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Home , Ben Hecht, Bringing Up Baby, Charles Lederer, His Girl Friday, I Was a Male War Bride, Katharine Hepburn

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Discussion Questions for ‐Cleveland Gathering, Wednesday, April 2, 2014:

Focal Film: (1940; U.S.; Screenplay by (with substantial punch‐up by ), based on the 1928 play by and Charles MacArthur; Cinematography by Joseph Walker; Directed by for )

In His Girl Friday, the principal characters are: * Walter Burns, hard‐boiled, self‐centered newspaper editor, the “bad” ex‐husband of Hildy Johnson (played by ) * Hildy Johnson, Walter’s ex‐wife and former star reporter (played by ) * Bruce Baldwin, Hildy’s safe and dull fiancé, the only character in the film to speak slowly (played by ) * Earle Williams, convicted murderer who escapes and whom Hildy then hides (played by ) * Mollie Malloy, “prostitute” with a heart of gold who has befriended Earle Williams (played by Helen Mack)

The 1928 play has been adapted to film four times: As The Front Page in 1931 (D: ; S: Adolph Menjou, Pat O’Brien), as His Girl Friday in 1940, as The Front Page in 1974 (D: , S: , ), and as in 1988 (D: , S: , ). In the play, and in the first and third film adaptations, Walter and Hildy are both men. In the second and fourth film adaptations, Hildy is a woman. The original play was a satire on political corruption; for the gender‐switched versions, the focus moves to gender issues, with political satire relegated to a more minor role.

His Girl Friday was entered into the U.S. in 1993. It is #19 on the ’s list of funniest film comedies, “100 Years…100 Laughs.”

His Girl Friday is a great example of the genre of . Examples of other classic screwball comedies of the era (1934‐1942) are (1934), (1936), You Can’t Take it With You (1938), My Favorite Wife (1940), and The Lady Eve (1941). While most scholars place His Girl Friday squarely as a “classical” example of the genre, some feel it is “revisionist” or even “parodic” (e.g., Gerald Mast), i.e., belonging to later stages of the genre. Screwball comedy had a very precise set of characteristics that constituted its “contract” with the audience. These characteristics included:

1. Screwball comedy characteristic #1: A battle of the sexes. Using both verbal and physical conflict, “the screwball couple express attraction through aggression” (Leger Grindon). The comic romance often involves a romantic triangle, and sometimes a remarriage (). After a convoluted plot, the couple’s conflict is resolved at the end. As noted by Grindon in his book, The Romantic Comedy, the woman struggles for greater social autonomy, and even when there is an apparent victory for the man, the couple is ultimately transformed as they discover “a fresh basis for partnership…allied against outside forces.” How does this apply to His Girl Friday?

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2. Screwball comedy characteristic #2: A fantasy world of the eccentric rich…during the Depression. At least one eccentric character, usually the female, misbehaves and produces a “world turned upside down.” Because of her wealth, this misbehavior is “safe.” The eccentric behavior of the primary characters is played out against a backdrop of straight characters, thus lampooning the dignified. How does this apply to His Girl Friday? (And, is there a reversal here from the usual eccentric female, as proposed by writer Wes Gehring in his book, Romantic vs. Screwball Comedy?)

3. Screwball comedy characteristic #3: Fast‐paced dialogue that is used as sexual innuendo. In 1934, the Hayes Office began to enforce the Production Code, a set of movie industry self‐censorship rules that cut back on the more liberal standards of the “Pre‐code” era. Screwball comedy dialogue was a means of incorporating sexual tension into films without being explicit. How does this apply to His Girl Friday?

4. Screwball comedy vs. romantic comedy (“romcom”): Scholars debate the possible difference. While Leger Grindon (Hollywood Romantic Comedy) sees screwball comedy as one “cycle” in the genre of romantic comedy, coming after the “transition to sound” cluster (e.g., I’m No Angel, 1933) and before the “WWII/Homefront” cluster (e.g., The Major and the Minor, 1942). Genre theorist Wes Gehring, however, argues that screwball and romcom are separate—he says screwball emphasized “funny” while romcom emphasizes “love.” How does His Girl Friday stack up?

