Judy Holliday's best comedy vehicle, a wonderful adaptation of George Kaufman and Howard Teichmann's play, about a struggling actress in New York City who owns ten shares of stock in a large corporation; perplexed as to why the board members do so little and get paid so much, she attends a stockholder's meeting and soon has all the power-suits reeling. Richard Quine directs the proceedings with an assured touch, and teaming Holliday with her "Born Yesterday" stage co-star Paul Douglas was a terrific move (they have a built-in rapport). Douglas gets one of his funniest roles as the former Chairman of the Board who has gone to work in Washington, D.C., setting up a finale which mixes together a touch of Frank Capra with a bit of "Born Yesterday". Some may complain the theme of government--coupled with a wise-beyond-her-own-knowledge heroine--is too close to Judy's previous hit. While that may be true, the actress is so good at playing the innocent gal taking on the corporate sharks, it's not worth quibbling over. Big laughs from start to finish, with a doozy of a tag and fantastic comic support from Fred Clark, John Williams, Neva Patterson, and Madge Blake. ***1/2 from ****
37 Reviews
If you think nobody cares about the little guy/girl, try missing a couple of car payments
Ed-Shullivan21 April 2022
Sometimes it takes just one persistent person who indirectly or directly fumbles upon someone else's questionable tactics and then all hell breaks loose. It has happened in the real financial world. Two financial scandals that come quickly to mind are Enron and Bernie Madoff. Judy Holliday is perfect playing the somewhat ditzy small time shareholder who attends her first annual shareholders meeting of the huge conglomerate International Projects and as she is so excited she finds the nerve within herself to ask the board members why their salaries are so rich compared to all other employees of the company. This simple question and the board members shallow responses leads Miss Laura Partridge (Judy Holliday) to ask even more embarrassing questions that the Board members cannot seem to answer with any type of confidence for the shareholders attending the board meeting.
As the noose tightens the conniving Board Members strategize how to shut Miss Partridge up by hiring her as an office manager only to keep her close and under their control which backfires on them. Miss Partridge strikes up an impromptu conversation at a local diner after the meeting with the retiring Chairman of the Board Mr. Edward L. McKeever (Paul Douglas) and as luck and love happens when the two collide they set out on a plan to disrupt the corruption of the cheating Board of Directors.
This film was originally developed for live theater and turned into a successful film version led by the personal touch of the ditzy and cute Judy Holliday's performance. I give it a 6 out of 10 IMDb rating.
As the noose tightens the conniving Board Members strategize how to shut Miss Partridge up by hiring her as an office manager only to keep her close and under their control which backfires on them. Miss Partridge strikes up an impromptu conversation at a local diner after the meeting with the retiring Chairman of the Board Mr. Edward L. McKeever (Paul Douglas) and as luck and love happens when the two collide they set out on a plan to disrupt the corruption of the cheating Board of Directors.
This film was originally developed for live theater and turned into a successful film version led by the personal touch of the ditzy and cute Judy Holliday's performance. I give it a 6 out of 10 IMDb rating.
cute modern fantasy
planktonrules19 July 2006
Warning: Spoilers
This is a very cute and engaging film--buoyed by Judy Holliday's charming performance as a simple lady who wants answers! Judy is a very insignificant stockholder in a huge corporation. Like most corporations, the bulk of the stocks are controlled by thousands of tiny investors while a few larger investors are in charge of running the day to day operations. While the officers of the corporation own much less than 50% of the stock, the rest of the investors are not united. Judy sees that is a problem when she shows up at an open meeting for stockholders and finds that the board is completely unresponsive to her. She rightly reasons that as a stockholder, she has a right to be heard, but the officers treat her as a nuisance and ignore her. So, instead of just walking away and forgetting it, Judy decides to fight back by organizing the members and getting enough proxy votes to force change. At first, they laugh at the notion, but by the end of the film, it's Judy who has the last laugh! This film is very well-made and great fun to watch--with a lovely comedic tone. Too bad that Ms. Holliday died so young, as she had quite a hand for this style of film.
Yet Another That Wont Get The Attention it Deserves
bluenotejazz23 May 2004
It is truly rare to come across a movie that does everything so well.
Conversely, it is truly sad that the 'feel good' genre of movies seem to have gone the way of the dinosaur
Every character actor here is on point. And there are plenty of them. The talent particularly of Judy Holliday cant be overstated, as she moves seemingly effortless between comedic and romantic scene changes. Even the pairing of the 'loudmouth' Paul Douglas is great for her, as the two of them trade punches with ease when their voices are turned up a few decibels. The story moves along quickly with no gaps or awkward pauses in the script, and it works up to a very Capra-like ending which practically leaves you on the edge of your seat. It's not an easy one to find, but if you come across this movie, hang on to it.
