# Born Yesterday - today **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 7, 2019, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/born-yesterday-today/836686 "2019-07-07T23:20:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2019, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/born-yesterday-today/836686/1 "2019-07-07T23:20:20Z")
I just saw this on TCM today; it’s been quite a while since I watched it. Two quotes struck me, as perhaps memorable watching this from nearly 70 years later: The corrupt lawyer Jim telling Harry [Broderick Crawford’s character] (paraphrasing) “You can’t come into this town and start buying Senators and Congressmen like they were sides of beef. These are honest people. Oh, once in a while you’ll find a bad apple like Hedges [the one he was able to buy], but only once in a while, once in a great while.” I thought that was charmingly sweet and naive. I don’t know, maybe it was more true in those days than it is today. Nowadays I think you can count the non-corrupt Senators and Congresspeople on one hand. Harry Brock was a complete amateur, of course, he actually had incriminating stuff written down on paper and signed. The other quote happens a bit later. Harry asks Paul [William Holden’s character] something like “What do you care if she gets smart?” And the answer, pricelessly: “A world full of ignorant people is too dangerous to live in.” I would like to embroider than in heavy gold thread onto a flag and fly it in front of my house every day. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2019, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/born-yesterday-today/836686/2 "2019-07-08T02:23:58Z")
I watch _Born Yesterday_ for the wonderful Judy Holiday. Anything else (other actors, the script, scenery, literally anything) is merely a cherry on top of an ice cream sundae. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2019, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/born-yesterday-today/836686/3 "2019-07-08T02:39:48Z")
Love that movie. I was only able to catch part of it today. There are many quotable lines in it. Judy Holiday is great despite her irritating voice. Yes, yes I know its her trade mark. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2019, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/born-yesterday-today/836686/4 "2019-07-08T03:12:10Z")
I watched this a year or so ago, and it struck me that when the movie was made, Harry was a caricature of a corrupt businessman who has no principles except self-aggrandizement and making money. He was a shallow, ignorant, manipulative bully. No one could have imagined Harry as president of the United States. But now he is. Interestingly, Judy Holliday was reputed to have a [genius level IQ of 172](http://www.billgladstone.ca/judy-holliday-top-actress-of-1950-had-iq-of-172-career-all-comedy-later-private-life-all-tragedy-1965/). ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2019, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/born-yesterday-today/836686/5 "2019-07-08T12:39:06Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Interestingly, Judy Holliday was reputed to have a [genius level IQ of 172](http://www.billgladstone.ca/judy-holliday-top-actress-of-1950-had-iq-of-172-career-all-comedy-later-private-life-all-tragedy-1965/). Heard this about Jayne Mansfield too. Is this some kind of anti-stereotype stereotype? “Pretty equals dumb”, “No! Pretty equals genius!”