“Born Yesterday” is a relevant and excellent American comedy about politics. It’s hilarious and has an idealism about the power of education that is heartwarming.
It’s sad that this movie’s belief in the decency of the American people makes it feel like more of a fantasy now than when it first came out.
This film tells the story of Billie Dawn, the fiancée of a rich junkman named Harry Brock. Brock and Dawn go to Washington, D.C., so Brock can make a corrupt deal with a congressman.
Dawn’s stupidity makes it hard for Brock to be taken seriously, so he hires a reporter named Paul Verrall to teach her how to behave.
Verrall opens Dawn’s eyes to the beauty of democracy and the shadiness of Brock’s business.
Judy Holliday’s performance as Dawn is the film’s greatest. She plays her character’s initial idiocy for laughs, while at the same time never making her lack of education feel forced or stereotypical.
She continually finds fascinating dramatic nuances in Dawn’s character as she grows. Her journey to becoming passionate about politics is one of the more inspiring things I’ve seen in an older Hollywood film.
The supporting cast in this film is excellent. William Holden plays Verrall and makes his idealism feel sincere and as American as apple pie.
Broderick Crawford makes the blustery humor and big-headed menace of Brock both funny and sickening.
Brock bears some similarities to the president-elect. They are both arrogant, selfish businessmen. They do not like to disclose their incomes and bristle at being called millionaires.
An early scene where Brock demands an entire floor of a hotel to himself is the kind of whining, babyish behavior we have come to expect from president-elect Donald Trump.
This film has a lot of positive things to say about education, and they are mostly expressed by Verrall. He encourages Dawn to read and visit monuments relating to American history.
His infectious love of learning is expressed in one of the film’s more important lines: “A world full of ignorant people is too dangerous to live in.”
In the wake of what is perceived an anti-establishment political victory, it is interesting to look at this film’s respect for our political institutions.
You can practically hear the wonder in Verrall’s voice when he talks about the documents the founding fathers wrote. Even a minor villainous character like a corrupt congressman has the number of his constituents memorized. The only one who doesn’t respect the political establishment is Brock.
“Born Yesterday” is funny and moving in its faith in education as a tool to better people.
At the time it came out, it must have seemed like an entertaining yet realistic civic lesson.
Now it’s a reminder of what we’ve lost.
Jesse Pasternack
jpastern@indiana.edu
@jessepasternack