Conversely, it is truly sad that the 'feel good' genre of movies seem to have gone the way of the dinosaur
Every character actor here is on point. And there are plenty of them. The talent particularly of Judy Holliday cant be overstated, as she moves seemingly effortless between comedic and romantic scene changes. Even the pairing of the 'loudmouth' Paul Douglas is great for her, as the two of them trade punches with ease when their voices are turned up a few decibels. The story moves along quickly with no gaps or awkward pauses in the script, and it works up to a very Capra-like ending which practically leaves you on the edge of your seat. It's not an easy one to find, but if you come across this movie, hang on to it.
Holliday and Douglas take on Wall Street
theowinthrop10 January 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Judy Holliday is one of the lost generation of 1950s stars. She is in that group with Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Grace Kelly, and Shirley Booth who gained stardom in motion pictures, but either died prematurely (Dean, Monroe, Holliday), or made few movies (Dean, Booth, Kelly, and Holliday), or left the motion pictures for other areas of public attention (Booth with her stage and television work, Kelly as Princess of Monaco). Holliday, Booth, and Kelly won the Oscar for best actress (Monroe never did - Dean was nominated but never won). But she is probably the least remembered, although she made as many films as Kelly, and more than either Booth or Dean. Moreover, the elderly Booth never really had a film following (unlike her stage following), and Dean was representative of a new type of film hero like Monty Clift and Marlon Brando. Holliday was more accessible, as a representative of urban, mid-century America.
What was her best film? BORN YESTERDAY (her Oscar performance) is usually the one mentioned, or IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU (as Gladys Glover, the woman who creates her own publicity and fame), or THE MARRYING KIND? To me though, her best performance is THE SOLID GOLD CADILLAC. It takes off from where BORN YESTERDAY left. That film dealt with corporate corruption of politics (Billy Dawn's boyfriend Harry buying an influential Congressman). The corruption there is the creation of of a cartel controlling (through garbage dumps) scrap metal sales. In SOLID GOLD CADILLAC, Harry's junk empire is replaced by a major Wall Street corporation created by Paul Douglas. Douglas' McKeever had a strong hand controlling his fellow directors, but he's taken a "dollar-a-year" job in Washington (his fellow directors hope he'll send the corporation valuable government contracts - he doesn't). Once he leaves, the others (John Williams, Fred Clark, Ralph Dumke, and Ray Collins) take over, and as the narrator (George Burns) says - "Did I tell you they were crooks?...Boy were they crooks!"
It would have been smooth sailing but for two problems. Before he left, McKeever attended a final stockholders meeting. One shareholder (who owns only a couple of shares) is Laura Partridge (Holliday). She happens to demand explanations for various of the actions of the firm in the last year. To silence her they make her a secretary - quasi officer. She is used to keep in touch with the shareholders as a public relations figure. The other problem is due to Harry Harkness (Hiram Sherman) the brother-in-law of the firm's President Jack Blessington (John Williams). Harkness has to be given a job at the demand of Blessington's wife (Harkness' sister). He is a total idiot, best used to playing polo. His "abilities" send the firm reeling, and with the antics of Ms Partridge raises the blood pressure of the firm's bosses, particularly the firm's comptroller Clifford Snell (Fred Clark - possibly his best comic performance).
The forces of greed (the corporate officers) and the forces of good (Douglas and Holliday when they join forces) confront each other in the last half hour of the film: who will run the great company. All I will say is that it comes down to who owns more of the company.
As a look at the financial culture of the Eisenhower years (and even now, in the wake of Enron and other scandals) THE SOLID GOLD CADILLAC can't be beaten. As a showcase of Judy Holliday's friendly, common sensible urbanite taking on the corrupt it is wonderful. Witness her momentarily getting the upper hand over the villains when she uncovers an particularly stupid action by Sherman regarding a company subsidiary. The four directors silently listen to her lecture and agree to her demands, and at the end are glaring at the embarrassed Sherman. If you want to see Holliday at her best comic performance (my opinion), I recommend this film for that purpose.
What was her best film? BORN YESTERDAY (her Oscar performance) is usually the one mentioned, or IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU (as Gladys Glover, the woman who creates her own publicity and fame), or THE MARRYING KIND? To me though, her best performance is THE SOLID GOLD CADILLAC. It takes off from where BORN YESTERDAY left. That film dealt with corporate corruption of politics (Billy Dawn's boyfriend Harry buying an influential Congressman). The corruption there is the creation of of a cartel controlling (through garbage dumps) scrap metal sales. In SOLID GOLD CADILLAC, Harry's junk empire is replaced by a major Wall Street corporation created by Paul Douglas. Douglas' McKeever had a strong hand controlling his fellow directors, but he's taken a "dollar-a-year" job in Washington (his fellow directors hope he'll send the corporation valuable government contracts - he doesn't). Once he leaves, the others (John Williams, Fred Clark, Ralph Dumke, and Ray Collins) take over, and as the narrator (George Burns) says - "Did I tell you they were crooks?...Boy were they crooks!"
