His Girl Friday
(Unrated, 1:31:43, Released 1940)
| Genres: | Drama, Classics, Comedy |
| Release Date: | Jan 18, 1940 |
| DVD Release Date: | Dec 28, 2004 |
| Starring: | Cary Grant, Rosalind Russell, Ralph Bellamy, Gene Lockhart, Helen Mack, Porter Hall, John Qualen, Ernest Truex, Clarence Kolb, Cliff Edwards |
| Directed by: | Howard Hawks |
| Synopsis: | The second screen version of the Ben Hecht/Charles MacArthur play The Front Page, His Girl Friday changed hard-driving newspaper reporter Hildy Johnson from a man to a woman, transforming the story into a scintillating battle of the sexes. Rosalind Russell plays Hildy, about to foresake journalism for marriage to cloddish Bruce Baldwin (Ralph Bellamy). Cary Grant plays Walter Burns, Hildy's editor and ex-husband, who feigns happiness about her impending marriage as a ploy to win her back. The ace up Walter's sleeve is a late-breaking news story concerning the impending execution of anarchist Earl Williams (John Qualen), a blatant example of political chicanery that Hildy can't pass up. The story gets hotter when Williams escapes and is hidden from the cops by Hildy and Walter--right in the prison pressroom. His Girl Friday may well be the fastest comedy of the 1930s, with kaleidoscope action, instantaneous plot twists, and overlapping dialogue. And if you listen closely, you'll hear a couple of "in" jokes, one concerning Cary Grant's real name (Archie Leach), and another poking fun at Ralph Bellamy's patented "poor sap" screen image. Subsequent versions of The Front Page included Billy Wilder's 1974 adaptation, which restored Hildy Johnson's manhood in the form of Jack Lemmon, and 1988's Switching Channels, which cast Burt Reynolds in the Walter Burns role and Kathleen Turner as the Hildy Johnson counterpart. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi |
| Full movie details |
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Other Top Reviews
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December 18, 2011
Fast-paced screwball of a romantic comedy (and widely considered the first ever) elicits more laughs than many comedies today. The best part about HIS GIRL FRIDAY is that not only does it try for humor, it succeeds at almost every try. Look back at today's romantic comedies: it's more often than not that one of them fails at much of its humor. In fact, this film makes modern rom-coms look downright dreadful.
Full Review: http://wp.me/p1Urcx-y8 -
August 16, 2011
Snappy dialogue and a quick-witted script highlight this film from 1940. Based on a play called "The Front Page", director Howard Hawks' "His Girl Friday" takes a comedically serious look at the sleezy world of yellow journalism. Star reporter Hildy (Rosalind Russell) is quitting the newspaper business to go lead a respectable life as the wife of insurance salesman Bruce Baldwin (Ralph Bellamy). However, her former boss (and ex-husband) Walter would rather she forget all this respectability business and come back to work for him (and also marry him again). The story he hopes will bring her back is the execution of cop murderer Earl Williams (John Qualen). Walter is fighting to get a pardon for Williams, who killed a "colored" cop and the mayor is only trying to get him executed because of the election coming up (because the colored vote is very strong in that town). Apparently, Williams was driven "crazy" because of all the hard times poor people must face, and when a gun was placed in his hand, he was compelled to use it. I guess all this is logical by 1930s standards, but many of these plot details had me cringing. There's a strange amoral morality at work with these characters. They do horrible things to innocent people to get what they want, but I suppose since they're the heroes of the film, we're supposed to root for them. The story is good however, I wonder if it might've been a better drama than screwball comedy.
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July 31, 2011
And you thought the Social Network was fast. Full review later.
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May 10, 2011
Witty banter abound in this noirish classic. I can't believe that people can springboard of each other that perfectly, but then again being an actor in that day and age meant really being on top of your game if you were to survive. Thankfully this film has survived many, many years later. The plot sort of gets lost and difficult to follow at times, but I was in it for its wit, which is more prevalent than a conventional story of its type usually is.
