His Girl Friday

His Girl Friday

11/1/1940 1h 32m 7.4/10

Overview

Walter Burns is an irresistibly conniving newspaper publisher desperate to woo back his paper’s star reporter, who also happens to be his estranged wife. She’s threatening to quit and settle down with a new beau, but, as Walter knows, she has a weakness: she can’t resist a juicy scoop.

Director

Howard Hawks

Top Billed Cast

Cary Grant

Cary Grant

Walter Burns

John Qualen

John Qualen

Earl Williams

Ralph Bellamy

Ralph Bellamy

Bruce Baldwin

Rosalind Russell

Rosalind Russell

Hildy Johnson

Gene Lockhart

Gene Lockhart

Sheriff Hartwell

Clarence Kolb

Clarence Kolb

Mayor

Reviews

CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

6/23/2022

7/10

This is a belter of a film! Essentially just a two hander with Cary Grant ("Walter Burns") as the editor of a newspaper facing the loss of his ex-wife, and best reporter Rosalind Russell ("Hildy Johnson") who has decided to marry Ralph Bellamy ("Bruce Baldwin") and start a new life. Anyone who enjoys the modern day writing of folks like Aaron Sorkin will immediately appreciate the depth and class of the clever, witty writing and the superbly fast paced delivery from both as Grant tries all sorts of manoeuvres to change her mind; frame her new fiancée and stop a man from going to the electric chair with the aide of little else but a few telephones and the odd interjection from some great supporters - Gene Lockhart, Porter Hall, John Qualen and Abner Biberman as his go-to fixer "Louie". Russell is no shrinking violet, either - she has plenty of great one-liners and retorts of her own, and the equality with which they scrap makes this all the more fun. The ending is a touch too inevitable, and maybe just a little too muddled and that robs it of a killer punch; but this is still a cracking romantic comedy.

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