It would have been smooth sailing but for two problems. Before he left, McKeever attended a final stockholders meeting. One shareholder (who owns only a couple of shares) is Laura Partridge (Holliday). She happens to demand explanations for various of the actions of the firm in the last year. To silence her they make her a secretary - quasi officer. She is used to keep in touch with the shareholders as a public relations figure. The other problem is due to Harry Harkness (Hiram Sherman) the brother-in-law of the firm's President Jack Blessington (John Williams). Harkness has to be given a job at the demand of Blessington's wife (Harkness' sister). He is a total idiot, best used to playing polo. His "abilities" send the firm reeling, and with the antics of Ms Partridge raises the blood pressure of the firm's bosses, particularly the firm's comptroller Clifford Snell (Fred Clark - possibly his best comic performance).
The forces of greed (the corporate officers) and the forces of good (Douglas and Holliday when they join forces) confront each other in the last half hour of the film: who will run the great company. All I will say is that it comes down to who owns more of the company.
As a look at the financial culture of the Eisenhower years (and even now, in the wake of Enron and other scandals) THE SOLID GOLD CADILLAC can't be beaten. As a showcase of Judy Holliday's friendly, common sensible urbanite taking on the corrupt it is wonderful. Witness her momentarily getting the upper hand over the villains when she uncovers an particularly stupid action by Sherman regarding a company subsidiary. The four directors silently listen to her lecture and agree to her demands, and at the end are glaring at the embarrassed Sherman. If you want to see Holliday at her best comic performance (my opinion), I recommend this film for that purpose.
Timeless Solid Gold
pamevans464 June 2007
What can you say about Judy Holliday? Her timing was always absolutely perfect. Her facial expressions frequently making speech unnecessary. In Solid Gold Cadillac she gives a magical portrayal as Laura Partridge, the supposedly, dumb blonde, part time actress with no appreciation of Shakespeare, ("You don't even get to sit down unless you're a king" - a typical Holliday line), but who is nonetheless shrewd enough to see through the corrupt shenanigans of the board of directors of a multi-national company in which she owns just ten shares. The partnering of Judy Holliday and that fine actor, Paul Douglas, as Edward L. McKeever, the upright, down to earth and totally incorruptible founder of the company, who is (according to Laura Partridge) "scared of girls", works like a dream. The film also has excellent support from Ray Collins, Arthur O'Connell, Neva Patterson, John Williams and of course Fred Clark, as Snell, the oily, slippery company treasurer, a real nasty piece of work. I defy anyone not to boo and hiss whenever he appears. In addition to being a delightful romantic comedy, this is also a tale of good fighting to overcome evil, and the little people of this world getting together and refusing to be trampled by a big faceless conglomerate. If you've never seen this picture before, or maybe never seen a Judy Holliday movie, you're in for a treat.
Judy Holliday is SOLID in this golden-hearted comedy
SAMTHEBESTEST3 October 2023
The Solid Gold Cadillac (1956) :
Brief Review -
Judy Holliday is SOLID in this golden-hearted comedy. Judy Holliday does it again. Don't ask me how, but she did it. There was something about this woman and her persona that made her genuinely look funny. Other contemporary actresses had to do a lot other than deliver dialogues to bring laughter, but Judy was doing it effortlessly. I may be wrong or too early to state that Judy Holliday was the funniest lead actress ever to appear on the big screen. Richard Quine's comedy is about a jobless woman who gets gifted stocks by her dead neighbour, and her curious question scares the hell out of the company's management team. The best way to get rid of her questions was to get her on their side, albeit unknowingly. So, she is appointed as a stockholder manager, a meaningless position with a handsome salary for a woman of her background. She then starts work of her own and falls in love with a retired chairman. However, the management has their own plans and their own secrets that they want to hide. It all comes down to the chairman and the woman teaming up to fight against the crooks for the sake of the small shareholders of the company. The Solid Gold Cadillac has a simple story with a strong screenplay. The love story here is simply adorable. A retired, honest man and a peculiar woman-gosh, that's too much fun and too much cuteness. It lives up to the most acclaimed and universally appealing formula of generosity and positivity. That's what makes it a good and meaningful film. Judy is solid in the role of Laura Patridge. Watch her asking questions, raising hands, and adding humour of her own, and you have 24-carat entertainment made for you. Paul Douglas is excellent, and to play a role of that age, you need someone like him. Richard Quine has made a fine comedy with solid characters and an awkwardly lovable romance that you wouldn't want to miss.
RATING - 7/10*
By - #samthebestest.
