Best Actress 1950, Part 5: Judy Holliday and "Born Yesterday"

[@slc2466]

So glad you were able to get this uploaded! Looking forward to the next couple of hours following your deep-dive into Judy's life and career. I'm in the Davis camp for 1950, but I certainly appreciate Holliday's talent.

[@FritzandtheOscars]

To be honest, I'm actually happy that the video was rejected at first because I made various changes that I think improved it

[@slc2466]

@@FritzandtheOscars Just finished watching your fantastic tribute to Holliday- what an incredible finish to a truly imposing undertaking covering this legendary Academy Award race! You deserve an Oscar, at least!

[@FritzandtheOscars]

Haha, if I win, I will end with "I deserve this!" :)

[@williamreed2558]

We are used to a very high standard in your work with regard to the personal narratives of the actresses and their artistic accomplishment. This is one of your best and is indeed a wonderful tribute to Judy, her life and films and esp her win for Born Yesterday.. Thank you! Btw I would love to see you tackle 1969 with the famous tie between Hepburn and Streisand and the notable performances of Redgrave, Woodward and Neal. Lots of interesting material there!

[@FritzandtheOscars]

Thanks so much! 1968 is certainly on the list of years I find interesting to do!

[@CrissyRed]

I’m kind of embarrassed to say that I have never seen Born Yesterday. Just clips here and there. Partially avoiding it because of Judy winning an Oscar. With all this incredible insight you have provided Fritz, I am relishing watching this movie and its entirety.

[@FritzandtheOscars]

I hope you will like it!

[@melenatorr]

I also hope you like it: for me, it's a wonderful movie, with a wonderful, always relevant story to tell; Holliday understands Billie, and brings out so many layers; Holden is always an intelligent and sensitive partner; Broderick Crawford also is able to show that there is more to Harry than he himself understands. In the end, for me, the awards mean nothing: so many wonderful creators have never won, in those terms, the recognition they deserve; but if their work is loved and admired by the audience, and by the people who worked with them, this is what counts the most. Hopefully, this snippy attitude toward Holliday will fade and her work for us in things like "It Should Happen to You", "The Marrying Kind", and "The Solid Gold Cadillac" (with stage costar Paul Douglas) can be appreciated (I almost forgot "Bells Are Ringing").

[@barrylangford3276]

Thank you for this superb tribute. All of Judy's films played on television when l was a kid in the 1960s so l always regarded her as a major star, and was surprised to find she was hardly known by most people born a decade after me. Great work as always, Fritz

[@FritzandtheOscars]

Thank you very much!

[@darylchin53]

Amazing! Just watched the whole two-hour-plus, and was mesmerized by the depth and insight you brought to the subject of Judy Holliday! And your defense of her talent, and your explanation of her Oscar win, prove how there are always extenuating circumstances. This cannot be praised enough!

[@FritzandtheOscars]

That's so nice of you!

[@fitnessfreak7851]

I’m glad you spent a lot of time on Judy Holiday. I feel strongly that she was a great talent and wish she hadn’t left us soooo soon. I will always love her performance and shouldn’t be forgotten. Next Suggestion: I recommend doing a series on the 1954 Oscar race between Grace Kelly and Judy Garland. I know hit on this a little bit, but I think it would be great to do an in depth analysis on that race and how Kelly got the Oscar and yet we remember Judy’s performance more.

[@FritzandtheOscars]

I consider this race very often but at the moment, I'm not up to it yet, tbh...but maybe at some point in the future

[@thomasdonio2129]

Superb, Mr. Fritz. You never disappoint. The Marrying Kind is one of my favorite films. It's a wonderfully perceptive view of the challenges of marriage. If I were to do a film series, I might include it with Ingmar Bergman's Scenes from a Marriage. Judy Holliday made only a handful of films, but they speak (I have yet to see Phfft) volumes of her keen itelligence and extraordinary gifts as an actress.

[@FritzandtheOscars]

Thank you so much!

[@This_Is_What_I_Give]

Great to hear your voice again. Your insight into JH is superb. I’ve always been drawn into her wistful quality, and you’re so right about what we’ve missed out on with her passing.

[@FritzandtheOscars]

Thanks so much!

