This immensely funny comedy, which we had seen years ago, popped up suddenly on cable. It was just a reminder of those innocent years of New York in the 50s. It shows what a great director, George Cukor, working with a frequent collaborator, Garson Kanin, can do as they bring magic to Manhattan.
New York is a magnet for people with dreams and ambitions that come to the city to make their name known, as is the case of Gladys Glover, a transplant from upstate that hasn't yet made her mark in Gotham. It doesn't take long before Gladys is a minor celebrity because of her name being plastered all over town in billboards that only show her name.
There's a funny scene that takes place in Macy*s where Gladys had gone shopping with Pete Sheppard. She's buying towels that are on sale for 54 cents! Oh, and there are others for 64 cents! When she gives her name to the sales lady, the woman immediately realizes she has a celebrity in her department because she can see Gladys' name through an open window! Talk about logic, Mr. Kanin, or even Mr. Cukor, probably never set foot on the Herald Square store: there are no windows in any of the big Manhattan department stores!
The brilliant Judy Holliday makes this picture her own. She was such an accomplished comedienne that she could do anything and outshine anyone near her. It's a shame this funny lady's life was cut short of an impressive career in the stage and in movies. Ms. Holliday was an actress who brought a lot of joy to any of the roles she undertook, as proved here; we don't doubt for a moment she is Gladys because she acts without any effort.
Jack Lemmon, in his first movie, is also very likable as the documentary photographer, Pete Sheppard, who can't help himself falling in love with Gladys. Mr. Lemmon showed his huge talent from the beginning. Playing opposite Ms. Holliday must have been the answer to any aspiring young actor starting in films. He was also a natural who could do anything at all on the stage and later in his long years in front of the camera.
Watching this film is like taking a nostalgic trip to the New York of that era.
New York is a magnet for people with dreams and ambitions that come to the city to make their name known, as is the case of Gladys Glover, a transplant from upstate that hasn't yet made her mark in Gotham. It doesn't take long before Gladys is a minor celebrity because of her name being plastered all over town in billboards that only show her name.
There's a funny scene that takes place in Macy*s where Gladys had gone shopping with Pete Sheppard. She's buying towels that are on sale for 54 cents! Oh, and there are others for 64 cents! When she gives her name to the sales lady, the woman immediately realizes she has a celebrity in her department because she can see Gladys' name through an open window! Talk about logic, Mr. Kanin, or even Mr. Cukor, probably never set foot on the Herald Square store: there are no windows in any of the big Manhattan department stores!
The brilliant Judy Holliday makes this picture her own. She was such an accomplished comedienne that she could do anything and outshine anyone near her. It's a shame this funny lady's life was cut short of an impressive career in the stage and in movies. Ms. Holliday was an actress who brought a lot of joy to any of the roles she undertook, as proved here; we don't doubt for a moment she is Gladys because she acts without any effort.
Jack Lemmon, in his first movie, is also very likable as the documentary photographer, Pete Sheppard, who can't help himself falling in love with Gladys. Mr. Lemmon showed his huge talent from the beginning. Playing opposite Ms. Holliday must have been the answer to any aspiring young actor starting in films. He was also a natural who could do anything at all on the stage and later in his long years in front of the camera.
Watching this film is like taking a nostalgic trip to the New York of that era.