Judy Holliday is SOLID in this golden-hearted comedy. Judy Holliday does it again. Don't ask me how, but she did it. There was something about this woman and her persona that made her genuinely look funny. Other contemporary actresses had to do a lot other than deliver dialogues to bring laughter, but Judy was doing it effortlessly. I may be wrong or too early to state that Judy Holliday was the funniest lead actress ever to appear on the big screen. Richard Quine's comedy is about a jobless woman who gets gifted stocks by her dead neighbour, and her curious question scares the hell out of the company's management team. The best way to get rid of her questions was to get her on their side, albeit unknowingly. So, she is appointed as a stockholder manager, a meaningless position with a handsome salary for a woman of her background. She then starts work of her own and falls in love with a retired chairman. However, the management has their own plans and their own secrets that they want to hide. It all comes down to the chairman and the woman teaming up to fight against the crooks for the sake of the small shareholders of the company. The Solid Gold Cadillac has a simple story with a strong screenplay. The love story here is simply adorable. A retired, honest man and a peculiar woman-gosh, that's too much fun and too much cuteness. It lives up to the most acclaimed and universally appealing formula of generosity and positivity. That's what makes it a good and meaningful film. Judy is solid in the role of Laura Patridge. Watch her asking questions, raising hands, and adding humour of her own, and you have 24-carat entertainment made for you. Paul Douglas is excellent, and to play a role of that age, you need someone like him. Richard Quine has made a fine comedy with solid characters and an awkwardly lovable romance that you wouldn't want to miss.
RATING - 7/10*
By - #samthebestest.
One of the funniest movies ever.
marti6513 August 2000
I taped it several years ago from my local PBS station and several times a year I run it again. It's as fresh today as it was when first viewed. Judy Holliday was a gem. She died much too early. Her fans missed a lot because of her untimely passing. Also, her pairing with Paul Douglas in this movie was inspired
Mr Capra, will you please helm this one?
vostf24 August 2006
Lots of commentators here have been referring to Capra. This is enlightening: this comedy, this story of an honest little woman against the riches and corrupt guys who run a corporation, lacks a great director. And Capra sure would have been the best choice to make this movie more than just marginally good.
Look, the storyline is good because it was rehearsed and played so many times on stage and so are the actors since they were already in the play or had a chance to see it. But the mise en scene is lame. So many important if not climactic scenes are shot on the same level as the rest... it's a pity. The movie's breath is that of a dozing director. No rush, no hush, and certainly no plush nor blush.
Bottom line: a very good play with very good actors unfortunately shot at stage level, not movie level.
Personal: in my opinion: Paul Douglas was a bit too old or too common to be a love interest. If I can daydream of Capra helming this one why not attach Jimmy Stewart?
Look, the storyline is good because it was rehearsed and played so many times on stage and so are the actors since they were already in the play or had a chance to see it. But the mise en scene is lame. So many important if not climactic scenes are shot on the same level as the rest... it's a pity. The movie's breath is that of a dozing director. No rush, no hush, and certainly no plush nor blush.
Bottom line: a very good play with very good actors unfortunately shot at stage level, not movie level.
Personal: in my opinion: Paul Douglas was a bit too old or too common to be a love interest. If I can daydream of Capra helming this one why not attach Jimmy Stewart?
If you ever think that your vote doesn't count, see this movie.
Peter2206028 January 2002
I would run out of positive adjectives if I had to write a review. Judy Holliday gives her best performance. If you see this film, you will want to see her other classics. Paul Douglas shines as a scrupulous businessman.
solid gold caddy
mossgrymk18 April 2022
Like most Judy Holliday pics it's sweet, charming and intermittently amusing. But for those of us who like our Eisenhower era corporate comedies on the sharper, funnier, more cynical side there is a persistent feeling of "I'd rather be watching 'Desk Set' or 'Apartment'" going on. C plus.
A one of a kind star
jjnxn-116 May 2013
In a role tailor made to her special gifts Judy Holliday is totally captivating and wholly endearing. The sign of a truly unique performer is to watch a film or performance and not be able to envision anyone else in the part. That's what happens watching the magical Judy as Laura Partridge. There are many great comediennes but while Marilyn Monroe was sexier, Lucille Ball wackier and Carole Lombard more stylishly outlandish no one quite had the special sweet radiance and naive intelligence of Miss Holliday.
While she is wondrous she isn't the whole show. Paul Douglas and his gruff charm plays well off of her and they are surrounded by an absolutely great cast of some of the best character actors working in film at the time. The story is a pleasant far fetched little fable, a sort of David versus Goliath reworking. Sit back and enjoy.
While she is wondrous she isn't the whole show. Paul Douglas and his gruff charm plays well off of her and they are surrounded by an absolutely great cast of some of the best character actors working in film at the time. The story is a pleasant far fetched little fable, a sort of David versus Goliath reworking. Sit back and enjoy.
the charms of Judy Holliday
SnoopyStyle13 June 2023
Laura Partridge (Judy Holliday) owns 10 shares in International Projects Ltd. It's annual stockholder meeting in New York City. Company founder Edward McKeever is the only honest man on the board and he is leaving to join the government. As they try to rush through the annual report, Laura insists on questioning their executive pay. As time passes, she remains a thorn in the side of the crooked board. They decide to keep her close, too close.