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March 2, 2011
A hard nosed newspaper woman decides to quit to marry and settle down, but when a death row inmate escapes and lands in her lap things get a little more complicated. His Girl Friday features one of the great screwball partnerships of all time as Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell bicker and swap wisecracks faster than a pair of Grouchos on amphetamines. Russell is a wonderfully independent female lead, giving as good as she gets from Grant's hilariously immoral and hustling newspaper editor. Beneath the fast paced laughs there is also plenty of black comedy and social satire to be had, poking fun at the media's attitude to what is "newsworthy", political corruption and a veiled commentary on the validity of the death penalty. Which all may go relatively unnoticed as you'll probably find yourself laughing too hard! The slightly flimsy plot gets a little lost underneath all the breathless banter and it's nowhere near as funny when Grant and Russell are not together on screen but as a whole, it's classic comedy.
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fb619846742February 23, 2011An overall outstanding, impressive film dealing with a conniving newspaper editor (Cary Grant) who schemes to keep his ex-wife and star reporter (Rosalind Russell) around after she tells him that she plans on leaving town and getting married to her fiance (Ralph Bellamy) the next day. While at times this movie approaches "incomprehensible" territory in the sense that sometimes you have absolutely no idea what is going on because each one the characters is talking at such a rapid speed, it is still an enjoyable ride that movies at a very fast pace. Cary Grant gives a stellar performance as a frustrated, ruthless individual who will do any thing to try to jump-start his relationship with his ex-wife. Russell is equally impressive, and the story is absolutely funny on a consistent basis, thanks mostly to Grant's facial expressions and timing. It is not the four-star classic many feel it is (mainly because much of the dialogue is not understandable, and it doesn't feel natural all the time, it feels sort of forced for the sake of being "different"), but it is still an overall very well done comedy that is certainly worth a view.
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October 11, 2010
this might be my favorite screwball comedy, just as funny as ever, with a sharp underpinning of social commentary. grant's flow is fantastic here and russell is with him every step of the way. shame this was their only film together; they're a great pair. lines fly so thick and fast several viewings are essential. far superior to the remake with matthau and lemmon called the front page
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September 29, 2010
This fast paced comedy feels a bit rushed at times, but they're only trying to give you the same feeling that the reporters have about having to rush all the time, which is cool. Great cast. This is a must see movie.
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August 2, 2010
More famous for Gypsy and Mame, Rosalind Russell plays bumbling perfectly. Cary Grant, as always is male, ego driven, and chauvinistic, in the best possible way. Howard Hawks directs the masterpiece.
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July 2, 2010
Best screwball comedy I have seen yet. Howard Hawks is utterly brilliant and before his time in this. Grant is phenomenal. I could watch this movie every day for the rest of my life and still laugh at all the jokes.
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March 30, 2010
Probably one of the greatest films ever made. The fact that it was so relevant and judgmental of the time is why it stands apart from most screwball comedies. The chemistry is amazing and Cary Grant delivers one of his many knockout performances as Walter Burns. The newspaper aspect is perfect for the fast dialogue and quick witted humor. While itâ??s funny, itâ??s also got a very tragic and serious note to it. The political scandal in which an innocent man is framed and a woman is drawn to suicide is really makes it a more effective movie. I would say that itâ??s the most well done romantic comedy ever without any debate.
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September 24, 2007
Fun and snaptastic, but this is the worst quality movie I've ever seen. Cary Grant is at his best, with perfect comic timing.
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August 9, 2007
i hear they speeded-up the dialogue to perk up the film's pacing...which has resulted in my own personal inferiority complex, angry that i could never even think as fast as these people do and talk and act all at the same time. the movie where roz russell achieves beauty...reason alone to watch.
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October 27, 2006
Lightning fast snappy dialogue. Grand and Russell are great together.
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July 18, 2012
Although I must say the screenplay is magnificent (one of my favorites) and the acting is superb, for some reason, the movie drags on. Throughout the 92 minute run time, I constantly found myself checking how far I was into the movie. Overall, it's a well acted and written romantic comedy but sometimes leaves viewers bored and unexcited.
Favorite Scene: When they discover the man in the desk -
January 8, 2009
A rapid-fire comedy masterfully directed by Howard Hawks and jam-packed with outstanding performances. As hilarious as it is intelligent, this is one of the best movies of the 1940s.