5. Which of the four main types of humor are most evident in His Girl Friday—disparagement/putdown humor, incongruity humor, dark humor, and social currency humor? Which of these best fit the screwball comedy conventions?

6. The pace of the dialogue in His Girl Friday may be the fastest of all time. Ted Sennett, in his book Laughing in the Dark, cites this legend, but provides no evidence. Scholar Maria DiBattista has called Hildy “the fastest of the fast‐talking dames of American screen comedy.” Citing the influence of the stage, others have noted the popularity of “machine‐gun dialogue” in film and radio during the first half of the , and have used this film as the prime example. The most objective evidence seems to be that the screenplay for His Girl Friday was 191 pages, and the final film ran only 92 minutes ( web site); the typical ratio is 1 or 1.5 pages of screenplay to 1 minute of screen time. Further, director Howard Hawks, noting that in real life people over‐talk one another, had lines rewritten so that the beginnings and ends of lines were unnecessary, and then instructed his actors to overlap their dialogue. In an era before multi‐track sound recording, Hawks had the sound switched “live” on set by turning microphones on and off. How does the rapid pace and overlapping structure of the dialogue have an impact on your reception?

7. Hawks encouraged his stars Rosalind Russell and Cary Grant (with whom he had an established working relationship) to come up with their own “bits, lines, and flights of fancy” (Todd McCarthy’s , Howard Hawks). One ad‐lib example is when Roz Russell throws her handbag at Grant and misses, and he says, “You used to be better than that.” Russell is quoted as noting, “It’s a good director who sees what an actor can do, studies his cast, learns about them personally, knows how to get the best out of them.” Russell even went so far as to hire her own gag‐writer. Your thoughts on the contributions of ad‐libbing to His Girl Friday?

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8. Unlike most other screwball comedies, this film has secondary characters that evoke our sympathies. The characters of Earle Williams and Mollie Malloy seem to better fit the social satire of the original play. Contrast these two characterizations with those of Walter and Hildy. Also, compare Hildy’s verbal style when interviewing Earle Williams with her interactions with Walter.

9. The character of Hildy Johnson in His Girl Friday is supposedly based in part on Hearst Newspapers’ reporter in Hollywood, Adela Rogers St. John, who was known for her striped suits. In the film, Hildy’s wardrobe (“gowns” by Robert Kalloch, according to the credits) is limited but striking. Her chevron‐striped long coat and matching soft silk top hat denote her as a powerful, confident woman at the outset. Then, after the 25‐minute prologue (not part of the original play), she switches to another set of stripes, this one a suit over a white blouse, with a complementing hat. However, she becomes increasingly disheveled— notably, mangling her hat‐‐as she moves back into her role as reporter…and as Walter’s subordinate. What are your thoughts on the role wardrobe plays in the portrayal of Hildy?

10. Similarly, although scholar Maria DiBattista has called this film’s Hildy “perhaps the best newspaperman ever portrayed on film,” she also points out that the very title “His Girl Friday” denotes a dated, retrograde view of women. Hildy’s character, like Friday in Defoe’s novel, is “indispensable but subordinate.” Thus, is the character of Hildy in this film an advancement for women, or ultimately a retreat to subordination?

11. Rosalind Russell (1907‐1976) was happy to land the role of Hildy Johnson, a close follow‐up to her comic turn in 1939’s . Prior to this, Russell had not been viewed as a comic actress. Of course, in future years she would become best known for her comedies—e.g., (1942), Auntie (1958), (1962), The Trouble with Angels (1966)—and comic‐relief roles in dramas—e.g., (1955). Rosalind Russell was not Howard Hawks’ choice for the role of Hildy; she was cast after the part was turned down by , , , Dunne, , , and (Doris Milberg)…pretty much a who’s who list of screwball comediennes. What do you think Rosalind Russell brings to the role that is uniquely her contribution? How would another actress have interpreted the role, do you think?