The age difference is a little concerning, but it was a different time. She's a full grown woman and she can chooses whoever she wants. With that settled, this is all about Judy Holliday. She has an endearing charming voice. She is an unique star and she commands this movie. The story is a Mr. Smith Goes to Washington in the corporate offices. It's pretty good. I would like a more direct meet-cute between Laura and Edward. They should bump into each other before the stockholder meeting.
The age difference is a little concerning, but it was a different time. She's a full grown woman and she can chooses whoever she wants. With that settled, this is all about Judy Holliday. She has an endearing charming voice. She is an unique star and she commands this movie. The story is a Mr. Smith Goes to Washington in the corporate offices. It's pretty good. I would like a more direct meet-cute between Laura and Edward. They should bump into each other before the stockholder meeting.
Maybe gold paint
bkoganbing17 March 2016
You'll have to wait until the very end of the film to actually see The Solid Gold Cadillac. Such a vehicle I doubt would run, I rather think this was gold sheeting. Maybe even gold paint.
Paul Douglas is the president of a big conglomerate that he built from the ground up. Now he's getting out to take a big job in Washington, in the Defense Department which is always hiring business executives. More in the Eisenhower administration than in most others for this was the presidency which had Charles E. Wilson who opined during his Senate confirmation hearings that 'what's good for General Motors is good for the USA'. Lots of folks thought that way then.
But as he's taking leave at his last stockholder's meeting 10 shares holder Judy Holliday shows up asking a lot of questions, annoying the rest of the board which has such folks as Ray Collins, John Williams, and Fred Clark on it, but she charms Douglas.
Try as I might I could not wrap my mind around the concept of a man succeeding in business as Douglas does and being such a boy scout. To avoid conflict of interest the normal procedure is to put one's holdings in a blind trust. But the fact that his company specifically does not get government contracts at Douglas's say so at the Defense Department is just off the wall. Who knows, they might actually have the low bid and the right product.
Still Douglas does what he does and would be actress Holliday is actually hired by the company. But our villains are indeed full of tricks.
George S. Kaufman is one of the creators and I find that hard to believe. I think Kaufman was having an off day. Holliday and Douglas do the best they can with limited material as does the rest of the cast.
Paul Douglas is the president of a big conglomerate that he built from the ground up. Now he's getting out to take a big job in Washington, in the Defense Department which is always hiring business executives. More in the Eisenhower administration than in most others for this was the presidency which had Charles E. Wilson who opined during his Senate confirmation hearings that 'what's good for General Motors is good for the USA'. Lots of folks thought that way then.
But as he's taking leave at his last stockholder's meeting 10 shares holder Judy Holliday shows up asking a lot of questions, annoying the rest of the board which has such folks as Ray Collins, John Williams, and Fred Clark on it, but she charms Douglas.
Try as I might I could not wrap my mind around the concept of a man succeeding in business as Douglas does and being such a boy scout. To avoid conflict of interest the normal procedure is to put one's holdings in a blind trust. But the fact that his company specifically does not get government contracts at Douglas's say so at the Defense Department is just off the wall. Who knows, they might actually have the low bid and the right product.
Still Douglas does what he does and would be actress Holliday is actually hired by the company. But our villains are indeed full of tricks.
George S. Kaufman is one of the creators and I find that hard to believe. I think Kaufman was having an off day. Holliday and Douglas do the best they can with limited material as does the rest of the cast.
Let's hear it for the underdog!
Lily-4831 August 2000
I have seen this movie about three times, and each time I am taken aback by the sweetness and honesty of the character Laura Partridge, as played by Judy Holiday. Even though the plot is predictable, I still enjoy watching a woman of character (who first comes across as a dizzy dame) as she continues to outsmart the cynical "opposition." A sweet comedy, and a good escape from the "real world."
How to Succeed in Business Without Applying For the Job!
mark.waltz24 August 2012
Warning: Spoilers
That's what Laura Partridge (Judy Holliday) will find out when she interrupts the annual stockholder's meeting and creates a menace to the bores who get astronomical salaries for doing practically nothing. Before she can object to the passing on the minutes of the previous meetings, she is given a do-nothing executive position to pacify small stockholders like herself, and stirs the whole company's pot into a frenzy. The very funny Broadway play (which starred the very different Josephine Hull) focused on a sweet little old lady, but was intelligently altered as a vehicle for Holliday.
Paul Douglas, Holliday's co-star from the original stage version of "Born Yesterday', is wonderfully witty (and sweet!) as the founder of the company who becomes Holliday's ally in Washington where he now works in a government job. There's no stopping this team against the ruthless idiocy of the likes of Ray Collins, Fred Clark (in a hysterically funny snarky performance!) and John Williams, showing that big business cannot survive without the little people.
Paul Douglas, Holliday's co-star from the original stage version of "Born Yesterday', is wonderfully witty (and sweet!) as the founder of the company who becomes Holliday's ally in Washington where he now works in a government job. There's no stopping this team against the ruthless idiocy of the likes of Ray Collins, Fred Clark (in a hysterically funny snarky performance!) and John Williams, showing that big business cannot survive without the little people.