[@namaankhan8306]

Perfect tribute for brilliant Miss Judy. Such a beautiful person inside out who deserved much more in life. I've only seen her in Born Yesterday so hearing her real mellow/composed voice sounded like music to my ears. I got teary eyed at the end. Thank you dear Fritz.

[@FritzandtheOscars]

Thanks for watching and your very kind words! ❤

[@stevenrogers7884]

Judy Holliday in Born Yesterday is one of the best comedic performances on film! Ever. Thank you for this video. Where did you find all those photographs? So well researched!

[@FritzandtheOscars]

Took a lot of time! :)

[@brettdarling1178]

We waited almost a year for this, and it did not disappoint! Thank you for going to the lengths and research depth that you did. Truly a masterpiece in its own right. I would say this rivals most documentaries as far as, entertainment and documentation. Bravo Fritz! Can’t wait to see what year you cover next! 🎉🎉🎉

[@FritzandtheOscars]

Thanks so much for these incredibly nice words!

[@Manhattanite1]

Your research is amazing & appreciated. JUDY H is smiling down from heaven for putting her into her rightful place in film history. Thanks for your insightful videos.

[@FritzandtheOscars]

Thanks so much!

[@yildizulu4543]

You worked so hard for this, I am so happy you were able to upload. I always feel happy to see your new posts

[@FritzandtheOscars]

Thank you so much!!

[@kimclark5736]

Fantastic material. Thank you for the hard work and care that you obviously put into your videos. It is much appreciated.

[@FritzandtheOscars]

@@kimclark5736 thank you so much

[@lenawalters1866]

It's remarkable of Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy to do such an amazing thing for another actor. Really shows how much established actors in Hollywood can do for younger, more struggling ones.

[@sweetbutterbaby]

I for one am glad she won. She deserved it!❤

[@kellie-nd1yp]

One of the rare makeovers in for a character that is more from the inside as she gains knowledge about herself and the world around her. Her style is toned down but it less about that than gaining confidence and becoming more aware of what is going on.

[@oscarman42]

At last! You're outdoing yourself, Fritz. I maintain that Davis and Swanson split the vote, and those who couldn't decide chose Holliday. That is not to infer that Holliday's performance was "less than"...in another year, her win would not have been questioned. While my vote goes to Swanson, I think Holliday's "Dumb like a fox" characterization remains iconic.

[@FritzandtheOscars]

There is really no wrong answer in this line-up and I can understand everyone who picks either Swanson, Davis, Parker or Baxter

[@joel.saucedo]

Knowing that Judy was a literal genius makes Born Yesterday even better.

[@RickScott-mh3ki]

Woo hoo! Well worth the wait

[@kellie-nd1yp]

I finished watching this episode this morning just some rather scattered thoughts. I’m glad you talked about so many watching Born Yesterday on stage and the praise from Katharine Hepburn ( not an easy thing to get) I wonder if she voted for Judy. It Should Happene to You is a wonderful movie I watched a few months ago. It did my heart good to hear Jack Lemmon’s feelings about Judy. I also love The Solid Gold Cadillac. I do think if her love interest had been someone like Jack Lemmon or William Holden it might have elevated the film overall. It’s great and no offense to Paul Douglas but they didn’t have quite the chemistry she had with Lemmon and Holden . It’s a shame that they didn’t know how to make better use of Judy or Gloria’s talents. I think we all would have benefited from seeing more range in projects from them. Judy and Gloria seemed game enough it’s more that they don’t always give them more opportunities. I do think Judy dying so young and back in the 1960’s and so few things to see her in hasn’t helped the impression her Oscar wasn’t deserving ( it was) . Bette Davis on the other hand lived into the 1980’s in her 80’s similar with Gloria Swanson. Davis has dozens of movies to judge her talent and Norma Desmond became well known in various ways including Carol Burnett . Swanson even appeared on the variety comedy series. I also think many actresses owe something of their careers to Judy paving the way including Jennifer Coolidge and Lisa Kudrow . She created a character that has become a staple in entertainment reinvented over and over. Finally on McCarren it’s interesting that the Las Vegas airport was named after him and was only finally renamed in 2021 . Thank you for the most informative and amazing video on such an amazing woman.

[@FritzandtheOscars]

Thanks so much for your comment and your nice words!

