George Cukor's Born Yesterday

Judy Holliday plays Billie Dawn, the unruly mistress of millionaire junk dealer Harry Brock (Broderick Crawford). Afraid she'll embarrass him in front of the congressman he is planning to bribe, Harry hires a tweedy tutor (William Holden) to smooth her rough edges. Of course, everyone gets the education they deserve. Harry's junk business represents the abuses of capitalism, which must be reformed by the ideals of democracy. The post-war patriarchy, in the alluring shape of Holden’s sexy nerd, seeks to tame Billie's comically rowdy behavior and indoctrinate her with a little middle class virtue and restraint, especially sexual restraint. Holliday’s won the Best Actress Oscar, beating out Bette Davis in All About Eve and Gloria Swanson in Sunset Blvd. with her brilliant comic timing, shrewd intelligence and fabulous Jean Louis wardrobe.