The Major and the Minor (1942)

Director:

Billy Wilder

Writers:

Fanny Kilbourne (story)
Edward Childs Carpenter (play)
(more)

Release Date:

16 September 1942 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

Is She A Kid - Or Is She Kidding?

Plot:

A woman disguises herself as a child to save on a train fare and is taken in charge by an army man who doesn't notice the truth.

Plot Keywords:

Switch Board | Male Female Relationship | Love | Adult As Child | Train

Cast

Ginger Rogers	...	Susan Kathleen 'Su-Su' Applegate
Ray Milland	...	Major Philip Kirby
Rita Johnson	...	Pamela Hill
Robert Benchley	...	Albert Osborne
Diana Lynn	...	Lucy Hill
Edward Fielding	...	Colonel Oliver Slater Hill
Frankie Thomas	...	Cadet Clifford Osborne
Raymond Roe	...	Cadet Lt. Anthony Wigton
Charles Smith	...	Cadet 'Cozy' Korner
Larry Nunn	...	Cadet Adjutant Babcock
Billy Dawson	...	Cadet Lt. Miller
Lela E. Rogers	...	Mrs. Applegate (as Lela Rogers)
Aldrich Bowker	...	Reverend Doyle
Boyd Irwin	...	Major Griscom
Byron Shores	...	Captain Durand
Richard Fiske	...	Will Duffy
Norma Varden	...	Mrs. Osborne
Gretl Dupont	...	Mrs. Shackleford
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tom McGuire	...	News vendor (scenes deleted)
Guy Wilkerson	...	Farmer truck driver (scenes deleted)
George Anderson	...	Man with Esquire magazine (uncredited)
Stanley Andrews	...	Conductor #1 (uncredited)
Marie Blake	...	Bertha (uncredited)
John Bogden	...	Cadet (uncredited)
Carl R. Botefuhr	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Ralph Brooks	...	Extra in Train Car (uncredited)
Dick Chandlee	...	Cadet (uncredited)
Bill Clauson	...	Cadet (uncredited)
Ethel Clayton	...	Bit part (uncredited)
James Conaty	...	Officer (uncredited)
Billy Cook	...	Cadet (uncredited)
Stanley Desmond	...	Cadet Shumaker (uncredited)
Tom Dugan	...	Con Man in Railraod Station (uncredited)
Mary Field	...	Wilbur & Margie's Mother in Railroad Station (uncredited)
Bess Flowers	...	Guest at Cadet Ball (uncredited)
Ralph Gilliam	...	Cadet (uncredited)
Kenneth Grant	...	Cadet (uncredited)
Lynda Grey	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Bradley Hail	...	Cadet (uncredited)
Sam Harris	...	Cadet Ball Guest (uncredited)
Dell Henderson	...	Doorman (uncredited)
Carlotta Jelm	...	Margie, Little girl in railroad station (uncredited)
Dickie Jones	...	Cadet (uncredited)
Alice Keating	...	Nurse (uncredited)
Milton Kibbee	...	Station agent (uncredited)
Stephen Kirchner	...	Cadet (uncredited)
Jack Lindquist	...	Cadet (uncredited)
Ken Lundy	...	Elevator boy (uncredited)
David McKim	...	Cadet (uncredited)
Freddie Mercer	...	Wilbur, Little boy in railroad station (uncredited)
Edmund Mortimer	...	Cadet Ball Guest (uncredited)
William Newell	...	Ticket agent #2 (uncredited)
Buster Nichols	...	Cadet (uncredited)
Billy O'Kelly	...	Cadet (uncredited)
Emory Parnell	...	Conductor #2 (uncredited)
Edward Peil Sr.	...	Stationmaster (uncredited)
Jim Pilcher	...	Cadet (uncredited)
Billy Ray	...	Cadet Sommerville (uncredited)
William Roy	...	Cadet Summerville (uncredited)
Archie Twitchell	...	Sergeant at Main Gate (uncredited)
Gloria Williams	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Don Wilmot	...	Cadet (uncredited)
Will Wright	...	Ticket agent #1 (uncredited)

Directed by
Billy Wilder

Writing credits
Fanny Kilbourne		(story "Sunny Goes Home") (as Fannie Kilbourne)
Edward Childs Carpenter		(play "Connie Goes Home")
Charles Brackett		(writer) and
Billy Wilder		(writer)

Produced by
Arthur Hornblow Jr.	....	producer

Original Music by
Robert Emmett Dolan

Cinematography by
Leo Tover

Film Editing by
Doane Harrison

Art Direction by
Roland Anderson
Hans Dreier

Costume Design by
Edith Head

Makeup Department
Wally Westmore	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Charles C. Coleman	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Don Johnson	....	sound recordist
Harold Lewis	....	sound recordist

Camera and Electrical Department
Ernest Laszlo	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1942) (USA) (theatrical)
• Junes Planning (2007) (Japan) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2007) (Australia) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2007) (New Zealand) (DVD)
• Suevia Films (2006) (Spain) (DVD)
• Universal Home Entertainment (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Universal Studios Home Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Australia:G | USA:Approved (PCA #8270) | Finland:K-16 (1943) | Finland:S (1964)

Filming Locations:

St. John's Military Academy - 1101 North Genesee Street, Delafield, Wisconsin, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

It was decided to include scenes of Susan's (Ginger Rogers's) mother. Spring Byington was the first choice but was appearing in another film. Rogers suggested her real mother Lela E. Rogers, who got the role.

Quotes:

Susan Applegate: You should be very glad I'm not 12. I was a very straightforward child. I used to spit.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Remington Steele: Elegy in Steele (#2.16)" (1984)

Soundtrack:

Lover

Major Falls for Minor

"The Major and The Minor" is director, Billy Wilder's, first directorial movie, and it was a hit. About 90% of Billy Wilder's comedies were hits. It's an adorable story about a New York City working girl (Ginger Rogers) wanting to go home to Iowa, but not having enough money for the train fare so she goes as a minor (12 years old). Along the way, she meets a Major from a boys military school (Ray Milland) and gets involved with his life unintentionly and falls in love.

It is an unusual story, but it works. The chemistry between Rogers and Milland is perfection. They made a great team. In 1944, they made another terrific movie, "Lady in the Dark", which was a comedy with musical numbers. This was Ginger Rogers' best movie and Ray Milland was her best leading man. They complimented each other. Ginger Rogers and Ray Milland had something in common, they could do comedy and drama easily. Not many actors can do that.

My favorite thing about this movie is the romance, but the next thing I liked is the supporting actress, Rita Johnson, who was a superb villain in comedies. She was always fighting to get the guy.

I won't say the movie is dated but you do notice the movie represents the 1940's during the war years; it shows how the people looked and acted differently than they do today.