Born Yesterday

Recreating her stage role for the screen earned Judy Holliday a Best Actress Academy Award® for her effortless portrayal of Billie Dawn, a "dumb blonde" hoofer who gets an education. Broderick Crawford plays Billie's loutish, abusive boyfriend who hits up some of Washington's Congressmen for favors to benefit his junk business. Embarrassed by Billie's lack of couth, he hires a socially conscious, political reporter, Paul (William Holden), to teach Billie the ways of the world. Billie and Paul fall in love and she finally learns to stand up for herself against Crawford. Smartly directed by George Cukor and co-written by Garson Kanin, who wrote the Broadway play, this dramatic comedy received five other Academy Award® nominations, but drew most of its appeal from Holliday, who steals every scene with her rare combination of sweet vulnerability and sass.