His Girl Friday (film)
**Overview of *His Girl Friday* (Film)**
*His Girl Friday* is a 1940 American comedy directed by Howard Hawks and produced by Columbia Pictures. The film follows Walter Burns, a fast-talking newspaper editor, who attempts to win back his ex-wife, Hildy Johnson, by drawing her into a story about a murder conviction. Adapted from the 1928 play *The Front Page* by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, the film features a significant gender twist, as the originally male character of Hildebrand is transformed into the female Hildy, enhancing the witty repartee between the lead characters. Starring Cary Grant as Walter and Rosalind Russell as Hildy, the film is noted for its rapid-fire dialogue and innovative use of overlapping speech, which was groundbreaking for its time.
Set against the backdrop of a newspaper office in New York City, the plot unfolds as Walter employs various tactics to prevent Hildy from marrying her fiancé, Bruce Baldwin, leading to a mix of comedic chaos and sharp commentary on the balance between career and marriage for women. Despite its critical acclaim, *His Girl Friday* did not receive any Academy Award nominations at the time of its release, yet it has since earned a reputation as a classic and was preserved in the National Film Registry for its cultural significance.
His Girl Friday (film)
- Release Date: 1940
- Director(s): Howard Hawks
- Writer(s): Charles Lederer
- Principal Actors and Roles: Cary Grant (Walter Burns); Rosalind Russell (Hildegard "Hildy" Johnson); Ralph Bellamy (Bruce Baldwin); Abner Biberman (Louis "Diamond Louie" Peluso); Porter Hall (Reporter Murphy); Frank Jenks (Reporter Wilson); Regis Toomey (Reporter Sanders)
- Book / Story Film Based On: The Front Page by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur
His Girl Friday was a classic American comedy released in 1940 by Columbia Pictures and directed by Howard Hawks. The film centers on newspaper editor, Walter Burns, who uses the story of a murder conviction to lure his ex-wife, Hildy Johnson, back into his arms and away from her fiancée. The film was adapted for the screen by Charles Lederer from the 1928 play The Front Page, by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur. Another film version of this story was made in 1931 and used the original title, The Front Page.
When pre-production for the film began, the producers intended on making a close adaptation of the play, in which version both Walter and Hildy are men. However, during the casting process, Hawks was intrigued by the sound of Hildy’s dialogue as read by his secretary (a woman). He preferred the witty repartee of Hildy and Walter’s dialogue when it was spoken between a man and woman, and had the script re-written so that Hildebrand became Hildegard. Cary Grant was cast in the lead role of fast-talking newspaper editor, Walter Burns, but the producers struggled to secure an actress to play the part of Hildy.
Initially, the producers wanted actress Carole Lombard to play the part, but had to rethink when her freelance fee was too high. Actress Irene Dunne was cast in the role of Hildy, but halted production when she believed the part was much too small and demanded the writers revise the script to make the role bigger. After several high profile actresses including Katharine Hepburn and Ginger Rogers turned down the role, the producers cast Rosalind Russell. Russell was reportedly insecure that she had been so far down on the list of desired actresses for the role, and clashed with director Hawks on set.
Plot
His Girl Friday is set in New York City, where Walter Burns, the editor of The Morning Post, is visited by his ex-wife, Hildegard "Hildy" Johnson. Hildy, who used to work as a reporter, informs Walter that she is engaged to marry insurance salesman Bruce Baldwin and is moving to Albany. Walter tries to halt her plans by tempting her with the opportunity to write about the impending execution of Earl Williams, who is convicted of murdering a police officer. Walter lies, saying that his usual reporter is on leave, and that the newspaper needs Hildy’s help. Hildy sees through Walter’s plans, but eventually relents when Walter agrees to buy an insurance policy from Bruce. As Hildy begins investigating the story, she quickly settles back into her role as a reporter and discovers that the only reporter at the paper who thinks Williams to be innocent is Molly Malone. Meanwhile, Walter tries everything he can to stop Hildy from marrying Bruce, repeatedly having Bruce arrested on fake charges, including the theft of a watch.
It is soon revealed that both the mayor and the sheriff are crooked, and are relying on the success of Williams’ execution for re-election. When Joe Pettibone arrives at the governor’s office with an acquittal for Williams, they try to silence him with a bribe. Back at the newspaper, Hildy is surprised when Earl Williams climbs in through the window, and immediately calls Walter to tell him. With the help of Molly, Hildy hides Williams in a desk in the pressroom, unbeknownst to the reporters who enter. Bruce arrives, telling Hildy that he is leaving on a train to Albany, and she lets him leave as she has gotten so caught up in her story, but not before giving him money for his train (she is unaware the Walter has replaced this money with counterfeit bills). In the ensuing chaos, police accuse Walter of kidnapping Bruce’s mother and question Hildy about Williams’ whereabouts, and soon discover the fugitive hiding in the desk. Pettibone enters and exonerates Williams and Walter just in time, and the sheriff is forced to release them.
Hildy receives a phone call from Bruce, who has been arrested for spending counterfeit money at the train station. Walter then proposes to Hildy again, promising that they can take the honeymoon they never had at Niagara Falls, and the pair ventures upstate to cover a story.
Significance
His Girl Friday was one of the first of a string of many comedies that were made in the 1940s that highlighted the struggle for women to choose between marriage and career. In addition, His Girl Friday is notable for its use of fast-paced and witty dialogue. It was one of the first films to use overlapping dialogue, with characters speaking over one another. Many films that preceded His Girl Friday had an actor wait for another to finish speaking before talking, even during a heated argument. To make the dialogue more realistic, Hawks encouraged the actors to speak over one another. Due to the fact that when the film was shot multi-track recording had not yet been invented, recording the overlapping dialogue was a complex process. The on set mixer had to turn on and off overhead microphones at just the right times so that the proper actor speaking could be heard. This could happen up to thirty-five times in one scene. One restaurant scene took four days to shoot, due to the intricacy of this recording process.
Director Hawks encouraged his actors to ad lib during takes, to further add authenticity to the quick dialogue. Rosalind Russell repeatedly took issue with the fact that Cary Grant’s character had better lines than hers, and used Hawks method as an opportunity to add flare to Hildy. Russell secretly hired a writer, who wrote lines for the actress to "ad lib." The film took two months to shoot, with production beginning in September and ending in November of 1939, only a week behind schedule.
Despite being well received by both critics and audiences alike, His Girl Friday was not nominated for any Academy Awards upon its release. However, it is considered a classic in its genre, and in 1993, the Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the United States National Film Registry, distinguishing the film for its cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance.
Bibliography
Brunette, Peter, ed. Howard Hawks: Interviews. Jackson: U of Mississippi, 2006. Print.
Hecht, Ben, and Charles MacArthur. The Front Page: A Play in Three Acts. New York: French, 2010. Print.
"His Girl Friday (1940)." Turner Classic Movies (TCM). Turner Entertainment Networks, 2015. Web. 31 Aug. 2015. <http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/206/His-Girl-Friday/>.
McBride, Joseph, ed. Hawks on Hawks. Lexington: U of Kentucky, 2013. Print.
Russell, Rosalind, and Chris Chase. Life Is a Banquet. New York: Random House, 1977. Print.