12. In her selection of Bruce Baldwin, a milquetoast who travels with his mother, Hildy has chosen a potential mate that is in direct opposition to Walter Burns. What are some specific contrasts between Bruce and Walter? And how is each suited to Hildy’s needs and desires?

13. What about the other female characters in the film? Is Mollie Malloy, as noted by scholar Marty Roth, “a version of Hildy, but a version that is thrown out the window and forgotten…a career woman who yearns to be private and domestic”? Is this the utility of the Mollie Malloy character—to help us see the futility of this yearning? And is Mother Baldwin a thematic counterpoint to Hildy, e.g., not welcome in the newsroom and ordered out by Walter?

14. The film’s director, Howard Hawks, was known in old Hollywood as a “man’s man,” whose dramas “showcase capable men of adventure who constantly live their lives on the edge.” Films such as Scarface (1932), To Have and Have Not (1944), Red River (1948), and Rio Bravo (1958) show this emphasis on the masculine and the rugged. Nevertheless, Hawks brought forth a series of strong, prominent women’s 4

roles, and was known as (among other things) “the key screwball director” (Wes Gehring). In addition to His Girl Friday, Hawks’ screwball comedies/romantic comedies included (1934), (1938), (1941), I Was a Male (1949), Monkey Business (1952), and Man’s Favorite Sport (1964). In contrast to his dramas, in Hawks’ comedies, men are generally the losers in the battle of the sexes. How does His Girl Friday fit into Howard Hawks’ directorial career?

15. According to Joseph McBride’s biography of Howard Hawks (Hawks on Hawks), the director accidentally discovered the viability of “screwballing” the old buddy story of The Front Page when he asked a female dinner guest to read the part of Hildy. Hawks loved the precision of the dialogue of the play, and was amazed at the new meanings brought to it by a change of gender. What changes do you notice, and how do these alter the overall message of the story?

16. According to writer Doris Milberg, Hawks had actually detected a male‐male romance (today we say “bromance”) in the original play The Front Page, and therefore his gender switch easily made sense to him. He followed through with some fairly androgynous and gender‐reversal behaviors, as noted by DiBattista: e.g., Hildy’s “self‐indifferent carriage forms a fascinating contrast to Walter’s narcissistic posing.” How are the stereotypic gender‐typed behaviors played out in the film? And how does Cary Grant’s performance contribute?

17. Hildy Johnson, highly professional reporter, was an early entry in a roster of notable female professionals in American movies of the —e.g., Mildred Pierce (1945) the restaurateur, ’s judge in The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer (1947), Katharine Hepburn as attorney in Adam’s Rib (1949) and professional athlete in (1952). Although certainly serving as a potential role model for girls, some critics have assessed Hildy’s status as a reporter as equivalent to her actually being a “man.” Your thoughts?

18. Hildy’s tears near the end of the film are out of “frustration, as her feminine and professional natures collide,” according to feminist writer . Your thoughts on this?

19. Motifs used throughout the film include hats and cigarettes. Can you think of examples of how these are used to convey meaning in the film?

20. In terms of production style, His Girl Friday is typical of screwball comedies—a relatively “straight shoot,” in which long shots are used to show physical action, numerous medium shots are used to indicate the relationships among characters, and close‐ups are used to provide emotional “reaction shots.” Can you think of examples from the film?

21. This film is also notable for its complete lack of musical under‐scoring. Only the opening and close are accompanied by music. With all the fast‐talking, we hardly notice. But, what impact does this lack of music have, do you think?

Discussion questions by Kim Neuendorf, Ph.D.: [email protected] Archive of Women in Film‐Cleveland discussion questions: http://academic.csuohio.edu/kneuendorf/womeninfilm v. 3/24/14