His Girl Friday

"His Girl Friday" is a dance done in words, right when Rosalind Russel walks into the office of Cary Grant, she's inviting him to a tango, and he's more than willing to oblige. These two people were once married, but there's still a spark to them because they know they can bring out the worst in one another but also the best. In short, these two people were made for each other, in fact they deserve each other, and if they did not end up together in the end, then it would indeed be a tragedy.

The legend of "His Girl Friday" started with the story of when director Howard Hawks invited a bunch of friends over to his house. He or someone at the party took out Ben Hect's play "The Front Page" where the play is inspired from, only with two men in the roles of reporter and editor. Hawks then suggested to have a woman play the reporter role, which suddenly changed the whole dynamic and in fact making it funnier and sexier. For the film, Hawks would get Rosalind Russel to play Hildy the ace reporter, and his favorite actor Cary Grant as her editor Walter Burns, and with that this screwball masterpiece was born.

The set up is simple, Hildy goes into Walter's office telling him she's quitting the newspaper business for good and getting married to a nice momma's boy Bruce Baldwin (Ralph Bellamy) and live the rest of her life in Albaney with him and his mother. We know this isn't the life for Hildy and Walter knows it too, his job is to get her convinced her life is as a "Newspaper man". It just so happens Walter needs Hildy's skills to cover a hanging of a man named Earl Williams who's accused of murdering a cop. Earl may be innocent, but there are many political powers wanting to hang him for their benefit.

Hildy agrees after Walter agrees to give the newlyweds a large insurance policy which is Bruce's vocation. But we, including Hildy know it won't be that simple, Walter will stop at nothing short of murder to scoop the story and keep Hildy on his payroll.

Watching "His Girl Friday" now, is like watching a favorite routine. In these kinds of films, there are certain riffs, certain rythims the actors work with that stay with you. Even after all these years, there are certain lines, or zingers that still get me off guard and surprise me.

The film is never stale, it's fast and furious, life would have to speed up in order to pass these guys by. Everyone in the film live in the moment, to them it's a game, a routine, it's fun, it's exciting. Hawks himself loved focusing on people and their profession, you could see a guenuine affection towards how people could love their work. Hildy in particular is the quintissential Hawks woman, someone who could role with the guys, and just be as tough, even more tough. The most feminine person in the film is poor hapless Bruce and his mother. Of course Hildy shouldn't be with him, Walter is the only one who could upstage her, he's got her number, and she knows it. She loves the dance, she doesn't want the music to stop and niether do we.

Walter is her svengali, make no mistake, he's a manipulator, he's a conman, a crook, and a swindler, and if he wasn't portrayed by Cary Grant, we may not like him. It's to the benefit of Hawks, Grant, and the script, that we want Walter to succeed, he's a comic dynamo, I miss him in that part in the middle where he's not on screen, and when he is finally with Hildy in the last 20 or so minutes, it's like banter that comes down from heaven.

I suppose this film is what you would call a favorite, it's basically as perfect as perfect could be. It's designed to lift you up out of mundane life and watch two people who know eachother inside out have some fun. They are liars, swindlers, and cheaters, but it's okay, this is what love should be, if only it were this perfect everywhere.