Ray Milland plays the army Major (Philip Kirby) who meets Ginger Rogers (Susan Applegate) on a train as she is pretending to be a 12-year-old. That's quite a stretch for an actress who is age thirty, but director Billy Wilder found that audiences will accept such credibility testers in a comedy. And Ginger shows some versatility in the role.
"Little" Susan is on her way back home to Iowa after rejecting the values of the big city. Along the way, her trip is sidetracked as are her intentions. Diana Lynn (Lucy Hill)is a teen who sees through Susan's ruse and sets her on another path. This is Miss Lynn's second credited role and her talent is readily apparent. (Six years prior, at age 10, she was a child prodigy as a pianist; she was also a recording artist.)
Miss Rogers earned her Academy Award for "Kitty Foyle" only two years earlier. Ray Milland's famous portrayal in "The Lost Weekend", which will win him the Oscar, will follow in only three years. Both of them were well cast in "The Major and The Minor". The script, written in part by Billy Wilder, is full of humor and heart. About the filming, Ginger Rogers wrote, "I believe I had more fun playing this role than any other, with one exception...'Kitty Foyle'." She reported that Billy made things easy and respected her as an actress. The joy the actors experienced making the film may have contributed to the final product's enjoyability. Ginger also enjoyed her mother being on set, playing the mother of her character in a small role.
This American directorial debut by Billy Wilder shows the promise that his later films would deliver on.
"Little" Susan is on her way back home to Iowa after rejecting the values of the big city. Along the way, her trip is sidetracked as are her intentions. Diana Lynn (Lucy Hill)is a teen who sees through Susan's ruse and sets her on another path. This is Miss Lynn's second credited role and her talent is readily apparent. (Six years prior, at age 10, she was a child prodigy as a pianist; she was also a recording artist.)
Miss Rogers earned her Academy Award for "Kitty Foyle" only two years earlier. Ray Milland's famous portrayal in "The Lost Weekend", which will win him the Oscar, will follow in only three years. Both of them were well cast in "The Major and The Minor". The script, written in part by Billy Wilder, is full of humor and heart. About the filming, Ginger Rogers wrote, "I believe I had more fun playing this role than any other, with one exception...'Kitty Foyle'." She reported that Billy made things easy and respected her as an actress. The joy the actors experienced making the film may have contributed to the final product's enjoyability. Ginger also enjoyed her mother being on set, playing the mother of her character in a small role.
This American directorial debut by Billy Wilder shows the promise that his later films would deliver on.