The Major and the Minor (Universal Cinema Classics)

The Major and the Minor (Universal Cinema Classics)

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Editorial Reviews

Academy Award® winners* Ginger Rogers and Ray Milland sparkle in this debut comedy from Academy Award®-winning** writer-director Billy Wilder. A frustrated city girl (Rogers) decides to disguise herself as a youngster in order to get a cheaper train ticket home. But little "Sue Sue" finds herself in a whole heap of grown-up trouble when she hides out in a compartment with handsome Major Kirby (Milland) and he insists on taking her to his military academy after the train is stalled. This "memorable comedy" (Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide) is a laugh-out-loud classic for all ages!

On her first day of work, Sue Applegate (Ginger Rogers) has to escape the clutches of a lecherous client (Robert Benchley, whose favorite line is "Why don't you slip out of that wet coat and into a dry martini?"). Fed up with the big city, Sue decides to head home to Iowa with the precious $27.50 train fare she's kept in a sealed envelope since her arrival. The fare has gone up, however, and she is forced to pose as a 12-year-old to buy a half-price ticket. On the train, she has to dodge the suspicious conductors and bursts into the compartment of Major Phillip Kirby (Ray Milland), who falls for Sue's masquerade and harbors her for the night. The situation is further complicated by the major's fiancée (Rita Johnson) and her savvy 12-year-old sister (Diana Lynn), the only one who sees through the ruse. Add a stay at the major's academy and some escapades with young, hormone-driven cadets, and you have an enjoyable, if not quite classic, silly comedy, well paced by Billy Wilder in his first directorial effort. Rogers's real-life mother appears in a small role as Sue's mother. Rogers is only occasionally convincing as a 12-year-old, but after all she was 30 at the time. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews

entertaining

Reviewed by classic girl, 2010-03-03

i know this movie is in black & white, but i couldn't help falling in love with this movie. a combination of innocence and playful teenage/adult scene. i would've loved to see how they looked in color, but black & white is just as good in telling this love story. they show scenes of tap dancing and ball dancing, which aren't popular in this day and age anymore. this movie is funny, adorable, entertaining and ofcourse has a classic happy ending. girl is pretty and the guy is cute.

Absolutely and Wonderfully Hilarious!!!

Reviewed by L. K Reyes, 2010-01-01

The plot has already been stated. Ginger Rogers needs to get home and only has enough money for the half-fare rate given to those under twelve. So the hilariousness ensues as she poses for being one week shy of twelve. No, she doesn't exactly look twelve. But her acting is superb. Her adeptness at changing voices and personalities according to her ages is amazing. The hilarious scenes that ensue with younger military lads trying to woo her is just a riot. I laughed my hardest at this movie. As someone who looks younger than her age many of the scenes definitely resonated with me. I whole-heartedly recommend!

A good laugh revisited

Reviewed by Sue Squires, 2009-11-05

I have always loved this movie. Can't afford the full train fare, so you disguise yourself as a child? Delays on the way, and an overprotective eligible man takes you under his wing? Too totally unbelievable to be true? Then let's make a comedy that we can come back to time and again.

Every now and then, over the years, I would catch this movie on the TV, but never remembered the name. Well, I've finally found it, immediately got myself a copy, and find that my memory of it isn't even as good as the movie. Although even as a child I couldn't figure out why anybody would mistake Ginger Rogers for a child, the story was well done, with a number of memorably humorous scenarios (especially like the young scientific girl -- the only one who figures out that Su-su wasn't who she said she was; and the devious nature of the young (all male, in those days) cadets for cadging a kiss). I also loved Jerry Lewis (You're Never Too Young) when it was done again several years later, but The Major and the Minor will always remain my favourite version.

Ss

The Major and the Minor

Reviewed by T. Forster, 2009-10-18

Great classic movie. Ginger Rogers plays a great part. This movie is a must see and a must have in any classic collection.

LOVE THIS MOVIE

Reviewed by Shellie, 2009-09-13

This is one of my all time favorite movies! It is so cute! Although the storyline may not be completely believable(how many are?). Ginger Rogers is funny and witty as usual! Some old movies get kind of boring, not the case with this one!