Ju-dy, Ju-dy, Ju-dy!! She Deserved That Oscar

Sadly Judy didn't make many movies. She thought she was type cast after Born Yesterday. Unlike some stars today she didn't exploit winning the Oscar.

Whether she deserved the Oscar in 1950 has always been a hotly debated subject. It was A 3 way race. Bette Davis & Gloria Swanson were her chief competitors. Some think if Anne Baxter had been place din supporting, Bette may have won. Bette won the New York Film Critics & Gloria the Golden Globe.

Judy did have an advantage: she originated her role on Broadway. This play ran for over 3 years. When Bette lost to Anne Bancroft in 1962, she said Anne had an advantage because she did the role on Broadway. She didn't make that statement when Judy won. She said I'm glad it went o a newcomer.

Yes, I think she deserved it!!! But you won't find a lot of people who think so, too!
It is very hard to decide between Judy and Gloria Swanson, but if I have to, I go with Judy!! I never understood why everyone is so crazy about Bette Davis in AAE!

Re;
IMHO,Judy was deserving of her academy award. Comedy is very difficult and Judy was brilliant.Judy is funny, sweet, touching and with the hint of pathos she brings to her role as Billie Dawn combined with her perfect timing, she creates a unique characterization which is one of the most memorable in the history of classic film.
Thank goodness,Bill Holden excepted the role of Paul Verrall after his initial hesitation.Judy and Bill have magical chemistry-the expressions on their faces after their first kiss are priceless. I love the adult fairy tale aspect of Billie and Paul`s romance-Prince Paul awakens the heart and conscience of Sleeping Beauty Billie and rescues her from Big Bad Wolf, Harry Brock.Bill had perfect comedic timing which matches Judy and this film showcases his brilliance as a light comedian. Bill ad Paul Verrall brings his trademark 'Everyday Common Man" human realism to the role.In the hands of another actor,Paul could come across as a stuffed shirt but Bill is sweet,funny and makes intelligence seem sexy.Bill and Judy are so cute wearing glasses.
I like Broderick Crawford and Howard St. John in a supporting role as Jim Devery is brilliant.Holliday, Holden, Crawford and St. John interact and play off one another brilliantly.The screenplay adapted from Garson Kanin`s original play is brilliant-I can recite dialogue from memory.Bill Holden`s reading of the quote written on the dome of the Jefferson Momument is beautiful.
BORN YESTERDAY is a wonderful film and one of my very special favorites.
Lorraine

Judy was excellent and not in the least a mediocre choice but I believe Davis and Swanson were superior by a notch that year. I would have personally had Holliday third on my ballot just a hair above the slightly over dramatic Anne Baxter. Davis to me had it all and would have been my winner. My guess is that the three were very close in the vote count.

As for the similarities between Hagen in Singin' in the Rain and Holliday in Born Yesterday, they are definitely valid especially considering that two worked together on Adam's Rib a few years prior to Singin' in the Rain.

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I believe that the correct choice was made and here's why. First off, Bette Davis was wonderful in All About Eve. She played it perfectly, but it lacked anything striking and original. Gloria Swanson's turn in Sunset Blvd. gives me chills everytime I watch it. Again, she played it perfectly. I feel that Norma Desmond was a frightening character, but at the same time it is impossible not to feel deep sympathy for her. She is one of my favorite characters in movie history, however, I think that may have had more to do with the impeccible screenplay of Wilder, Bracket and Marshman. In Born Yesterday, I feel that Judy Holliday carried the picture. That is not to say that there was not a great deal of support, but rather that she gave the picture life amidst the coldeness of the message. The theme of the film itself was that of humanity vs. the corruption of business and politics. People vs. facism. She exhibited humanity without flaw. All the way through the film we can see layers of her character peeking out through the cracks in the caricature she was portraying at the start. There is a brightness and curiosity that seemed so real, and was always revealed with perfect timing. If some were to complain that she had an unfair advantage due to her playing this role for so long on the stage I would just say that I think that the Oscar was well deserved for all of the time and care that she put into that character. It's nice to know that at one time the Acadamy knew how to vote. Especially, in such a difficult race as this one. I just so happened to have watched all three of these films within the last twenty-four hours and I can say that Holliday deserved to win if only by a nose.

I saw this movie for the first time on TCM Jan 31/06. Hadn't heard of it before, and had no particular knowledge of Judy, other than hearing her name ....vaguely....Anyway, I was completely captivated by her performance from start to finish. The card game scene was well done.....many of the scenes were quite long and quite well done. Her intonations were great. It was a stand out performance, period. Cleary and excellent script and some great performances by Broderick Crawford and the fellow who played the lawyer helped make it top notch film....It has become one of my favorities. I'm going to have to re-watch Adam's Rib and pay attention this time to her performance.

I don't know why they didn't give multiple Oscars that year. All three ladies were superb.