Deeeeeelightful !
byron-11627 January 2020
I had first seen this film on its initial release in 1956. Although I was then only in my teens, I had thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I watched the film again today - 64 years laters and loved it even more. It's a deeeeeelightful movie ! Need I say more?
If Only the Real World Were This Simple
ldeangelis-7570815 February 2023
This was a fun, entertaining movie, which will have anyone who's sick of corporate power trips rooting for the "little people" to wrest some of that power from their greedy hands!
Judy Holliday's her usual unique self, as Laura Partridge, who takes her ownership of ten shares of stock in "International Projects" seriously, as her numerous questions at a stockholders' meeting cause the "powers that be" to offer her a token job to shut her up. No such luck!
She turns her nothing position (Director of Shareholder Relations) into something special, as she corresponds with shareholders, gets to know them, and uses that to better the company and make improvements, which includes getting the founder and former CEO, Edward McKeever (Paul Douglas), to leave his new government job in D. C. and return to captain the ship he abandoned.
It may be far-fetched, it may be improbable, and the solutions may come too easy, but it's still a lot of fun.
Judy Holliday's her usual unique self, as Laura Partridge, who takes her ownership of ten shares of stock in "International Projects" seriously, as her numerous questions at a stockholders' meeting cause the "powers that be" to offer her a token job to shut her up. No such luck!
She turns her nothing position (Director of Shareholder Relations) into something special, as she corresponds with shareholders, gets to know them, and uses that to better the company and make improvements, which includes getting the founder and former CEO, Edward McKeever (Paul Douglas), to leave his new government job in D. C. and return to captain the ship he abandoned.
It may be far-fetched, it may be improbable, and the solutions may come too easy, but it's still a lot of fun.
HOLLIDAY & DOUGLAS ARE A PERFECT MATCH...!
masonfisk1 February 2022
A wonderful 1956 comedy starring Judy Holliday & Paul Douglas. Douglas is the CEO of a company about to resign his position & head to Washington D. C. to serve at the discretion of the president but during the announcement of this at a shareholders' meeting, Holliday, a low level stock holder (she owns a measly 10 shares), interrupts asking questions about the board members inflated salaries & such. Managing to get a ride home from Douglas, she both charms & infuriates him w/her outlook on life & promises to keep a firm eye on the boardmen to keep them on the straight & narrow. The new chief operating officer, played by John Williams (not the composer!), trying to assuage the members' tensions at Holliday's incessant presence at meetings comes up w/the idea to give her job; writing letters to junior stockholders (but really a non-job) whenever they'd write in. At first w/nothing to do, Holliday decides to initiate correspondence w/the stockholders & slowly wins them over w/her personable yet pointed letters. Hoping to enact a takeover, the board sends Holliday to D. C. to engage Douglas to send government contracts his old company's way (which he hasn't been doing due to federal law) which eventually sets up the final proxy fight between the junior stockholders & the board. Great fun across the board w/Holliday's winning naivete (which usually masks her burgeoning capability to catch on) & 'aww shucks' look at life never gets old w/Douglas (slowly becoming a go to character actor for me) equally charming as we see their eventual romantic union develop before out eyes. Great support comes from Fred Clark & Arthur O'Connell as company employees w/George Burns knowing drollness oozing in his narrating voice over.
50s Take on Corporate Greed
iquine19 March 2019
Warning: Spoilers
(Flash Review)
Female power to the rescue! A common sense female, who is an super minority stakeholder in a company, speaks up at a shareholders meeting firing off questions to the board members such as why do you make so much money? What exactly do you do and how can you justify your compensation with the tasks you perform? Makes you feel good watching her 'stick it to the man'. Ha. The movie's opening makes it blatantly clear that most of these board members are crooked so her persistent line of questions is validated. Obviously irritated and the fact that she keeps digging into their business, they strategically hire her to shut her up. Of course once an employee, she doesn't follow the status quo and now has insider access and a romantic angle helps out to. How long until she uncovers their unscrupulous wheeling and dealings? This being an easy to follow 50s RomCom, it is no surprise tables will soon dramatically turn. This was a fun little viewing, a slice of 50s business world and the core points are never more relevant than today and sadly probably into the future.
Female power to the rescue! A common sense female, who is an super minority stakeholder in a company, speaks up at a shareholders meeting firing off questions to the board members such as why do you make so much money? What exactly do you do and how can you justify your compensation with the tasks you perform? Makes you feel good watching her 'stick it to the man'. Ha. The movie's opening makes it blatantly clear that most of these board members are crooked so her persistent line of questions is validated. Obviously irritated and the fact that she keeps digging into their business, they strategically hire her to shut her up. Of course once an employee, she doesn't follow the status quo and now has insider access and a romantic angle helps out to. How long until she uncovers their unscrupulous wheeling and dealings? This being an easy to follow 50s RomCom, it is no surprise tables will soon dramatically turn. This was a fun little viewing, a slice of 50s business world and the core points are never more relevant than today and sadly probably into the future.
