Uniformes et jupons courts

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.

I have to admit, when I first read the synopsis for this movie, it sounded so ridiculous I almost didn't watch it. I want to urge others not to make this mistake. This is one terrific film. Ginger Rogers is absolutely perfect. No, she doesn't really LOOK like she is 12, but who cares, it's a comedy. There are many humorous moments, and Rogers' character is quite well developed. Ray Milland also comes off well. This is one of Billy Wilder's finest efforts!

Susan Applegate (Ginger Rogers) gives up on pursuing her dreams in New York, and decides to return home on the next train. Not being able to afford an adult ticket, she pretends to be 11 (12 next week). This plan is rough to start with, and gets more difficult when she meets a handsome military man (Ray Milland) on the train...

Billy Wilder had gotten sick of his writing being taken by directors and butchered from his original vision. This marks his directorial debut, and it is a brilliant piece of film. Is it his masterpiece? Probably not. But I'd say it is better than many other of Wilder's works.

Can Ginger Rogers pull off being 12? On one hand, clearly not. But, at the same time, any actress that could would probably not be able to be the woman that is hidden underneath the child disguise. For the most part, the transformation is impressive, even if not completely believable.

I absolutely loved this film, and have not found myself more engrossed by a classic film in a long time (and I do watch plenty of classics). If you love Billy Wilder or Ginger Rogers, or want to get acquainted with either one, I would say this is the film for you.

This classic screwball comedy marked Billy Wilder's directorial debut and in the Wilder canon it's largely been neglected but it remains a joy from start to finish with a great comic performance from that greatest of comediennes Ginger Rogers. She's a hard-boiled Hannah who has to pass for a 12 year old in order to get a half fare rail ticket, (you see, she doesn't have the money to buy an adult ticket). It's utterly ridiculous which is why it's so funny; that and the fact that it's graced with a great Wilder and Brackett script. Ray Milland is also superb as the Major of the title that she latches onto and naturally falls for and there's a terrific supporting cast that includes Robert Benchley, Diana Lynn and the underrated Rita Johnson. Of course, it lacks the cynicsm of Wilder's later work which in this case is all for the best.

This Billy Wilder film stars Ginger Rogers as a grown thirty year old woman passing herself off as a twelve year old kid, PLEASE!! The storyline is unbelievable BUT....made very funny and watchable by its stars.

Susan is a woman who is fed up with New York. She left her little hometown to find happiness in the big city, only to find it filled with disappointment. So she decides to head back home on the train. When she gets there she finds that she is short funds. Not knowing what to do she gets a hairbrained idea that she could simply pass herself off as a kid to pay less!! When the conductor on the train gets wise, she runs and hides in the compartment of Ray Milland. Ginger makes little SuSu(Susan) so cute and delightful and Milland is funny and sweet as the(obviously blind) military school teacher.

It sounds stupid but it isn't really. Give it a chance and you'll love it. ENJOY!!