[@bobcrankypants]

Thanks for this. I love Judy Holliday.

[@terryannmaes5538]

She was adorable ❤

[@maxchodos7256]

Brilliant video. It was a Fascinating look at one of my all time favorite actresses. thank you.

[@FritzandtheOscars]

Thanks for watching! 😀

[@Kevin-rg3yc]

knew you had a problem getting this upload and i'm so happy you got the breakthrough. For me with judy i was always harsh for it because, i love all about eve and sunset blvd even when i didn't watch born yesterday but then i finally watched it and my goodness Judy was just as equally outstanding as bette and norma was, i can see why she won based off of her merit, especially when her character goes through a big character development, however, it's clear that politics as always was a bigger factor to win and that's no surprise people need to understand to their head the merits of the performance comes secondary especially when that's based of subjectivity

[@voyaristika5673]

What a fantastic video, and award worthy in its own right! I really enjoy Judy Holliday, but I do think the Oscar should have been Swanson's. Both created caricatures in a way, and straddling that line to avoid the ridiculous I would think requires very special skill, but Gloria Swanson's creation was so penetrating to my mind. Anyway, that's my vote, but what a tough call. And Bette Davis was always Oscar worthy.

[@FritzandtheOscars]

Thanks a lot for watching!

[@andreiiliepopescu6393]

Sooooooo exciting. 😊 Vielen Dank, Fritz. ❤ Your analysis and work on Judy and on this whole line-up is a pleasure to watch.

[@FritzandtheOscars]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@vinista256]

So many lives were made miserable by HUAC. I’m glad they didn’t succeed in completely destroying Judy’s career, as they did to some people, but she was with us such a short time, and they were a dark cloud over some of her prime years ☹️.

[@ebenmoore1631]

I love Margo and Norma and watch All About Eve and Sunset Boulevard whenever they’re on… hell, I’ve watched both just this past week. But even I would’ve voted for Judy in Born Yesterday. Watch even her simple card playing of Gin… it’s Chaplin level genius.

[@reniasva]

You sound pretty much my age or a tad younger, so where does the interest in the golden era of hollywood come from? Great video, as always.

[@FritzandtheOscars]

I don't know, I have loved old movies and actresses for as long as I can remember :)

[@kellie-nd1yp]

Judy’s win is one my favorites. I love her and her performance. I think the movie is also underrated.

[@pattywolford]

She was SO great!

[@adrielayson749]

"When an Oscar winner is remembered less for a winning performance, but for only they beat in the process." If I had received a check for every time this scenario and mindset happened. The ones that especially come to my mind are Helen Hunt's As Good As It Gets in 1997 and Gwyneth Paltrow's Shakespeare in Love in 1998.

[@paperbackonly8438]

One can say this and that about Judy’s winning the Oscar that year. However, Ethel Barrymore accepted the Oscar on her behalf, and that says SOMETHING.

[@FritzandtheOscars]

She was also a big public supporter of her work

[@MyDarkmarc]

