Live Life Team
Genre: Comedy
Director: Howard Hawks
Starring Cast: Cary Grant, Rosalind Russell, Ralph Bellamy
An ace reporter, Hildy Johnson (Russell), goes to the quick witted, self serving managing editor Walter Burns (Grant) who is also her boss and ex-husband, to tell him that she’s leaving the paper and is about to marry Bruce Baldwin, an insurance salesman. Burns comes to realise he wants Hildy back both as wife and top reporter.
He musters every trick in the book to damage the reputation of Baldwin, and tempts Hildy with a front page scoop about Earl Williams, a potentially innocent man who has been convicted of murder. Williams escapes from jail and, with the police in pursuit, heads to the newspaper office where the staff conceal him in a cabinet. In the centre of all the action, Hildy becomes aware that she doesn’t want to quit her job and also the guy she really loves is Walter Burns.
The original play “The Front Page” the movie is based on was altered to become His Girl Friday containing a romantic sub plot, which enhanced the editor-reporter relationship. Another of the film’s core elements is the fast paced story line. The movie makes use of interwoven conversation, quick fire delivery, cynical insults and plot twists, all the essential elements of an offbeat tour de force but at double speed and volume. So take a pause for air before watching His Girl Friday, you may not get chance to breathe again until the end.