This film is truly adorable! Comic gold.
cgvsluis6 February 2022
This might be Judy Holliday at her best, but the whole supporting cast was great.
The film is narrated by the distinct voice of George Burns and is a story for the small share holders of publicly traded companies. It begins at a shareholders meeting in which Judy Holliday asks some very important questions...like clarifying the executives' salaries and how much work they do for those high salaries. This sets her and her ten shares up as being a bee in the company's CEO's bonnet.
As the top execs try to keep her under wraps, she continues to show that she isn't as dumb as they think she is. The whole story sets up one big David and Goliath show down in the end.
This was truly a delightful surprise for me. I have only seen Judy Holliday in Born Yesterday...(which is a great film but difficult to overcome her high pitched whiny voice which is over exaggerated for the film). The film was funny and unlike anything I had every seen before.
In the end it's about Love, right, and the power of the people. I highly recommend watching this film.
The film is narrated by the distinct voice of George Burns and is a story for the small share holders of publicly traded companies. It begins at a shareholders meeting in which Judy Holliday asks some very important questions...like clarifying the executives' salaries and how much work they do for those high salaries. This sets her and her ten shares up as being a bee in the company's CEO's bonnet.
As the top execs try to keep her under wraps, she continues to show that she isn't as dumb as they think she is. The whole story sets up one big David and Goliath show down in the end.
This was truly a delightful surprise for me. I have only seen Judy Holliday in Born Yesterday...(which is a great film but difficult to overcome her high pitched whiny voice which is over exaggerated for the film). The film was funny and unlike anything I had every seen before.
In the end it's about Love, right, and the power of the people. I highly recommend watching this film.
A good comedy set in the world of corporate America
SimonJack19 December 2021
"The Solid Gold Cadillac" is a very good comedy romance that stars Judy Holliday and Paul Douglas. But, unlike the plot of the 1950 film, "Born Yesterday," for which Holliday won the Oscar as best actress, this film is not one of many laughs. It doesn't have the witty and clever script with dialog that evokes laughter. Rather this is a film of humorous situations. Indeed, the very plot is a situation that begs for humor. And, it's dutifully supplied as much by a supporting cast that includes some of the best of the day. Fred Clark as Clifford Snell, John Williams as Jack Blessington, and Ray Colins as Alfred Metcalfe know how to bring out the funny very well.
Douglas plays his part as Edward McKeever pretty straight. He is an honest businessman who built a big corporation from the ground up. He disposes of his major ownership stock and semi-retires to go to work for the government handling defense contracts. The film was adapted from a Broadway play, and the time of the plot is during World War II. But the new men at the helm - Blessington, Snell, Metcalfe and others, are all something less than honest businessmen. The very opening of the film sets that up for the audience with George Burns narrating as the new corporate heads file into the board room for the stockholders meeting. The first one, he says, he wouldn't trust with a quarter. The next one, not with a dime. Then a nickel, and so on.
The opening showed the possibility of a comedy satire, but it didn't go any further than that. Instead, this becomes a comedy in which Holliday's Laura Partridge upsets the apple carts of the new men in charge. McKeever, in the meantime has headed for Washington, D. C., where he is overseeing wartime contracts. The boys back in the NY office are sore that he hasn't sent any business their way. The story comes to a head when Laura convinces McKeever that he needs to take back control of the company.
This is a good comedy with a slight and slowly developing romance. How it got the title it has is revealed at the end of the film. In my past, I knew two men who started their own companies and built them from the ground up to be very good manufacturing firms. They were honest and hardworking men whose efforts benefited their communities with many good jobs. But, when they were bought and taken over by big national firms, the companies' community presence, impacts and jobs declined substantially. That's not to say that the big corporations were dishonest, but it was clear that corporate greed overruled community concerns and care for workers.
After World War II and Korea, Dwight Eisenhower became president of the U. S. from 1953 through 1960. Ike had been the Commander-in-Chief of all Allied forces in Europe during WW II. When he left office after his last term as President, he warned the nation about the increasing power of the military-industrial complex.
In the 21st century, the biggest new businesses started from the ground up are in the computer and communications media fields. With their power, they pose different types of threats - the control of information and freedom of speech. But, unlike the business successes of the past that took many years and decades to build, the new technical businesses have sprung up almost overnight as young entrepreneurs invent or discover a new or unique service to sell. And, those new wealthy corporate bosses don't have the experiences with work forces and communities, and are even more remote and removed from communities and the common man.
Douglas plays his part as Edward McKeever pretty straight. He is an honest businessman who built a big corporation from the ground up. He disposes of his major ownership stock and semi-retires to go to work for the government handling defense contracts. The film was adapted from a Broadway play, and the time of the plot is during World War II. But the new men at the helm - Blessington, Snell, Metcalfe and others, are all something less than honest businessmen. The very opening of the film sets that up for the audience with George Burns narrating as the new corporate heads file into the board room for the stockholders meeting. The first one, he says, he wouldn't trust with a quarter. The next one, not with a dime. Then a nickel, and so on.
