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Review

His Girl Friday

Director

Howard Hawks

Year

1940

Rating

Reviewed by

Gon C Curiel a.k.a. Groucho

Review date

Thursday, June 08, 2006

Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur’s hit newspaper play “The Front Page” became through the decades a favorite for film adaptations, but it’s Howard Hawks’ version (its second film rendition) which gave it a radical, brilliant twist: It turned one of the two male leads into a woman and, even better, made her the recently divorced ex-wife of her counterpart.

The ambitious editor Walter Burns is played by Cary Grant—a brilliant slapstick performance—and his ex-wife and ace reporter Hildy Johnson is played by Rosalind Russell, whose comedic bravura and dominating screen presence turned out a perfect match for her all-too-famous co-star.

The hilarious twist has Hildy retiring from journalism to marry the dull but loving insurance salesman Bruce Baldwin (Ralph Bellamy). Walter can’t let her go, especially not in the middle of a sensational story; he wants her to write this last one, probably even influencing the news through her skills. One last story… Not such a bad idea for a woman who loves being a reporter but is about to settle as a housewife. Her swan song, why not? Oh no, she won’t do it. Or will she?

Walter convinces her to do one interview and go away; but she doesn’t count on Bruce getting into trouble with the law every two minutes, obviously the crafty work of Walter and his goons.

The story they’re after is that of mentally-disturbed murderer Earl Williams (John Qualen), who’s going to be hung the day after unless proved ill—which might not be a smart move by the current Mayor (Clarence Kolb) in the wake of reelection. If Hildy can prove that the Mayor has been covering the killer’s mental health for his own good, their newspaper will write history.

Hildy is soon absorbed by the story, especially after Earl escapes, but she’s also all-too-worried about Bruce and indignant about Walter’s actions. Yet, she’s a professional. And maybe still just a little in love with Walter after all.

His Girl Friday is not only a brilliant mixture of screwball comedy and journalistic drama. It’s also a revolutionary film in the way it overlaps dialogue scene after scene. Its script is said to be lengthy enough for three hours, yet the running time is just half that length, which required an incredible effort by sound recording technicians, unthinkable at the time.

The result is a lightning-paced story with machinegun delivery that emphasizes both comedy and sensationalism. Charles Lederer’s screenplay is smart enough to create a balance between the many genres (comedy/drama/romance) and never let go in any. The use of brilliant character actors as reporters who walk in and out of the press room and make phone calls at the same time is an enlightening move. The many candlestick phones that appear in every scene are a perfect symbol of what this film has to offer.

One of Howard Hawks’ masterpieces. A delight, not to be missed.

“Oh Walter, you're wonderful - in a loathsome sort of way.”

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