Born Yesterday: Comedy in 3 Acts

by Garson Kanin

Garson Kanin celebrates the triumph of American democratic ideals in his 1946 Broadway hit that made a star of last-minute replacement Judy Holliday. A "dumb blonde" chorus girl, mistress of a tycoon-gangster diddling in D.C., gets an education from a reporter for The New Republic, and blossoms into a very fair lady.

Genres: Plays, Drama, Fiction, Theatre, Humor, Classics, Comedy

89 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1946

About the author

Garson Kanin was an American actor, director and writer, working both on stage and screen. He was married to Ruth Gordon, with whom he wrote several screenplays.

Reviews

[Sheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I had read this a few years ago, I would have thought it was reasonably accurate. Unfortunately, it today’s political climate in which politicians are revealed to have committed atrocities in the press and come off relatively unscathed, it reads as naive and optimistic.

The play itself, though, is funny and Billie is a remarkable character, especially given the setting of 1946. She finds the courage to take on the big guy that so often the captured woman does not have and sticks it to him for all repressed.

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

A comedy in the classical sense. There are no ROTF laughs in this play, but it is still nice and pleasant and enjoyable.

I will observe that this play relies heavily on its stage directions. Every little action is detailed minutely in this play which doesn't necessarily make for an interesting or exciting read and it doesn't give much leeway for creative interpretation.

If producing this play, the set would be my biggest concern. It would be a costly venture to do this play properly because it is set in the two-story suite of a very expensive hotel in Washington DC at a time when Hollywood glamour is at its peak. You need a balcony with french doors which overlook the city and very lush furnishing to pull it off well. And with so much stage business, you better believe there is a ton of little props to track. I would expect this play to be a stage manager's nightmare.

But it is a sweet, classic story with some good roles and a few small laughs. Done as a period piece, this play could whisk an audience away on a wave of nostalgia.

3/5

[Brian McCann · Rating 5 out of 5]

2019: Loved every moment of this old well-crafted chestnut. Can’t wait to revisit Judy Holliday in the screen version.

2024: Enjoyed it just as much. And I’ve seen the film since my first reading. Top notch!

[Glenn Hopp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Neil Simon, asked once in an interview to name a comedy not by him that he enjoys, cited this fantastic play. I still remember finding it at the library and reading it in the 9th grade. The reviewers here downgrade it because the politics of the 1940s seems quaint today, which is true. But to me the play is more about learning and thinking and the maturation of Billie Dawn than about politics. It is thrilling to see her begin to think and stand up for herself, and that is why the play is a classic. I read it again after seeing the 1950 movie. Only minor changes but interesting—the corrupt politician is downgraded in the film to a representative from a senator, and his wife does not drop by to talk about books with Billie. But something is lost there, too, because in the play Billie can tell that the senator’s wife is bluffing when she says she read David Copperfield, and Billie can’t understand why someone would do that. We see the purity of Billie’s honesty: not only would she never pretend to have read something she hadn’t, but it would wouldn’t even occur to her to do that. One of the most important characters is Billie’s father, who never appears. She talks about him with such affection; it is clear where she gets her honesty.

[Beatrix · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never really think to track the plays I read for class on Goodreads, but why not?

My classmates felt like this play was filled with tropes and characters that seemed very familiar, but I think that's because we're so used to seeing these ideas now. In 1946? Probably not so much. I liked this one because it the Pygmalion-type storyline ends with Billie taking agency and leaving a terrible situation. My Fair Lady, for example, leaves a similar storyline open-ended. Does Eliza forgive Professor Higgins? Perhaps. Does Billie return to Harry? No way.

I was surprised when I finished the play and found that it was written in 1946. I guess I assumed it was a modern play set in the 1940's. Nope- Garson Kanin just had his fingers on the pulse of the political and feminist situations that render this play perpetually relevant.