The opening showed the possibility of a comedy satire, but it didn't go any further than that. Instead, this becomes a comedy in which Holliday's Laura Partridge upsets the apple carts of the new men in charge. McKeever, in the meantime has headed for Washington, D. C., where he is overseeing wartime contracts. The boys back in the NY office are sore that he hasn't sent any business their way. The story comes to a head when Laura convinces McKeever that he needs to take back control of the company.
This is a good comedy with a slight and slowly developing romance. How it got the title it has is revealed at the end of the film. In my past, I knew two men who started their own companies and built them from the ground up to be very good manufacturing firms. They were honest and hardworking men whose efforts benefited their communities with many good jobs. But, when they were bought and taken over by big national firms, the companies' community presence, impacts and jobs declined substantially. That's not to say that the big corporations were dishonest, but it was clear that corporate greed overruled community concerns and care for workers.
After World War II and Korea, Dwight Eisenhower became president of the U. S. from 1953 through 1960. Ike had been the Commander-in-Chief of all Allied forces in Europe during WW II. When he left office after his last term as President, he warned the nation about the increasing power of the military-industrial complex.
In the 21st century, the biggest new businesses started from the ground up are in the computer and communications media fields. With their power, they pose different types of threats - the control of information and freedom of speech. But, unlike the business successes of the past that took many years and decades to build, the new technical businesses have sprung up almost overnight as young entrepreneurs invent or discover a new or unique service to sell. And, those new wealthy corporate bosses don't have the experiences with work forces and communities, and are even more remote and removed from communities and the common man.
Another fine performance out of Holliday's nine films!
talisencrw1 May 2016
Judy Holliday captivated me greatly, in the few of her only 9 credited films she made in her short life, before breast cancer silenced her at 43. She had a very unique presence in cinema, her voice alone was one-of-a-kind, and her comic timing was nothing short of genius. This was a fine vehicle for her (pardon the pun), in that she plays a friendly but naïve lady who inherits a cat and 10 shares in a corruptly run company, decides to attend a shareholders' meeting, and the rest is history. She fulfills the axiom that if a large company makes personal connections with the small shareholders, the little people behind the scenes who keep large corporations surviving, that the good, honest person can win in big-time American big business. Because of Holliday's splendid personality, she was perfectly cast for the role. Though her character's romance with co-star Paul Douglas' was a minor, but important, feature of the film, I found this screwball comedy in an inexpensive Mill Creek 'Classic Romances' 8-pack, that I only purchased to see another one of Holliday's performances. I think that esteemed and highly of her work.
She was born on June 21, 1921--the summer solstice--and she would be turning 95 this summer, if she was still alive. My only wish is that she was, to at least read this, a love letter, from a truly appreciative fan of her work.
She was born on June 21, 1921--the summer solstice--and she would be turning 95 this summer, if she was still alive. My only wish is that she was, to at least read this, a love letter, from a truly appreciative fan of her work.
Judy is SOLID GOLD
Enrique-Sanchez-569 March 2001
Wonderful, perfect romp with Judy Holliday doing what she does best...make us laugh, cry and fall in love with her and her characters.
Her acting in Solid Gold is as perfect as can be. The script and wonderful character actors, Paul Douglas, Fred Clark, Paul Collins and Neva Patterson, who support her, do their very best to bring this whimsical story to life.
Judy may not be a household name to most - but to me, she will be one of the inextinguishable shining angels in the celluloid firmament.
Her legacy will live on as long as we want to laugh at ourselves.
This movie is a must-see comedy if you like to feel good.
Her acting in Solid Gold is as perfect as can be. The script and wonderful character actors, Paul Douglas, Fred Clark, Paul Collins and Neva Patterson, who support her, do their very best to bring this whimsical story to life.
Judy may not be a household name to most - but to me, she will be one of the inextinguishable shining angels in the celluloid firmament.
Her legacy will live on as long as we want to laugh at ourselves.
This movie is a must-see comedy if you like to feel good.
Money makes the world go 'round, gold apparently also does...
andreviane11 October 2022
I loved every bit of this story about the beauty and sincerity of being naïve, sincere and to believe in dreams, to dedicate our life to them instead of spending it by collecting gold. Which will not feed you, nor quench your thirst when your well runs dry. The last minute kills the story's intention, American style, probably imposed by the producer or the company. One of the major (human?) problems on our planet: one is rewarded with gold (in color!) for anything positive we accomplished. Why gold and not just a bone to chew on, like our dogs? The final sequence was filmed in color, to better show off the supposedly "solid gold Cadillac", what the f...? I know this word is not meant to be written or spoken, come on... Brilliant writing and actor's direction, but the ending tries to convince us like any C. E. O., teacher or pastor would: "give in, gold is awaiting you"!
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