Judy Hollliday outsmarts the Blacklist here's how she did it. The original blacklist, and the secondary wave with the publication of Red Channels and the creation of the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee in 1951. Led by Senator Pat McCarran, the secondary blacklist had a decidedly anti-immigrant tone to it, with McCarran using Hollywood and the theater to justify anti-immigrant legislation that he was trying to push through Congress, limiting the ability of Eastern European immigrants to come into the United States, and deport the ones who were already here. McCarran specifically targeted what he called people of “Middle European” descent as being potential Communists, a thinly-veiled reference to people of Jewish ancestry. McCarran was, in addition to being a rabid anti-Communist, a rabid anti-Semite, and it was in this vein that Judy Holliday was called to testify before McCarran’s committee. When she appeared at the hearing, on March 26, 1952 she had done her homework and was prepared for the questions that would come her way. She had also been advised by her counsel to play Billie Dawn, the seemingly dim-witted protagonist of Born Yesterday, who really was smarter than everyone thought. If she did that, her lawyer reasoned, “how can they take you seriously as a political figure?” Her answers are a testament to her keen and quick mind, already legendary in Hollywood. By contrast, the questions of the committee expose their anti-Semitism and ulterior motives. She appeared before the committee on March 26, 1952, having just found out she was pregnant with her first child. The hearing was overseen by staff director Richard Arens and Senator Richard Watkins. Arens began the questioning as such: Mr. Arens: Kindly identify yourself by name and residence. Miss Holliday: Judy Holliday, 158 Waverly Place, New York City. Mr. Arens: Your name is Judy Holliday as a stage name, is it? Miss Holliday: Yes. Mr. Arens: A professional name? Miss Holliday: Yes. Mr. Arens: What other name have you used in the course of your life? Miss Holliday: Judy Tuvim, T-u-v-i-m. Mr. Arens: Do you have a married name? Miss Holliday: Yes. Mr. Arens: What is your married name? Miss Holliday: Mrs. David Oppenheim. Mr. Arens: What was the occasion for the use of the name Judy Tuvim? Was that the name under which you were born? Miss Holliday: Yes. Mr. Arens: You subsequently adopted the name Judy Holliday as a stage or theatrical name? Miss Holliday: Yes. The questioning then moved to her involvement in the Screen Actors Guild, the Actors’ Equity Association, and the United American-Spanish Aid Committee. “I put it to you as a fact, and ask you to confirm or deny the fact, Miss Holliday, that in 1941 you were a part of the unit known as the Revuers, one of the entertainers in a party given by the United American-Spanish Aid Committee,” Arens told her. In her answer, Holliday goes into Billie Dawn mode. Miss Holliday: You mean I should say “yes” or “no?” Mr. Arens: Yes, if you have a recollection. Miss Holliday: If I can’t-you know, I can’t place it. Mr. Arens: We just want the truth. Miss Holliday: If it doesn’t sound familiar? Mr. Arens: Then you just state the facts. Miss Holliday: I don’t know. Mr. Arens: You have no recollection? Miss Holliday: Yes. After several more exchanges like this, the committee became frustrated. At one point, Arens asked “Do you have any difficulty with your memory?” and Watkins took her to task for “not remembering” events in 1946. “It seems to me that a person in your profession has to have a trained memory,” he said. “Now I’m getting one,” was Holliday’s reply, “but I didn’t know then that I needed one.” Later, Arens asked her about her family. The situation of her uncle Joseph Gollomb had the potential to provide evidence for McCarran’s legislation about limiting Eastern European immigrants, but Holliday was ready. Mr. Arens: He had written a number of books in defense of Communist principles and and was generally regarded as an ardent Communist philosopher was he not? Miss Holliday: No. His books were never in defense of Communist principles. Mr. Arens: He was employed by the Daily Worker, was he not? Miss Holliday: Yes. Mr. Arens: The Daily Worker is a Communist publication, is it not? Miss Holliday: That is right. The books were not. His books were novels about school life for young people, and also they were spy stories and detective stories. Their line of questioning had not panned out, and thus Holliday had successfully avoided her testimony being used as evidence to support McCarran’s agenda. But when Arens turned his attention to acquaintances of hers that were known Communists, Holliday had to deploy another trick. Here she displays the brilliance of her mind, engaging in a combination of psychological tricks and wordplay. First, she denied knowing that any of them were Communists, and then subtly changed the subject by dropping a bombshell-that she had hired people to investigate her prior to being called to the committee. “You hired people to investigate you?” Arens asked her, stunned. “I certainly did,” Holliday replied, “because I had gotten into a lot of trouble.” Arens asked if anyone tried to prosecute her. Miss Holliday: Yes. Mr. Arens: Who? Miss Holliday: Prosecute? No; I thought you meant persecute. It is fitting to note here that Holliday was an expert at word puzzles. Her skill shows. Toward the end of the hearing, the committee made their true intentions known in a way they hadn’t up to that point. They asked Holliday about her views on the “material philosophy of communism.” Miss Holliday: I don’t know what you mean. Mr. Arens: Do you believe in God? Miss Holliday: Yes; I do. Mr. Arens: Are you a member of a church? Miss Holliday: No. The anti-Semitic tone disturbed Holliday, but she thought it better to keep quiet and not call any more attention to her heritage or religion. The hearing wrapped up and Holliday was excused with a warning to be more careful where she puts her energy. She had successfully protected herself. While the right wing attacks against Holliday went on for some time, she ultimately bounced back and her success on film and on stage continued. Due to her testimony and the liability that came with it, the political edge to her roles was noticeably dulled in the second part of her career. She won a Tony Award for Bells Are Ringing in 1956, and notably filmed It Should Happen to You with Jack Lemmon, The Marrying Kind with Aldo Ray, and the film version of Bells Are Ringing with Dean Martin. Diagnosed with breast cancer in the early 1960s, she went into remission long enough to continue working on stage, then had an aggressive recurrence that took her life at the young age of 43.

