Review of His Girl Friday (1940) by Alex W — 21 Jul 2014

If you don't want to do it for love, how about money?

A newspaper editor and chief is about to lose his ex-wife to another man. He loves his ex-wife but can't stop working long enough to make the relationship work. Just as she is about to leave, a unique story surfaces and both the ex-husband and ex-wife knows she is the perfect candidate to cover the story. She reluctantly takes the job as her last story before retiring from the newspaper industry. Will the editor get her girl back or has that ship sailed?

"How many times you got a murderer locked up in a desk?".

Howard Hawks, director of The Big Sleep, Rio Bravo, Bringing Up Baby, Gentlemen Prefer Blonds, El Dorado, Monkey Business, and Scarface (1932), delivers His Girl Friday. The storyline for this picture is very well written and contains a great primary love story mixed with an intriguing subplot of a man wrongfully accused in jail (or so we think). The acting is wonderful and the chemistry between characters was perfect. The cast includes Cary Grant, Gene Lockhart, Ralph Bellamy, Rosalind Russell, and Regis Toomey.

"Watch where you're aiming, will you?".

I grabbed this off Netflix because it starred one of my favorite actors, Cary Grant (that, and I was ashamed I had never seen this). I loved the lines and speed by which they were delivered throughout this film (it reminded me a little of Scandal). I adored the conclusion and felt the film was very original and well paced overall. I strongly recommend seeing this classic picture.

"You're a cockeyed liar and you know it!".

Grade: A.