FIFTIES WEEKAn April milestone: This is the first week of my project that I've kicked off with two "5" ratings in a row. Honestly, if this keeps up, I might just have to make the rest of the year movies from the 1950s.
How did I miss this amazing picture? Based on the hit play by Garson Kanin, Born Yesterday is about a bellowing, corrupt tycoon named Harry Brock (Broderick Crawford) who arrives in Washington, D.C., to buy himself a Congressman and advance a few shady business dealings. His bubbleheaded showgirl girlfriend Billie (Judy Holliday) isn't helping matters by exhibiting her extreme ignorance in front of the local politicos, so Brock hires intellectual journalist Paul Verrall (William Holden) to educate the girl and maybe bring her up to speed on matters of history, politics and certain social graces—a decision Brock soon comes to regret.
Sparkling with wit and significance, the movie delivers plenty of laughs and a strong patriotic message—and did I mention it's a love story? All three of the main actors are simply smashing, especially the obnoxious Crawford and the squeaky-voiced Holliday, whose dumb-blonde act gets funnier every time she rushes to the dictionary to look up the simplest of words. Born Yesterday is pure bliss from beginning to end. Rating: 5/5.
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