[@slc2466]

Wonderful information- love the fact that the smart, resourceful Holliday heroically did not name names, while many other of her contemporaries, fearful of the blacklist, avidly threw friends under the bus.

[@MyDarkmarc]

@@slc2466 Thank you for your kind words but its you who I should be thanking for all your time and effort that you put in your videos on movie stars. From the very first one that I watched I was enthralled by your ingenious way how you put it all together. Since I was 15 when I purchased my first book on film I was fascinated by classic films. My problem is that I enjoy almost everybody's films which makes it hard since if I like an actor or actress I want to see every film that they starred in. That's why I have over two thousand films on my computer. As I have gotten older I found that I like to write about the men and women that I admire. Plus it helps to have a photogenic memory. Some of my favorites of yours are: Cyd Charisse: Poetry In Motion, Adorning Dorothy Malone, A Barrel of Bitches, and of course Linda Darnell and Gene Tierney I have a soft spot for tragic actresses. Again I am in awe of your talent in putting together your fantastic videos. Please feel free to get in touch with me to talk about my favorite topic "Classic films, actors and actresses. Marc

[@slc2466]

@@MyDarkmarc Thanks again- I remember you wrote a very nice comment a few years ago, which I appreciated very much (a lot of work goes into the videos, often without a lot of views or comments thereafter, although a few have done well, so it's great to see praise from an in-the-know film buff). I haven't done any new ones this year, mainly due to my computer going on the fritz. I had to buy a new one and will need to get all the programs again to resume. I also became a classic movie buff at a young age, have a similar amount of classics and have never lost my fascination with them. I have a blog "And Your Little Blog, Too" wherein I post once-a-month regarding a favorite classic, and usually focus mainly on the stars of the films.

[@MyDarkmarc]

@@slc2466 I'm all ready reading your blog. many thanks

[@slc2466]

@@MyDarkmarc Thanks- I've worked ahead writing for the blog, so I can state definitely the next four postings will be "Love Me Tonight" (July), "Shadow of a Doubt" (August), "The Manchurian Candidate" (September) and "House of Wax" (October).

[@darrenjurme7231]

She is not “only remembered negatively”… WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT? That strips her of full impact of talents& influences.

[@TheLolbot3000]

I love the Chicago reference, that was so well done! Great video

[@FritzandtheOscars]

Thanks so much 🥰

[@heurtemattefrancois4160]

A beautiful show about a beautiful person.

[@pophector]

Fascinating story though very sad at the end. A year the top 3 contenders had lots of passion. Unfortunate she had to deal with McCarthyism and not the strongest post-Oscar career.

[@rabrab3]

Brilliant!!

[@meeok3841]

I believe she stated that she voted for Wallace ard dated Adlai Stevenson

[@peteradaniel]

I suppose Shirley MacLaine normalised the tragedy/Comic type which Judy Holiday was aiming for. I can only think of Audrey Hepburn or Deborah Kerr who ventured into this type pre 1955 and that avenue was definitely closed to a Jewish girl from Queens.

[@FritzandtheOscars]

Yes, it feels that Judy kind of introduced that specific style

[@vincentparisi2644]

The way you pronounce Greenwich Village Comden and Green make fun of in On the Town. It's pronounced grenitch. But your English is otherwise perfect. I'm jealous that you can speak a foreign language so well.

[@FritzandtheOscars]

Thanks a lot! Some nuances (like Greenwich) just escape me 🙂

[@jbspeare]

Bette Davis - obviously the best. I find Holliday too stylized and irritating.

[@stanmarcusgtv]

Swanson was robbed

[@derrionbrown3923]

🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@jimmyl324]

This was preposterous