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Judy Holliday Part II

© K Cruver

After three days of intense rehearsal, Judy played Billie Dawn for the first time. She was an immediate sensation. The play opened to greater acclaim in New York. She would play Billie Dawn for the next three years.

Not only was Judy's career taking off, but she was back home in New York, surrounded by family and friends. She fell in love with David Oppenheim, a New York Symphony clarinet player. They were married on January 5, 1948.

The newlyweds began a pleasant life together. Each night after their performances, they would open their apartment to friends for intimate gatherings would last well into the night. Regular guests included Leonard Bernstein, Adolph Green, and Betty Comden.

Their cozy routine was interrupted when Judy heard that Columbia Pictures was going to bring Born Yesterday to the screen. Of all the actresses studio chief Harry Cohn had tested for Billie Dawn, he hadn't even considered testing Judy. She was lucky to have powerful friends on her side. The legendary screen team Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy convinced Judy to "audition" for the part in their next movie.

In Adam's Rib(1949) Hepburn and Tracy played married lawyers on the opposite sides of a volatile case. Judy played Hepburn's client, a woman who had fired a gun at her philandering husband. Hepburn saw that Judy's part in the movie was expanded and she was extremely generous with camera shots in their scenes together. The ploy worked; based on her success in the movie, Cohn gave Judy the part and she signed a seven year contract.

Born Yesterday(1950) instantly made Judy a star. That year, she won the Academy Award for best leading actress over established actresses such as Bette Davis and Gloria Swanson. She followed her victory with The Marrying Kind, a sweet, but minor movie. Cohn was more interested in promoting his new discovery Aldo Ray, who played her husband.

Judy was suddenly forced to take a break from making movies when the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) called her to testify. To date, every performer called to testify had been pressured to name people who they suspected of Communist activity; those who hadn't named names had sacrificed their careers.

Though Judy was nervous about losing her career, she did not want to reveal information about her friends. She prepared herself well and Harry Cohn hired a private investigator to comb her past for potentially dangerous organizations she had associated with in the past. She gave one of her best performances for the committee. Hiding her sharp mind, Judy convinced them that she was similar to her dim Billie Dawn character. She pretended not to understand many of the questions and with ditzy word play, she confused the committee into dismissing her. The brilliant move saved her career.

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