Born Yesterday (1950) | |
| Director(s) | George Cukor |
| Producer(s) | S. Sylvan Simon |
| Top Genres | Comedy, Drama, Romance |
| Top Topics | Based on Play, Gangsters, Newspapers, Politics, Romance (Comic) |
Featured Cast:
Born Yesterday Overview:
Born Yesterday (1950) was a Comedy - Drama Film directed by George Cukor and produced by S. Sylvan Simon.
SYNOPSIS
Holliday at her best as the unschooled girlfriend of a domineering scrap-iron tycoon who hires egghead Holden to tutor off the rough edges. Guess who falls in love? Based on Garson Kanin's Broadway play. Remade in 1993 with Melanie Griffith.
(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).
.Born Yesterday was inducted into the National Film Registry in 2012.
Academy Awards 1950 --- Ceremony Number 23 (source: AMPAS)
| Award | Recipient | Result |
| Best Actress | Judy Holliday | Won |
| Best Costume Design | Jean Louis | Nominated |
| Best Director | George Cukor | Nominated |
| Best Picture | Columbia | Nominated |
| Best Writing | Albert Mannheimer | Nominated |
BlogHub Articles:
A Pair That Cooked Food for Thoughts: ‘Born Yesterday’ (George Cukor, 1950)
By Virginie Pronovost on Apr 17, 2026 From The Wonderful World of Cinema“A world full of ignorant people is too dangerous to live in.” – Paul Verrall, Born Yesterday We often remember the 1951 Oscars for being “The year where Bette Davis and Gloria Swanson didn’t win the Best Actress Oscar”. Instead, the Academy presented the prestig... Read full article
Broderick Crawford, Judy Holiday, and William Holden in “Born Yesterday”
By Stephen Reginald on Feb 19, 2024 From Classic Movie ManBroderick Crawford, Judy Holiday, and William Holden in “Born Yesterday” Born Yesterday (1950) is an American comedy directed by George Cukor and starring Broderick Crawford, Judy Holiday, and William Holden. Holiday recreated her role as Billie Dawn which she played on Broadway. Cr... Read full article
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER: The Subtle Messages of BORN YESTERDAY (1950)
By Lara on May 19, 2016 From BacklotsA few days ago,?as I spent?a sick afternoon at home, I was pleased to discover the delightful?Born Yesterday?(1950) playing on TCM. This is a movie that has always fascinated me–Judy Holliday’s performance as the dim-witted Billie Dawn won her an Oscar for the Best Actress of 1950, in th... Read full article
Born Yesterday (1949)
By Beatrice on Jun 20, 2015 From Flickers in TimeBorn Yesterday Directed by George Cukor Written by Albert Mannheimer from a play by Garson Kanin 1949/USA Columbia Pictures Corporation Repeat viewing/my DVD collection Billie Dawn: DOUBLE NEGATIVE! Right? Think what you will about the line-up for the 1949 Best Actress Oscars. ?It is impossible... Read full article
Born Yesterday (1950) (2)
on May 5, 2014 From Journeys in Classic Film**This post is written as part of the Romantic Comedy Blogathon hosted by Backlots. ?Be sure to head over after reading and check out the other participants.** The most dangerous thing to?give a person is a book. ?Or in this case the movie Born Yesterday. ?A surface level analysis of George Cukor... Read full article
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Quotes from
Billie Dawn: You an' your big numbers, you don' watch out, you'll be wearing one across yer chest!
Harry Brock: Shut up! You ain't gonna be tellin' nobody nothin' pretty soon!
Billie Dawn: DOUBLE NEGATIVE! Right?
Paul Verrall: Right.
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Facts about
The part of Billie Dawn was written by Garson Kanin for Jean Arthur. A couple of nights before the play was due to open, Arthur abruptly dropped out and Judy Holliday was drafted in. Arthur was briefly considered for the film version, but turned the part down. A move to loan out Lana Turner from MGM for the role of Billie Dawn was later abandoned.
After Rita Hayworth put her career on hold due to her recent marriage to Prince Aly Khan, Harry Cohn was forced to recast the part of Billie Dawn. He considered a host of candidates rumored to have included Celeste Holm, Marie McDonald, Evelyn Keyes, Paulette Goddard, and Ida Lupino. He finally found the perfect Billie Dawn with the actress who had created the part 4 years before on Broadway.
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