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June 12, 2007
Most famous for how fast the characters talk. Seriously, they're really fast. Enjoyable diversion that only wears out its welcome towards the end. It's nice to see a woman hold her own for a movie made in 1940.
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November 10, 2012
"His Girl Friday" is what most people refer to as the very best of the screwball comedies, and I think it's fair to say that if not the best, it certainly is one of the better ones. The characters and the situations that they find themselves in are always clever and their dialogue is always chock full of wit, and Rosalind Russell does quite well alongside Cary Grant, who is as funny as ever. My favorite appearance came from Billy Gilbert, whose character made me laugh more than any other.
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June 4, 2011
This movie is in the public domain. It's a movie about one-liners.
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May 17, 2010
I think it would've been ok if they had replaced Rosalind Russell's character with... well, anything except her. I didn't find her believable at her and I'm not sure if that's a fault of the horrific dialogue written or her acting skills, but I couldn't stand her. Grant was ok as usual. I don't really like him, but I don't hate him either. The plot was kind of gay too, I hate how they're so quick to get back together with their ex, etc.
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November 1, 2009
This film is an absolute triumph for everyone involved in the production. Even by today's rapid standards the dialogue snaps too fast for you to notice every joke. Based on an amazing play by Ben Hecht, Howard Hawks directs an insurmountable adaptation that's a comedy of substance, style, and performing perfection, all at the same time. Cary Grant and Rossalind Russell make sure of it.
It would take forever to mention every secondary character ... and their characteristic comic contribution to the film. It's a bunch of fast-talking, fast-thinking rogue journalists that would have sold their mothers to the zoo if they were certain that they would get a few good laughs out of it. In juxtaposition to all these suspicious types, stands Ralph Bellamy, as the naive "prince", Bruce Baldwin, who promises to take Rosalind Russell's Hildy Johnson away to his lovely and quiet "castle", promising a life of splendid, yet life-ending (read: boring as hell) domesticity. It's not a wonder that Hildy will do anything to get "that last story" written up, on the way falling accidentally on the lap of Cary Grant's irresistible Walter Burns... -
September 30, 2009
Snappy, hilarious, fast-talking and just damn brilliant.
"Walter Burns: You've got the brain of a pancake. This isn't just a story you're covering - it's a revolution. This is the greatest yarn in journalism since Livingstone discovered Stanley.
Hildy Johnson: It's the other way around.
Walter Burns: Oh, well, don't get technical at a time like this. " -
September 2, 2009
Great acting and performances by Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell. They were so quick and on-top of their dialogue that they make real people look retarded, haha.
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August 17, 2009
His Girl Friday is my favorite film of all time. It has been since the first time I saw it, when I was 12. Cary Grant is never better as newspaper editor Walter Burns, who is about to lose his ace reporter and ex-wife Hildy Johnson (a superb performance by Rosalind Russell) to marriage to an insurance man (Ralph Bellamy). Just so happens a major news story breaks as convicted murderer Earl Williams, who is about to be put to death, escapes from custody. Walter convinces Hildy to take this last job assignment and he will sign a nice big check for an insurance policy for the soon to be wed couple. During her investigation, Hildy manages to track down Williams and tries to keep him safe from the police and the mayor. A wonderful mix of comedy and some drama make this my all time favorite film. Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell make a terrific dream team. The one liners fly fast and furious, expertly handled by the entire cast. Great direction by the legendary Howard Hawks. Highly recommended.
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Wilson, reporter: Any dope on how he escaped?
McCue, reporter: Maybe the sheriff let him out so Williams could vote for him.
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Walter Burns: Sorta wish you hadn't done that, Hildy.
Hildy Johnson: Done what?
Walter Burns: Divorced me. Makes a fella lose all faith in himself. Gives him a... almost gives him a feeling he wasn't wanted.
Hildy Johnson: Oh, now look, junior... that's what divorces are FOR! -
July 5, 2009
I don't understand why everyone is so enchanted with this film. I didn't find it funny. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood to laugh. I just didn't care for it. Grant is great as usual.
