His Girl Friday

"They're at each other's throats when they're not in each other's arms!"

1940 1h 32m EN

👍

7.4

SOLID

★7.4TMDB · 981

ComedyRomanceCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“They're at each other's throats when they're not in each other's arms!”

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Cast

Cary Grant
Walter Burns
Rosalind Russell
Hildy Johnson
Ralph Bellamy
Bruce Baldwin
Gene Lockhart
Sheriff Hartwell
Porter Hall
Murphy
Ernest Truex
Bensinger
Cliff Edwards
Endicott
Clarence Kolb
Mayor

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Howard Hawks
Writers: Charles Lederer, Ben Hecht, Howard Hawks
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

86 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Howard Hawks, shot by Joseph Walker. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Sidney Cutner. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Gene Havlick shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell and Ralph Bellamy carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "They're at each other's throats when they're not in each other's arms!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0032599 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Howard Hawks directs. Joseph Walker behind the camera. Sidney Cutner scores. Gene Havlick cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

186 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Howard Hawks, shot by Joseph Walker. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Sidney Cutner. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Gene Havlick shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell and Ralph Bellamy carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "They're at each other's throats when they're not in each other's arms!".
7IMDB entry: tt0032599 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 23 themes, including "prison", "journalist", "suicide", "journalism".
9Released under 14 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Joseph Walker
Original score: Sidney Cutner
Editing: Gene Havlick
Costume design: Robert Kalloch
Runtime: 92 min · 1h 32m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: His Girl Friday (1940)

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Howard Hawks

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-06-23
★ 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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