Judy Holliday was a brilliant, vivacious and iconoclastic talent of stage and screen who blazed a trail - years ahead of her times - for women's rights and human equality when those elements of society and day to day life were in great need of more consideration, discussion and consequent action.
Judy began her all too brief a stage and screen career as part of "The Revuers" – a New York Night Club act that also included Betty Comden and Adolph Green, with the immortal Leonard Bernstein as an accompanist. The group had a nine month run on their own half hour NBC Radio Network programme. (Born Judith Tovim – which translates as Holliday – her first brush with show business was as an assistant switchboard operator at the Orson Welles/John Houseman run Mercury Theatre.)
"The Revuers" were bright lights on the New York scene from 1938 – when Judy suggested forming the act – until the group went their separate ways in 1944.
Judy debuted on Broadway (20/3/1945) in "Kiss Them For Me", and was one of the winners of the Actors Equity Clarence Derwent Award and a Theatre World Award for outstanding debut performer. A big break on Broadway came the following year, when she replaced Jean Arthur in the leading role of "Born Yesterday". Author Garson Kanin had written the role for his friend, Jean Arthur, but she left the production before it reached Broadway and came to pick Judy for her replacement.
The big tipping point in Judy’s career came with casting for the filmed version of "Born Yesterday". Columbia had purchased rights for the picture. Studio boss Harry Cohen considered 35 actresses – without including Judy. The wit and wisdom of Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy were put into play to get Judy up to Cohen’s quid pro quo of the screen test she would need to be given a chance. The legendary couple – co-starring in "Adam’s Rib" – landed Judy a key part in the film, to rave reviews and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress / Motion Picture
Judy won the Academy Award for Best Actress and the Golden Globe for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for her tour de force performance in "Born Yesterday" (1950).
1950 was also a year of challenge and intrigue. Judy was investigated by the FBI for Communist links. The three month investigation came up blank, but resulted in her being blacklisted from radio and television for nearly three years. Judy put her 172/genius level IQ aside – and into a creative channel – when she was called to testify before the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee in 1952, "playing dumb" (as she’d done on stage and screen) to avoid giving names of people she knew to be Communists.
1952 also saw her first appearance since winning the Oscar – in "The Marrying Kind". She was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actress for her role in the tale of a couple recounting memories before a divorce court judge. The film also starred Aldo Ray, a very young Charles Bronson, Peggy Kass, Ruth Gordon and Nancy Culp. Old friend Garson Kanin co-wrote the screen play with Ruth Gordon, who was his wife.