234. His Girl Friday

His Girl Friday (1940)

Director: Howard Hawks

Starring: Cary Grant

Rosalind Russell

Ralph Bellamy

IMDb Rating: 7.9

My Rating: 7.5

"I thought it would be a novelty to have a face around here a man could look at without shuddering."

Newspaper editor Walter Burns (Cary Grant) has just found out that his ex-wife Hilda Johnson (Rosalind Russell) is engaged to a new man and is leaving town. To make matters worse, it turns out that Hilda is the newspaper's best reporter. Walter still loves Hilda, and doesn't want to lose her. He decides to make a deal with her and her new fiancee insurance salesman Bruce Baldwin (Ralph Bellamy). Walter will buy a $25,000 insurance policy from Bruce in exchange for one last story from Hilda. Walter then sets Bruce up for trouble at every corner, and throws Hilda into a news story that will remind her of the profession and the man that she is leaving behind. What follows is a fast-paced dark comedy that keeps you engaged the entire crazy ride.

Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell are a fantastic pair. Grant is up to his usual smooth, wise-cracking ways. Grant's character of Walter Burns isn't much different than roles he has played in other films. He is charming, debonair, and utterly hilarious. Although, a style like Grant's never gets old. Rosalind Russell's performance is perfect up against Grant. She brings forth a powerful female presence than dominates almost every scene that she is in. The scenes with both Grant and Russell are the true gems of this picture.

I did enjoy His Girl Friday quite a bit. It is rare that comedies of today are this smart. Grant and Russell are indeed the shinning beacons of this film. Their often hilarious banter really carries this film into it's classic status. I recommend this movie if you enjoyed films such as Charade or It Happened One Night.