good rather fetching in tight clothing or something from Victoria’s Secret, that is not a good reason for choosing the re-make over the 1950 original.
In the original, the title role of Judy Holliday was played by Billie Dawn. Billie was the intellectually challenged live-in girlfriend of the wealthy but highly corrupt millionaire, Harry Brock, played by Broderick Crawford.
Brock has the respect of every man in the room when he walks into the room with Billie on his arm, but instantly loses that admiration the second she opens her mouth. In order to gain social points, Brock hires journalist name Paul Verrall (William Holden) to tutor her is the ways of social graces. Seeing as Billie fits into high society about as well as NBA analyst Marv Albert fits into a lace teddy, her attempts to subdue her natural instincts and become a socialite are at the very least, hilarious.
This is not a comedy that needs to jab you in the ribs with clumsy jokes in the hopes that you get it. It is a thought provoking piece that tempers some very funny moments with others that are highly dramatic. The balancing act that the director performs with the mood of this film combined with the subtly artful way in which the audience is led through the story is what separates the original from its inferior re-make.
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