'Born Yesterday' -- Comedy Spotlight on Judy Holliday

The lift in "Born Yesterday" comes from watching Judy Holliday do her thing. She's like an "eccentric" dancer (vaudeville hoofers were known for curious and unexpected steps), throwing this and that out, all neatly within the boundaries of her character.

As Billie Dawn, the former chorine with the teapot-whistle voice and lost look, she pickpockets just about every scene, even acing that wonderful foghorn of an actor, Broderick Crawford. Her gin rummy vignette with Crawford, where she unnerves him (and us) through a ritual of mannerisms and then whips him good, is one of the highlights of movie comedy. Holliday won an Academy Award for her performance.

Too Moralistic?

If only director George Cukor would have relied on Holliday and cut out the "relevant" stuff. "Born Yesterday" (available on DVD and streaming video) is a good film, but not a great one; it's weakened by patriotic moralizing so thick-tongued it often slows the screwball pace to a walk.

You know it's going to get hushed and heavy as soon as the mushy score starts rising and cinematographer Joseph Walker's camera begins to pan reverently over all those glorious Washington, D.C., sites. In the Cold War '50s, patriotism was part of the big sell of many movies, but here it's almost jingoistic, not only interfering with the comic sway but diminishing the issue of influence-peddling and business monopolies that make up "Born Yesterday's" serious side.

Based on Garson Kanin's popular play, the 1950 film settles on three people: Billie is the mistress of Crawford's Harry Brock, a loutish multimillionaire who got rich selling junk. A Washington reporter, Paul Verrall (William Holden), is investigating Brock and his political connections but is persuaded to educate Billie in both facts and style.

Love ... and Laughs

Harry wants her to have more class. Billie likes the way Paul looks. Paul thinks she's cute, too, but you suspect he has an ulterior motive. While Harry goes about making his huge, probably illegal deal setting up a cartel with the help of a crooked congressman (Larry Oliver), Paul takes Billie all over the Capitol. They fall in love along the way.

The movie sparkles when Holliday and Crawford are together. Crawford's thug isn't very appealing (he slaps Billie around and doesn't have a shiver of conscience about anything) but he makes us laugh, even when doing the rottenest things.

Holliday plays off Crawford's noise with hilariously small tricks. Her too-dainty walk, the pouty double-take, her great timing with dialogue and that voice that you can't forget even if you want to. Holden, on the other hand, seems wasted; he's too bland to be very interesting. In their takeoff on "Pygmalion," if Billie is his Eliza, then he's just a nice-guy Professor Higgins. Holliday gobbles Holden up without even trying.

Director's cue: Movie lovers, you may also want to take a look at Orson Welles' Citizen Kane and Casablanca. For more film articles, please visit Nick Smithville.