Born Yesterday + Power of the Press

(George Cukor, US 1950, 94 min., 35mm)

Seven Kuchars for Seven Cukors. Judy Holliday’s seemingly “dumb blonde” Billie Dawn is about to awaken to a new day in Cukor’s film of Garson Kanin’s Broadway smash. Billie is the “kept woman” of a big-time lobbyist (Broderick Crawford), who hires newsman William Holden to make her sound more intelligent. Turns out she’s far smarter than anyone had imagined.

Preceded by Power of the Press (George Kuchar, US 1977, 28 min., 16mm), Kuchar’s unique take on the media: A radio workshop play meant to train students of the time in broadcasting techniques. The plot concerns teacher/student crushes.