Search - Born Yesterday on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Content Advisory: Adult Situations, Suitable for Children Movie Release: 1950 DVD Release: 02/15/2000 Format: DVD - Black and White Edition: Special Collection Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English, Korean, Spanish, Thai SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 2 hrs 20 mins Studio: Columbia TriStar Members Wishing: 8 Genres: Comedy, Satire, Romantic Comedy, Comedy of Manners

Garson Kanin's Broadway hit was transferred to the screen with only a few passing nods to the stricter censorship required by films. Judy Holliday won an Oscar for her portrayal of Billie Dawn, a strident, dim-bulbed ex-chorus girl who is the mistress of millionaire junk tycoon Harry Brock (Broderick Crawford). In Washington to put a few senators and congressmen in his pocket (the better to lay the groundwork for an illegal cartel), the rude-and-crude Brock realizes that the unrefined Billie will prove an embarrassment. Thus he hires idealistic but impoverished Paul Verrell (William Holden) to pump some intelligence and "class" into Billie. Paul does his job too well; by awakening Billie's social and political consciousness, he turns the girl into Brock's most formidable foe in his efforts to buy influence in DC. Along the way Paul and Billie fall in love. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Broderick Crawford - Harry Brock
Judy Holliday - Billie Dawn
William Holden - Paul Verrall
Howard St. John - Jim Devery
Frank Otto - Eddie

The Columbia DVD release of =Born Yesterday isn't swimming in meaningful extras because the film itself is so entertaining. The DVD chapters feature allows viewers to go directly to the movie's many comedic set pieces (nobody plays gin rummy like Judy Holliday). There is no faulting the DVD transfer, so don't be bothered that Born Yesterday doesn't come in a letterboxed version. The picture was made before the widescreen process was widely available, so its original aspect ratio actually conforms to the average TV set. The print transfer is clean and clear, and the Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack is in the original monophonic sound. Since the key members of the cast and crew who helped make Born Yesterday such a comic triumph are no longer with us, it makes having a commentary track pretty difficult. Peter Bogdanovich really knows his George Cukor movies and always offers insightful DVD audio commentaries; perhaps he can do one for a future release. Holliday deservedly won the Best Actress Oscar for Born Yesterday and her work here has aged extremely well. Viewers who have any doubt of this can compare her inspired performance with Melanie Griffith's work in the pointless 1993 remake. ~ Nick Dedina, All Movie Guide