[Jennifer Pusey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A play ended up on my reading challenge again this year. They are tough to find! I perused my local library's shelves and decided on this one because heaven knows I could really use a comedy to read. This isn't slapstick or even laugh worthy comedy. It's really more of a drama with a few asides that make you smile. Lots of stage direction made this hard to read, but if you were staging the play I bet it would be really helpful. Wish there were more women. In plays male characters seem to outnumber female roles 5 to 1. Too bad, considering how many women are eager for parts.

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very literate comedy, a success on the Broadway stage and as a motion picture in 1950. A millionaire junk dealer comes to Washington D.C., along with his not-very-bright girlfriend. A newspaperman is hired to smarten her up. A simple plot, but complications arise that alter things considerably. Probably more interesting visually than on the written page, but, still, very well written.

[Alexander Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice play with great characters and a strong message. I wish there were more characters to allow for a larger ensemble cast, especially since most of the smaller characters are only bit parts with a few or no lines at all.

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though this play is labelled as a comedy (and it definitely has some comedic elements) it is more dramatic than comedic with a message that resonates as well today (perhaps even more so) as it did when it was written.

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mediocre at best.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

At Ford’s Theatre.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Borrowed this from Jonathan Salkind. Very apt for right now--a thuggish monster comes to Washington and is outsmarted by his uneducated girlfriend and her tutor. Lots of fun dialogue.

[reveurdart · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first introduction to this was the film with Judy Holliday. The play is fantastic, too. I throughly enjoyed reading it.

[Nick Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Y’know, it’s interesting how many interesting things a person could learn if they read.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful play with incredible relevance for today.

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because Judy Holliday starred both on Broadway and in the 1950 movie, I think I enjoyed the play more because I could visualize her in the role. She played a great "dumb blonde". What she came to realize is that she was not stupid, but simply uneducated. She eventually gained the upper hand. Recommend. Kristi & Abby Tabby

[Hanna-col · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up at a book sale last month. I had seen and loved the 1950 film adaption of this play by the same name and was excited to read the play's original script. From what I remember of the film's script, very few changes were made in the script when it made the change from play to film. The play, however, does contain a good amount of profanity (generally coming from Harry Brock's mouth) and a little more innuendo than the Hays Code allowed the film adaption. Nonetheless, I greatly enjoyed reading this and imagining the original Broadway cast in the roles. I'm sorry Broderick Crawford, but I can't help sort of wishing Paul Douglas had reprised his role for the film.

[Carolyn Page · Rating 3 out of 5]

A comedy I remember seeing as the film with Judy Holliday reprising her role as Billie. It made me smile a few times, and there's no denying its a well written piece of script... But while the drama remains the comedy seems to have lost some of its spark over the last seventy years. (How do you like that! 70 years.....) Not all of course! A few quips in there made me giggle. But a few of the jokes have aged out. Nobody in the modern audience will remember the Teapot Dome Scandal, more's the pity.

An enjoyable read with a great ending--- a kind of "My Fair Lady" with political science instead of Ascot. I sure would like to watch the movie again.

[Anne Boardman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saw the play on Broadway in June 2011 and read the script soon after. Originally a play in 1946 and a movie in 1950, the politics play today as well as when it was originally written. And the story is just plain fun!

[Emma Delfosse · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing style was not to my liking and neither was any of the dialogue. I could tell the author was trying to have one difinitive story line but it did not translate well and the play left me confused and sad that I spent a whole day forcing myself to read it.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another old chestnut. Fun, but old.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's like a modern American version of Pygmalion.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit musty but charming as well

[Julian Munds · Rating 3 out of 5]

This play is prescient in its theme. It predicts a trend that has only exploded in today's American Political climate, except Harry is now the president of the United States. As a production today it's naivity in spirit would play as trite to the audience for this reason only do I say it would be an uninteresting script to revive. The billie character is fascinating but so is Harry. Played with love Harry could be as arresting as Billie. But unfortunately, this play has a become a period piece. Aside from a footnote this play might be useless in the artistic world today.