5.6 /10 1 Votes
26% Written by Garson Kanin Genre Comedy Director Luis Mandoki Box office 17.95 million USD | 5.1/10 4.5/5 Original language English Initial release 26 March 1993 Budget 14 million USD Screenplay Douglas McGrath | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Date premiered February 4, 1946 (1946-02-04) Place premiered Lyceum TheatreNew York City Setting Washington, DC. September 1945. Cast Melanie Griffith, Don Johnson, John Goodman, Edward Herrmann, Max Perlich Similar Melanie Griffith movies, Romantic comedies |
Born yesterday 1993 trailer
Born Yesterday is a play written by Garson Kanin which premiered on Broadway in 1946, starring Judy Holliday as Billie Dawn. The play was adapted into a successful 1950 film of the same name.
Contents
- Born yesterday 1993 trailer
- Plot
- 1946 Original Broadway
- 1989 Broadway revival
- 2011 Broadway revival
- Film adaptations
- References
Plot

An uncouth, corrupt rich junk dealer, Harry Brock, brings his showgirl mistress Billie Dawn with him to Washington, D.C. When Billie's ignorance becomes a liability to Brock's business dealings, he hires a journalist, Paul Verrall, to educate his girlfriend. In the process of learning, Billie Dawn realizes how corrupt Harry is and begins interfering with his plans to bribe a Congressman into passing legislation that would allow Brock's business to make more money.
1946 Original Broadway

Born Yesterday opened on February 4, 1946 on Broadway at the Lyceum Theatre and ran there until November 6, 1948; the play transferred to Henry Miller's Theatre on November 9, 1948 and closed on December 31, 1949, after a total of 1642 performances. Judy Holliday starred as Billie, with Paul Douglas as Harry Brock and Gary Merrill as Paul Verrall. Written and directed by Garson Kanin, the scenic design was by Donald Oenslager and costume design by Ruth Kanin.Jean Arthur was originally hired to play Billie but left during tryouts.

For his performance as Harry Brock, Paul Douglas was awarded the 1946 Clarence Derwent Award for the most promising male performance.

1989 Broadway revival

The play was revived on Broadway in 1989. It opened at the 46th Street Theatre in previews on January 18, 1989, officially on January 29, 1989, and closed on June 11, 1989 after 153 performances. It was directed by Josephine R. Abady and starred Edward Asner and Madeline Kahn, who received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Play.
Source:New York Times
2011 Broadway revival
The second Broadway revival opened at the Cort Theatre for previews 31 March 2011, performances began on April 24, 2011. The show closed on 26 June 2011 after 28 previews and 73 performances. Produced by Frankie Grande and directed by Doug Hughes, the play starred Jim Belushi as Harry Brock, Nina Arianda as Billie Dawn and Robert Sean Leonard as Paul Verrall.
The 2011 revival was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play and Best Costume Design of a Play (Catherine Zuber).
Film adaptations
The 1950 film adaptation, made by Columbia Pictures with direction by George Cukor starred Judy Holliday and William Holden. A 1993 remake directed by Luis Mandoki and released through Buena Vista Pictures, starred Melanie Griffith as Billie Dawn and 'updated' the plot.