BORN YESTERDAY tells the story of brassy blonde moll Billie, who finds herself in Washington, D.C. with Harry, her uncouth junkyard millionaire boyfriend, and his sleazy lawyer, who have come to buy” a congressman for their unscrupulous dealings. In an effort to make Billie more socially acceptable, Harry hires a journalist (William Holden) to “smarten” her up. But Harry’s plan goes awry when the two not only fall for each other, but also end up exposing Harry and the entire scheme.

Against the backdrop of Washington D.C. and American political history at large, Cukor strikes a delicate balance between comedy and drama, as he threads anti-fascist commentary throughout this skillfully plotted script, based on Garson Kanin’s stage play of the same name.

Moderated by Yiddishkayt’s Executive Director Rob Adler Peckerar with Boris Dralyuk, Editor-in-Chief of the Los Angeles Review of Books and co-sponsor of this series, our esteemed panel includes J. Hoberman, New York Times film critic and author, and Violet Lucca, writer and member of the New York Critics’ Circle, who will delve into the film’s political themes and its importance in cinema history.

Be sure to stream BORN YESTERDAY in advance on Amazon, YouTube, or Apple TV, before we meet, then join us on Facebook or YouTube for the live conversation.

The LAYKA Lens film series is made possible in part by a grant from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs and supported, in part, by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture.