Reviews (8)

A fun film, with great chemistry between Hudson and Prentiss
My wife loves this film and is a great fan of Rock Hudson. I have long admired Paula Prentiss, so I bought the film on VHS video for my wife three years ago. After watching it twice with my wife since, now that it is available on DVD, I soon plan to add it to our DVD library, as well. It is always great, fluffy and lightweight fun. It seems to improve with each and every viewing and just grows on you. The chemistry between Rock Hudson and Paula Prentiss is perfect and she is certainly very easy on the eyes. The supporting cast is also excellent. I can heartily recommend it to anyone looking for a pleasant and entertaining film.

That's a joke, son....
The line, above, taken from the movie, reminds me that often I need to have things explained to me. Let me explain.
I am pretty sure, but not certain, that I saw this movie in high school, when it was released in 1964. At that time, it was simply (and simple) fun. The second time I watched, was MANY years later, out of nostalgia.
However, a strange thing happened as I grew older, continuing to watch it now and again. I became aware of, and appreciative of, how much of the humor in the dialog played against the supposed differences between the way men and women use words, and all that implies. I guess it's not very flattering, but I sometimes think that everything I know about women, I learned from this movie.
Some of the obvious strengths of the movie -- goofy physical comedy, Henry Mancini's droll music, and a fine supporting cast, including the pristine 'Lake Wakapoogee' -- brought me back to this movie a third time. Over time, however, I have come to appreciate the gentle, good-natured fun it pokes at men and women. Did the people involved with this movie intend it to be fun AND thought-provoking? I won't hazard a guess; I'll just be grateful for the joke, and the explanation.
Even if you do not think much of this review, watch the movie anyway, and if you are a curious kind of person that likes to think about things, watch it a second time, twenty years later! (That's a joke son....)

Will someone please give Nancy...
...her medication. I think she may need to up her Zoloft prescription. Try not typing in all capitals Nancy, it makes you look even more unintelligent than you probably are. Of course, on reflection, that may not be possible.

Highly recommended film by the way.

A TALL FISH TALE
A sort of throwback to the screwball comedies of the 1930's. It reminds one of the pairings of Cary Grant and Kate Hepburn such as Bringing Up Baby or The Philadelphia Story. By that as it may, I have watched this film several times over the years and I am repeatedly impressed with the level of comic intensity throughout the narrative. The plot line is simple enough: a fairly solid looking man has great success built on a secret. Rock Hudson has written a well-regarded book on fishing. The secret is Hudson has never been fishing in his life. Along comes Paula Prentiss who corners Hudson into participating in a fishing tournament at her outdoors resort. Of course, in the end Hudson wins the tournament and is exposed for the fraud he is. In spite of being proved to be a fake, Hudson comes out on top and falls for Prentiss as well.

As a story none of this is believable but that is never the point. What we have is a story in which silliness is the point. How we get from beginning to end is where the art is. There is no serious message here which is why this film is as light and appealing now as it was forty years ago. It is also startlingly clean as sex comedies go. There is no foul language and the most "flesh" one sees is a smidgen of panty from an unzipped dress.

We tend to think ourselves as a bit superior about these old movies in that we know Hudson was gay in real life. "Ha Ha Ha. People back then really believed that Hudson would have fallen for Prentiss. .Ha Ha Ha" Well stuff it. Hudson was an actor who wanted to make us laugh. It would be a real tragedy if all we do is laugh at him.

Best Fishes From Rock Hudson
This is a forgotten comic gem from master director Howard Hawks (RIO BRAVO). MAN'S FAVORITE SPORT is a throwback to his early screwball comedies featuring Cary Grant and Kate Hepburn (i.e. BRINGING UP BABY) and even pays homage to '...BABY' recreating a scene from the film. In "...BABY", Kate Hepburn's dress is torn at the back, exposing her undergarments, during a posh dinner party. Cary Grant must walk her out by walking behind her and holding her very close in unison with her every step. Rock Hudson does the same thing with actress Maria Perschy in '...Sport' when her dress is torn and exposing her back undergarments during a fishing lodge dinner party. Rodger Willoughby (Hudson) works at a sporting goods store selling fishing equipment and giving expert fishing advice to patrons and even has "written" books on the subject. However, he has never been fishing and really knows nothing of the sport. He is then entered into a fishing contest at a a resort by the store's publicity director Abagail (Paula Prentiss). When the truth is revealed to her by Rodger, he is entered anyway and must learn the sport along the way and try not to be exposed as a fraud. Naturally, by sheer luck and hilarious comedic circumstances he is able "catch" some fish and win the contest. Hudson, fresh from his bedroom farces with Doris Day is excellent as his character is the victim of all kinds of predicaments brought on by Abagail (Prentiss), who in turn is so annoyingly adorable. Great performances all around with some great support characters, namely Norman Alden (BACK TO THE FUTURE, ED WOOD) as John Screaming Eagle, the so-called lake resort 'Indian' guide, and John McGiver as William Cadwalader as Hudson's boss at the department store. Overall, a film with a funny script,some great sight gags when Hudson is fishing (i.e. the bear on the moped), great cast of supporting characters, great outdoor scenery, and the subject of fishing is a always a plus for any movie. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

The Front Page, Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur's classic 1928 newspaper play, has had three official film versions and contributed structural DNA to half the movies ever made about professional camaraderie and fierce love-hate friendships. Lewis Milestone's 1931 movie is well respected (Billy Wilder's 1974 version isn't), but this is one case where the remake towers brilliantined head and blocked shoulders above the original.

Howard Hawks had the inspired notion of making Hildy Johnson--the ace newsman whom demonic editor Walter Burns is trying to keep from quitting and getting married--a she instead of a he. What's more, she's not only Walter's star reporter but also his ex-wife. When Hildy (Rosalind Russell) comes to tell Walter (Cary Grant) she's leaving the newspaper business, he bamboozles her into carrying out one last assignment--a death-row interview with a little nebbish (John Qualen) convicted of killing a policeman. It sounds like a snap, but before you can say screwball comedy, the press room of the Criminal Courts Building has become ground zero for all the lunacy a jailbreak, a shooting, an impromptu suicide, a corrupt city administration, and the most Machiavellian "hero" in the American cinema can supply.

His Girl Friday is one of the, oh, five greatest dialogue comedies ever made; Hawks had his cast play it at breakneck speed, and audiences hyperventilate trying to finish with one laugh so they can do justice to the four that have accumulated in the meantime. Russell, not Hawks's first choice to play Hildy, is triumphant in the part, holding her own as "one of the guys" and creating an enduring feminist icon. Grant is a force of nature, giving a performance of such concentrated frenzy and diamond brilliance that you owe it to yourself to devote at least one viewing of the movie to watching him alone. But then you have to go back (lucky you) and watch it again for the sake of the press-room gang--Roscoe Karns, Porter Hall, Cliff Edwards, Regis Toomey, Frank Jenks, and others--the kind of ensemble work that gets character actors onto Parnassus. --Richard T. Jameson ... Read more

Reviews (76)

Witty and entertaining
(Please note that the DVD version I am reviewing is the Laserlight release that features an additional documentary on the life of Cary Grant as well as an introduction by an even-more-confused-than-usual Tony Curtis.)

With Laserlight you can never predict from the outside case exactly what the quality of the film itself is going to be in. I've watched good quality prints from them in the past, but I've also seen some truly awful releases that aren't worth the plastic that they're pressed on. Fortunately, their version of HIS GIRL FRIDAY is quite excellent, with a crisp picture and a clear soundtrack. Their budget releases are usually worth the risk, and in this case, you end up with a great movie that's quite well preserved and all for a fairly low price.

The movie itself is simply fantastic. The dialogue comes flying at you so fast that'll be afraid to laugh for fear of speaking over the next line. The story itself is also intensely funny, and deceptively dark. What begins as a seemingly light romantic comedy slowly becomes more and more twisted until the final scene, where the reinstatement of the romance subplot reminds us of how far we've come. It's a testament to the skills of the director, Howard Hawks, that the result is not only coherent, but also highly enjoyable. The story flows effortlessly from moment to moment, with each scene being slightly more frantic than the last, yet still together enough to be extremely entertaining.

The acting from the two main leads is also a delight. In the past I had thought of Cary Grant as always playing the same sort of character in every film. Although, you'll see some similarity to other roles that he played, he's incredibly amusing in this film and playing a far more manipulative character than I'd seen him perform. It's a nice change to see the usually easily befuddled Cary Grant actually running rings around the rest of the cast.

As for the DVD extras, they don't distract from the feature, but they won't be the deciding factor in whether you purchase this DVD or not. The included documentary, CARY GRANT ON FILM: A BIOGRAPHY runs about 28 minutes long and consists mainly of random trailers that span Grant's entire film career. It's fairly interesting, although not terribly riveting. The introductory remarks by Tony Curtis are as bizarrely entertaining as always. The film contains Spanish, Japanese and Chinese subtitles, but does not include an option for English, which is a slightly annoying oversight.

In the end, it's not the extras that you should be buying this disc for; it's the wonderful film that's packaged with them. Kick back, relax, and watch the dialog fly across the screen. You'll want to keep the remote control handy so that you can rewind to catch all the great moments that you missed while laughing over them.

which version to buy? There's only one!
OK, we all know that 'His Girl Friday' (aka 'The Front Page') is a terrific movie which belongs in every DVD collection. But there are some really bad, almost unviewable versions out there. Fortunately, I chose the right version, and it's a clean crisp image, tightly-focused sound -- a joy throughout. So if you want 'His Girl Friday', make sure you get the Laserlight DVD version, complete with a Cary Grant biog documentary and an unvelievably hokey intro from Tony Curtis on a bad day. I got the Laserlight disc from Amazon for around $7 -- the really bad dubs other reviewers have complained about from other companies cost more! I've found Laserlight transfers of old films are generally ok -- their cheapie Hitchcock transfers of 'The Lady Vanishes' and 'The 39 Steps' are almost as good as as Criterion in image, though pretty scratchy in sound. For a budget label, they do a good job compared to the absolute garbage put out by Madacy and others. So remember -- 'His Girl Friday' has to be from Laserlight or you're wasting your money and buying something totally unviewable. And no, this is NOT a paid ad! Just trying to steer people towards a good edition of a classic comedy. If Laserlight wants to thank me, they could prepare a DVD edition of my favourite of all Billy Wilder comedies, 'The Major and the Minor' with Ginger Rogers and Ray Milland. Love those 1940s comedies!

brilliant film--dreadful DVD
Don't buy this DVD. The sound quality is terrible--a loud hissing noise overshadows the film's trademark fast, witty dialog. $5 seemed a small investment at the time, but I should have saved my money. Surely someday those who own the rights to "His Girl Friday" will release a DVD worthy of this wonderful classic.

Get The Girl
1940's His Girl Friday is a fast-paced comedy from director Howard Hawks that is has brilliant pacing and performances from Cary Grant & Rosalind Russell. The film is based on the play, The Front Page and had been previously made into a film and those versions concern the professional relationship of two men, Walter Burns & Hildy Johnson. In this version they changed the gender of Hildy to a female and the professional tension of the original is replaced by sexual tension. Though it seems tame today, the erotic electricity & innuendo between Mr. Grant & Ms. Russell was quite groundbreaking for the time. The screenplay has been one of the most influential in film history, with Quentin Tarantino citing it as an inspiration for his script's pacing.

VINTAGE SCREWBALL SPARKLES ON DVD FROM COLUMBIA
"His Girl Friday" is Howard Hawk's inspired remake of the award-winning Broadway play and previous movie release of "The Front Page". It's the story of a rapid fire newspaper editor, Walter (Cary Grant) and his star reporter and ex-wife, Hildie Johnston. Hildie has decided to retire to the country with her soon to be new husband (Ralph Belamy). But when a prison break captures the imagination of a troupe of cutthroat reporters, all rabid for the real scoop, Hildie sets aside marital bliss for one last hurrah behind the desk as a cub reporter.
THE TRANSFER: BEWARE OF THIS DVD! There are no less than 12 bootlegged versions of this film being sold through various vendors on DVD. In all but one case the image quality looks as though the entire print had been fed through a meat grinder. The version you want is the one from Columbia Tri-Star Home Video. Its packaging features a disclaimer that reads "mastered from the original camera negative." This version of "His Girl Friday" exhibits - in short - exemplary video quality. The B&W picture has been completely restored. Age related artifacts are nonexistent. The gray scale, black and contrast levels are perfectly realized. Fine detail will astound. There are no digital anomalies. The audio is mono but very nicely cleaned up.
EXTRAS: This version also includes some very nice - if all too brief - featurettes on the careers of stars Rosiland Russell and Cary Grant and the making of the film. There's also the original theatrical trailer.
BOTTOM LINE: This girl is worth seeking out! ... Read more

Reviews (61)

CLARK + CLAUDETTE = FUN~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
What a great film ! The chemistry and dialogue that exists between Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable is amazingly BRILLIANT and FUNNY! This is the type of black and white film that can be watched forever and ever and never seem "dated" and out of touch w/recent times: after all, its been almost 7O years since this movie was made and it still ranks up there w/ some of the best comedies of today! I wasn't even born when the movie was made but I enjoyed it so much, I wanted to watch it again and again! If that doesn't convince you, this video won 5 Oscars: Best Actor (GABLE), Best Actress (COLBERT), Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay!!

Here's a little summary for those who don't know what its about. Claudette Colbert plays Ellie Andrews, a rich, spoiled heiress running away from her family. During the trip, on a bus, she meets street-smart reporter Peter Warne, played by the handsome Clark Gable. Ellie is definitely NOT street-smart, and she's having a few problems, so Peter agrees to help her out and travel w/ her in exchange for an exclusive story. They go through many adventures together, despising each other along the way, until they find that they are reluctantly falling in love and afraid to admit it to each other...besides its a little bit more complicated since she's a married woman. AN EXCELLENT FILM, WITH A PERFECT ENDING-ONE OF GABLE'S BEST!! I GIVE IT A PERFECT 5 STARS!! AAA+++++

Simply The Best
I don't claim be a movie expert, but this is the best film I have ever seen. I already owned a VHS copy, but on buying a DVD player I paid good money to have this disc shipped to me in England - and boy was it worth it! The picture quality is as good as you will find anywhere and the sound is superb too. The DVD is also jam-packed with extra features. The film's commentary is provided by Frank Capra Jr. He has a wonderfully relaxed style and doesn't just sound as if he's reading from a prepared script. Along with Ron Howard's commentary for Apollo 13, this is the best DVD commentary I have heard to date. A special feature unique amongst DVDs must be the radio version of 'It Happened One Night', first broadcast in 1939, again starring Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable. Whoever had the idea of including this on the DVD deserves a salary rise. The disc also includes trailers, cast lists, some beautifully illustrated posters and also a Frank Capra Jr introduction. This really is an extremely impressive package of Frank Capra's masterpiece.

"Excuse me lady, but that upon which you sit is mine."
Peter Warne: Why didn't you take off all your clothes? You could have stopped forty cars.
Ellie Andrews: Well, ooo, I'll remember that when we need forty cars.

On-screen chemistry has the ability to turn a good film into something special. Look no further than Frank Capra's "It Happened One Night" for proof of this. Whoever came up with the idea of pairing Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert together in this production certainly earned his or her paycheck.

Rich girl Ellie Andrews (Colbert) runs away from her father so that she can be with her one true love, King Westley (Jameson Thomas). Ellie has little knowledge of how the outside world works so she hooks up with reporter Peter Warne (Gable) who offers to help her reach New York in return for the exclusive rights to her story. The pair finds each other intolerable at the outset but as they spend more time together, their opinions of each other start to change. By the time they arrive in New York, Ellie and Peter must decide if they should act upon the newfound affection they have developed towards one another.

"It Happened One Night" is effectively funny and romantic at the same time. The out-of-the-way situations Ellie and Peter find themselves involved in is screwball comedy at its finest and the love that develops between them is Hollywood magic at its most charming. Colbert and Gable show why they were two of the biggest stars of their era and the chemistry they display on screen still is magnetic to this very day. "It Happened One Night" is also a fascinating cultural text due to its suggestive sexual overtones and its vivid depiction of a woman who is determined to take matters into her own hands when the situation calls for it. Both of these aspects are especially noteworthy when one considers the period in which the film was made. Yet, if "It Happened One Night" is to be remembered for anything, it should be remembered for the classic that it is. After all, when you speak of pure cinematic bliss, you speak of scenes like the one where Ellie flashes her thigh to stop an approaching car - truly one of the greatest moments ever caught on film.

It doesn't get any better than this ...
70 years later, this movie still holds up beautifully. It's funny, smart, and, man! those sexy, charming leads! I'd ride a bus with Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert anywhere ...

This ones recommended for everyone -- old people, young people ... It hasn't aged, and it'll always be a good time.

A classic that deserves to endure
A spoiled socialite (Claudette Colbert) flees her wealthy father (Walter Connolly) and heads for New York to marry a rich playboy (Jameson Thomas) against her father's will. The whereabouts of Ellie Andrews and the reward for her return become the stuff of national headlines, so when recently fired reporter Peter Warne (Clark Gable) recognizes her, he decides to stick close so he can write the story. Naturally, romance follows, but it's a bumpy and hugely entertaining road to get there.

This is an absolutely wonderful film. It's such a shame that so many people are not interested in watching an old black-and-white movie. Good work is timeless. Gable and Colbert have wonderful chemistry and are both hilarious and touching. The rest of the cast is excellent as well. Even though the story is set during the Great Depression, it doesn't seem dated at all. The wisecracking between characters is sharp and well-written (by screenwriter Robert Riskin); there are lots of laugh-out-loud moments during this film. It's also pretty racy and suggestive for its time, with a genuinely affecting climax. Another level of interest is added by the careful attention that director Frank Capra pays to the depression-era milieu; Colbert's character really doesn't understand the plight of the common man, but Gable's hard-bitten reporter is all too aware of the hard times that people are going through. This adds a fascinating sociological dimension. ... Read more

Reviews (76)

Witty and entertaining
(Please note that the DVD version I am reviewing is the Laserlight release that features an additional documentary on the life of Cary Grant as well as an introduction by an even-more-confused-than-usual Tony Curtis.)

With Laserlight you can never predict from the outside case exactly what the quality of the film itself is going to be in. I've watched good quality prints from them in the past, but I've also seen some truly awful releases that aren't worth the plastic that they're pressed on. Fortunately, their version of HIS GIRL FRIDAY is quite excellent, with a crisp picture and a clear soundtrack. Their budget releases are usually worth the risk, and in this case, you end up with a great movie that's quite well preserved and all for a fairly low price.

The movie itself is simply fantastic. The dialogue comes flying at you so fast that'll be afraid to laugh for fear of speaking over the next line. The story itself is also intensely funny, and deceptively dark. What begins as a seemingly light romantic comedy slowly becomes more and more twisted until the final scene, where the reinstatement of the romance subplot reminds us of how far we've come. It's a testament to the skills of the director, Howard Hawks, that the result is not only coherent, but also highly enjoyable. The story flows effortlessly from moment to moment, with each scene being slightly more frantic than the last, yet still together enough to be extremely entertaining.

The acting from the two main leads is also a delight. In the past I had thought of Cary Grant as always playing the same sort of character in every film. Although, you'll see some similarity to other roles that he played, he's incredibly amusing in this film and playing a far more manipulative character than I'd seen him perform. It's a nice change to see the usually easily befuddled Cary Grant actually running rings around the rest of the cast.

As for the DVD extras, they don't distract from the feature, but they won't be the deciding factor in whether you purchase this DVD or not. The included documentary, CARY GRANT ON FILM: A BIOGRAPHY runs about 28 minutes long and consists mainly of random trailers that span Grant's entire film career. It's fairly interesting, although not terribly riveting. The introductory remarks by Tony Curtis are as bizarrely entertaining as always. The film contains Spanish, Japanese and Chinese subtitles, but does not include an option for English, which is a slightly annoying oversight.

In the end, it's not the extras that you should be buying this disc for; it's the wonderful film that's packaged with them. Kick back, relax, and watch the dialog fly across the screen. You'll want to keep the remote control handy so that you can rewind to catch all the great moments that you missed while laughing over them.

which version to buy? There's only one!
OK, we all know that 'His Girl Friday' (aka 'The Front Page') is a terrific movie which belongs in every DVD collection. But there are some really bad, almost unviewable versions out there. Fortunately, I chose the right version, and it's a clean crisp image, tightly-focused sound -- a joy throughout. So if you want 'His Girl Friday', make sure you get the Laserlight DVD version, complete with a Cary Grant biog documentary and an unvelievably hokey intro from Tony Curtis on a bad day. I got the Laserlight disc from Amazon for around $7 -- the really bad dubs other reviewers have complained about from other companies cost more! I've found Laserlight transfers of old films are generally ok -- their cheapie Hitchcock transfers of 'The Lady Vanishes' and 'The 39 Steps' are almost as good as as Criterion in image, though pretty scratchy in sound. For a budget label, they do a good job compared to the absolute garbage put out by Madacy and others. So remember -- 'His Girl Friday' has to be from Laserlight or you're wasting your money and buying something totally unviewable. And no, this is NOT a paid ad! Just trying to steer people towards a good edition of a classic comedy. If Laserlight wants to thank me, they could prepare a DVD edition of my favourite of all Billy Wilder comedies, 'The Major and the Minor' with Ginger Rogers and Ray Milland. Love those 1940s comedies!

brilliant film--dreadful DVD
Don't buy this DVD. The sound quality is terrible--a loud hissing noise overshadows the film's trademark fast, witty dialog. $5 seemed a small investment at the time, but I should have saved my money. Surely someday those who own the rights to "His Girl Friday" will release a DVD worthy of this wonderful classic.

Get The Girl
1940's His Girl Friday is a fast-paced comedy from director Howard Hawks that is has brilliant pacing and performances from Cary Grant & Rosalind Russell. The film is based on the play, The Front Page and had been previously made into a film and those versions concern the professional relationship of two men, Walter Burns & Hildy Johnson. In this version they changed the gender of Hildy to a female and the professional tension of the original is replaced by sexual tension. Though it seems tame today, the erotic electricity & innuendo between Mr. Grant & Ms. Russell was quite groundbreaking for the time. The screenplay has been one of the most influential in film history, with Quentin Tarantino citing it as an inspiration for his script's pacing.

VINTAGE SCREWBALL SPARKLES ON DVD FROM COLUMBIA
"His Girl Friday" is Howard Hawk's inspired remake of the award-winning Broadway play and previous movie release of "The Front Page". It's the story of a rapid fire newspaper editor, Walter (Cary Grant) and his star reporter and ex-wife, Hildie Johnston. Hildie has decided to retire to the country with her soon to be new husband (Ralph Belamy). But when a prison break captures the imagination of a troupe of cutthroat reporters, all rabid for the real scoop, Hildie sets aside marital bliss for one last hurrah behind the desk as a cub reporter.
THE TRANSFER: BEWARE OF THIS DVD! There are no less than 12 bootlegged versions of this film being sold through various vendors on DVD. In all but one case the image quality looks as though the entire print had been fed through a meat grinder. The version you want is the one from Columbia Tri-Star Home Video. Its packaging features a disclaimer that reads "mastered from the original camera negative." This version of "His Girl Friday" exhibits - in short - exemplary video quality. The B&W picture has been completely restored. Age related artifacts are nonexistent. The gray scale, black and contrast levels are perfectly realized. Fine detail will astound. There are no digital anomalies. The audio is mono but very nicely cleaned up.
EXTRAS: This version also includes some very nice - if all too brief - featurettes on the careers of stars Rosiland Russell and Cary Grant and the making of the film. There's also the original theatrical trailer.
BOTTOM LINE: This girl is worth seeking out! ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Now This Is Chemistry
This is the film that started it all, and movie fans ever since have been grateful. It's the first pairing of the legendary Hepburn and Tracy, and from the moment when he first sets his eyes on her (actually, her legs - a great shot!), you can feel why they were such a perfect match on screen. They star as newspaper columnists coming from different backgrounds and perspectives, who despite the odds, fall in love, even though they have no idea how to fit into each other's worlds. Both stars give their usual top performances, compensating for some slow parts and dated elements in the story. I enjoyed the film, as I have enjoyed all their films that I have seen. Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy were two of the best in the business, so any opportunity to see them together should be taken!

FANTASTIC
When you have SPENCER and HEPBURN together, it's nothing less than FANTASTIC! No others in movie history can match them as a team. They're acting in a movie, but you can see the love for each other on their faces - it makes it enjoyable to watch them. Every film they have ever made together is great. In Woman of the Year, watch for the kitchen scene. Also, great to watch Desk Set;there are several scenes that were ad lib, and the director was smart in leaving them in - Spencer caught Hepburn entirely off guard with his antics.

Off to a Pretty Good Start
Kate & Spencer began a 25 year on and off the screen romance with Woman of the Year. The movie itself is fine but unspectacular. Basically, the message seems to be that a woman can't have it both ways: work and family. Odd message considering the female lead. WOTY is more important as a piece of film history for the pairing it started. Hepburn was pretty much the only woman as ahead of her times as she was. Fortunately she could put her money where her mouth was and deliver the goods. Several of her films are classics and she is a Hollywood Goddess.

"Woman Of The Year" is Great
"Woman Of The Year" is a Katherine Hepburn Spencer Tracy comedy MGM movie story of a powerful career woman "Tess Harding" who meets a powerful career man "Sam Craig" and they marry and the problems begin because they both have careers though her career is more public than his.She's a person that just about everyone knows in the world and she knows just about everyone by 1st name.There are some Great comedy scenes and the conflicts between career and home are good and they have a happy closing scene.This was the 1st of 9 movies that Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy starred in and they were good together in movies especially this one if you watched any of their movies then you would know and if not this is a good movie you would enjoy.This is the best Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy movie.The movie was popular with audiences and later the movie "Woman Of The Year" was made into a musical play.Barbara Eden played the role in a national touring production of "Woman Of The Year" in 1984 and it was this movie that the musical play was based on.A Great story.A Great movie.A Great DVD.

Laughs when you least expect it...
Aside from Hepburn & Tracy's debut as a team, all credit should be given to director George Stevens for putting together this very complicated story so seamlessly. Mr. Stevens finally won an Oscar in 1951 for "A Place in the Sun" and again in 1956 for "Giant". After "Woman ofthe Year", Stevens was nominated for "The More the Merrier", another complicated plot that he handled with brilliance (remade in the 60's as a Cary Grant romp). Tracy & Hepburn are wonderful (Kate getting a nomination), and Kate's pant-suits certainly must've made a fashion statement; Kate was certainly more comfortable in those clothes than the glamour girls of the time, and though not a great beauty, she was glamorous. I still don't understand why Kate became "box-office poison" in the late 30's; I thought she was brilliant in "Stage Door", "Holiday" and "Bringing Up Baby". I don't see any difference in her choice of roles as with Irene Dunne, who did crazy comedy ("The Awful Truth") as well as sensitive drama ("Love Affair"). Who's to say what tastes were at the time? Though "Woman of the Year" has a few slow, serious moments, it's the light-hearted moments that hold interest. It won an Oscar for Screenplay, much deserved by Michael Kanin and the later black-listed Ring Lardner, Jr. And there's a particularly lovely performance from Fay Bainter who seemed to be over-looked. I enjoy this film for many reasons; it was timely, due to its release during the WWII years, as well as attacking attitudes of society which are today ever-present. I think it's most entertaining. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Screwball comedy was practically invented by this classic Howard Hawks picture, a breathless farce with not an ounce of sentimentality. John Barrymore, in magnificent form, plays egomaniacal Broadway producer Oscar Jaffe, who molds his latest protégé, Mildred Plotka, into elegant thee-a-tuh star Lily Garland (Carole Lombard). The last hour of the picture has Oscar and Lily, now on the outs, battling each other on the Chicago-to-New York train. These two marvelous creatures are quintessential Hawks characters, figures of pure style who can't exist without the adrenaline and spark so amply supplied by the Hecht-MacArthur script. Hawks's giddyup pacing anticipates Bringing Up Baby and His Girl Friday, and his deployment of character actors (notably Walter Connolly and Roscoe Karns, as Jaffe's long-suffering, oft-fired flunkies) is sublime. Barrymore and Lombard take it at full speed, grand and horrid and silly and probably meant for each other. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Barrymore Without a Net
John Barrymore's over-the-top reading of egomaniacal producer Oscar Jaffe is absolutely brilliant in Howard Hawks' screwball farce.You basically just sit back in awe as Barrymore improvises a variety of histrionics, facial contortions, animal noises, etc.At times I thought he was in the throes of the DTs.If you are to find fault with the film is that the story struck me as being a little thin, despite being adapted from a stage play by Charles McArthur and Ben Hecht.Also, I thought Carole Lombard, lovely as she is as the former lingeree salesgirl turned toast-of-Broadway, came off as a little shrill.It seems like she was trying to go toe-to-toe with Barrymore but didn't have the comiedic chops to work with.Falls short of classic status but deinitely should be checked out for Barrymore's performance.

great film, sub-par DVD
I see no great need to add to the glowing comments others have already heaped on this film.It really is special, and one of my favorites.And because it is, I was hugely disappointed by the DVD.This transfer is pretty bad, and doesn't look much better than you might get from a public domain film some of the other companies grab hold of and slap onto a really cheaply priced DVD.

This film is one of those treasures, historically important, and just damn good.You'd have thought that SONY (the parent company for Columbia/Tri-Star) would have invested more effort into ensuring a pristine restoration and DVD transfer.The film deserves it.Many of us have waited long enough for the DVD, this is a sham.If this is the best print they could lay their hands on, they should have paid to have someone do a digital restoration on it; but I suspect they could have procurred better elements, and just didn't try.There are no extras on the DVD.Nothing worthwhile, only a few trailers for unrelated films. There are enough Barrymore biographers out there who could have supplied commentary and insight; there are film historians who could have also added some value to this release.

It doesn't speak well of the companies involved that they appear to have tossed this off so casually.They should be ashamed.

Restoration Needed to make "Twentieth" Shine!
"Twentieth Century" (1934) is a brilliant and scathing screwball yarn about a manical Broadway impressario, Oscar Jaffe's (John Barrymore) headstrong attempt to mold a shopgirl, Mildred Plotka (Carole Lombard) into the toast of the Great White Way. A bigger ham than any of his protiges, Oscar's career goes into a sudden tail spin after Mildred, christened Lily Garland, breaks free of his artistic stronghold for a chance to make it big in Hollywood. Now the toast of two coasts and everything in-between, Mildred doesn't need anyone to help her career. Oscar's bitter rejection and professional oblivion seems complete until he chances to meet Lily again, this time on the Twentieth Century Limited. Desperate to resign Mildred, but unwilling to admit that he needs her, the battle of the wills that ensues between these two old rivals is hilarious. The Ben Hecht/Charles MacArthur screenplay pulls out all the stops. As bitter enemies, Barrymore and Lombard are out and out crazy to the point of madcap absurdity. Howard Hawk's spirited direction in confined spaces draws upon the humanity of the piece and comes up a real winner.

The same can't be said for Columbia's lack luster DVD transfer. The black and white image is very unstable. Blacks are sometimes deep, but often less than. Whites are not very clean. There is a considerable amount of film grain throughout. The contrast levels fluctuate as well. Often looking quite dirty and riddled with age related artifacts, the comedic sheen of "Twentieth Century" leaves something to be desired. The audio is mono but in about as good a condition as the visual elements of the film. Occasionally a pop and hiss can be heard under the arch of great performances which is a genuine shame. The DVD comes with an obtrusive string of trailers for other films and Japanese subtitle option - whatever! Bottom line: the film is golden. The transfer is tin. Let the buyer beware before making their purchase decision.

RESTORATION REQUIRED ON CLASSIC COMEDY
"Twentieth Century" (1934) is a brilliant and scathing screwball yarn about a manical Broadway impressario, Oscar Jaffe's (John Barrymore) headstrong attempt to mold a shopgirl, Mildred Plotka (Carole Lombard) into the toast of the Great White Way.A bigger ham than any of his protiges, Oscar's career goes into a sudden tail spin after Mildred, christened Lily Garland, breaks free of his artistic stronghold for a chance to make it big in Hollywood. Now the toast of two coasts and everything in-between, Mildred doesn't need anyone to help her career. Oscar's bitter rejection and professional oblivion seems complete until he chances to meet Lily again, this time on the Twentieth Century Limited. Desperate to resign Mildred, but unwilling to admit that he needs her, the battle of the wills that ensues between these two old rivals is hilarious. The Ben Hecht/Charles MacArthur screenplay pulls out all the stops. As bitter enemies, Barrymore and Lombard are out and out crazy to the point of madcap absurdity. Howard Hawk's spirited direction in confined spaces draws upon the humanity of the piece and comes up a real winner.

The same can't be said for Columbia's lack luster DVD transfer. The black and white image is very unstable. Blacks are sometimes deep, but often less than. Whites are not very clean. There is a considerable amount of film grain throughout. The contrast levels fluctuate as well. Often looking quite dirty and riddled with age related artifacts, the comedic sheen of "Twentieth Century" leaves something to be desired. The audio is mono but in about as good a condition as the visual elements of the film. Occasionally a pop and hiss can be heard under the arch of great performances which is a genuine shame. The DVD comes with an obtrusive string of trailers for other films and Japanese subtitle option - whatever! Bottom line: the film is golden. The transfer is tin. Let the buyer beware before making their purchase decision.

Had it not been for Capra
I've always wondered: If Frank Capra had not made "It Happened One Night" the same year, would "Twentieth Century" have been a more revered comedy? Perhaps. Capra's "Night" had the superior charm, I think, but Twentieth Century had the sharpest bite, more laughes, and continues to give me the greater pleasure these many years later. It's time "Twentieth Century" takes its place with other movies in the Columbia Classics series. ... Read more

Reviews (76)

Witty and entertaining
(Please note that the DVD version I am reviewing is the Laserlight release that features an additional documentary on the life of Cary Grant as well as an introduction by an even-more-confused-than-usual Tony Curtis.)

With Laserlight you can never predict from the outside case exactly what the quality of the film itself is going to be in. I've watched good quality prints from them in the past, but I've also seen some truly awful releases that aren't worth the plastic that they're pressed on. Fortunately, their version of HIS GIRL FRIDAY is quite excellent, with a crisp picture and a clear soundtrack. Their budget releases are usually worth the risk, and in this case, you end up with a great movie that's quite well preserved and all for a fairly low price.

The movie itself is simply fantastic. The dialogue comes flying at you so fast that'll be afraid to laugh for fear of speaking over the next line. The story itself is also intensely funny, and deceptively dark. What begins as a seemingly light romantic comedy slowly becomes more and more twisted until the final scene, where the reinstatement of the romance subplot reminds us of how far we've come. It's a testament to the skills of the director, Howard Hawks, that the result is not only coherent, but also highly enjoyable. The story flows effortlessly from moment to moment, with each scene being slightly more frantic than the last, yet still together enough to be extremely entertaining.

The acting from the two main leads is also a delight. In the past I had thought of Cary Grant as always playing the same sort of character in every film. Although, you'll see some similarity to other roles that he played, he's incredibly amusing in this film and playing a far more manipulative character than I'd seen him perform. It's a nice change to see the usually easily befuddled Cary Grant actually running rings around the rest of the cast.

As for the DVD extras, they don't distract from the feature, but they won't be the deciding factor in whether you purchase this DVD or not. The included documentary, CARY GRANT ON FILM: A BIOGRAPHY runs about 28 minutes long and consists mainly of random trailers that span Grant's entire film career. It's fairly interesting, although not terribly riveting. The introductory remarks by Tony Curtis are as bizarrely entertaining as always. The film contains Spanish, Japanese and Chinese subtitles, but does not include an option for English, which is a slightly annoying oversight.

In the end, it's not the extras that you should be buying this disc for; it's the wonderful film that's packaged with them. Kick back, relax, and watch the dialog fly across the screen. You'll want to keep the remote control handy so that you can rewind to catch all the great moments that you missed while laughing over them.

which version to buy? There's only one!
OK, we all know that 'His Girl Friday' (aka 'The Front Page') is a terrific movie which belongs in every DVD collection. But there are some really bad, almost unviewable versions out there. Fortunately, I chose the right version, and it's a clean crisp image, tightly-focused sound -- a joy throughout. So if you want 'His Girl Friday', make sure you get the Laserlight DVD version, complete with a Cary Grant biog documentary and an unvelievably hokey intro from Tony Curtis on a bad day. I got the Laserlight disc from Amazon for around $7 -- the really bad dubs other reviewers have complained about from other companies cost more! I've found Laserlight transfers of old films are generally ok -- their cheapie Hitchcock transfers of 'The Lady Vanishes' and 'The 39 Steps' are almost as good as as Criterion in image, though pretty scratchy in sound. For a budget label, they do a good job compared to the absolute garbage put out by Madacy and others. So remember -- 'His Girl Friday' has to be from Laserlight or you're wasting your money and buying something totally unviewable. And no, this is NOT a paid ad! Just trying to steer people towards a good edition of a classic comedy. If Laserlight wants to thank me, they could prepare a DVD edition of my favourite of all Billy Wilder comedies, 'The Major and the Minor' with Ginger Rogers and Ray Milland. Love those 1940s comedies!

brilliant film--dreadful DVD
Don't buy this DVD. The sound quality is terrible--a loud hissing noise overshadows the film's trademark fast, witty dialog. $5 seemed a small investment at the time, but I should have saved my money. Surely someday those who own the rights to "His Girl Friday" will release a DVD worthy of this wonderful classic.

Get The Girl
1940's His Girl Friday is a fast-paced comedy from director Howard Hawks that is has brilliant pacing and performances from Cary Grant & Rosalind Russell. The film is based on the play, The Front Page and had been previously made into a film and those versions concern the professional relationship of two men, Walter Burns & Hildy Johnson. In this version they changed the gender of Hildy to a female and the professional tension of the original is replaced by sexual tension. Though it seems tame today, the erotic electricity & innuendo between Mr. Grant & Ms. Russell was quite groundbreaking for the time. The screenplay has been one of the most influential in film history, with Quentin Tarantino citing it as an inspiration for his script's pacing.

VINTAGE SCREWBALL SPARKLES ON DVD FROM COLUMBIA
"His Girl Friday" is Howard Hawk's inspired remake of the award-winning Broadway play and previous movie release of "The Front Page". It's the story of a rapid fire newspaper editor, Walter (Cary Grant) and his star reporter and ex-wife, Hildie Johnston. Hildie has decided to retire to the country with her soon to be new husband (Ralph Belamy). But when a prison break captures the imagination of a troupe of cutthroat reporters, all rabid for the real scoop, Hildie sets aside marital bliss for one last hurrah behind the desk as a cub reporter.
THE TRANSFER: BEWARE OF THIS DVD! There are no less than 12 bootlegged versions of this film being sold through various vendors on DVD. In all but one case the image quality looks as though the entire print had been fed through a meat grinder. The version you want is the one from Columbia Tri-Star Home Video. Its packaging features a disclaimer that reads "mastered from the original camera negative." This version of "His Girl Friday" exhibits - in short - exemplary video quality. The B&W picture has been completely restored. Age related artifacts are nonexistent. The gray scale, black and contrast levels are perfectly realized. Fine detail will astound. There are no digital anomalies. The audio is mono but very nicely cleaned up.
EXTRAS: This version also includes some very nice - if all too brief - featurettes on the careers of stars Rosiland Russell and Cary Grant and the making of the film. There's also the original theatrical trailer.
BOTTOM LINE: This girl is worth seeking out! ... Read more

Amazon.com

By turns hard-nosed and ribald, They Drive by Night smashes through a vintage Warner Bros. yarn about truck drivers, the Depression, and one duplicitous dame. The opening reels are a forceful look at the dangerous lives of independent truckers (George Raft and Humphrey Bogart as brothers--Bogie in the supporting role, though he would soon eclipse Raft in Hollywood), battling the system and the economy. The final section veers into a less exciting murder frame-up, but Ida Lupino is so delicious as the Black Widow, it works. The robust humor of director Raoul Walsh dominates the film, with some truly hilarious double entendres aimed at outfoxing the censors. At the center of many such one-liners is Ann Sheridan, as a waitress who slings more than hash. It's close to being a classic, and the road sequences are as vital as those in The Grapes of Wrath, made the same year. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (8)

A diverging story brought together under crime...
The Fabrini brothers, Joe (George Raft) and Paul (Humphrey Bogart), are truck drivers that struggle to make it on their own as a loan shark is on their heels trying to repossess their truck . It all seems futile as Joe and Paul's competition is full of bigger companies that do not care about the smaller companies as it is a dog eat dog world. This forces the Fabrini brothers to work long hours often without adequate sleep. One night after a rough day Joe and Paul pick up a hitchhiker, Cassie Hartley (Ann Sheridan), and together the three of them witness a truck accident where some friends die as they fell asleep behind the wheel. This is a wake up call for the brothers as they have different priorities in their lives, and it brings them in different directions. They Drive By Night is an interesting film with multiple themes, which offers a good cinematic experience

"The doors made me do it! The doors made me do it!"
This awesome classic starts out as a drama about the hard lives of truckers but ends up being a sort of film noir! Ann Sheridan was perfectly cast as a sassy independant woman, & I loved seeing George Raft & Humphrey Bogart playing brothers! And of course let's not forget Ida Lupino, one of the best (& craziest) femme fatales of all time! Also there's Alan Hale, who adds a whole lot of humor to the mix! I won't go into the plot b/c other reviews have fully explained the plot, but I will say that you definitely need to add this gem to your dvd collection! Be aware that the real star of the film is George Raft, despite the misleading cover art, which tries to cash in on Bogey's fame. This wasn't disappointing to me at all, though. I thought George Raft was cool! I highly recommend this to fans of great classics.

A Hidden Gem!
They Drive by Night was so much fun to discover! Anyone who likes old movies will enjoy seeing this one. With Bogie as George Raft's little brother, working together as truckers, and the wonderfully wicked Ida Lupino married to the blissfully ignorant Alan Hale, this movie was a joy to watch from start to finish.

Dynamic Lupino!
When I first watched this movie, I was only mildly interested in the first part which shows how hard life is for two trucker brothers (Raft and Bogart). Only when Ida Lupino is introduced as the off-kilter, man-killing Lana Carlson did I really sit up and take notice. She continued to steal all her scenes as she degenerates into madness after killing her buffoon of a husband for the cold Raft character. Her gradual breakdown is something to see and electrified audiences in l940. When she begins to shriek on the witness stand: "The doors made me do it!", you freeze in amazement at her powerful acting. Her "mad" scene was phenomenal. A note: compare her portrayal of the man-crazed heroine to the way Bette Davis portrayed her in the original, the l934 "Bordertown". Davis always bragged that the quiet way she went crazy on the stand was the right way but after seeing how Lupino did it, you'll think that Davis was wrong. Sorry, Bette, but Lupino did it a l00 times better and a hell of a lot more powerful. Lana Carlson--one mixed-up, crazy dame from Warner Brother's golden days--thanks to the genius of Ida Lupino!

Watch Lupino Go
They Drive By Night has a lot going for it. It's directed by Raoul Walsh, who knew how to make a tough guy movie, yet give it some heart. It has two of the screen's great tough guys, George Raft and Humphrey Bogart. It also has two of the screen's best tough guy girlfriends, Ann Sheridan and Ida Lupino. And it has some really great dialogue that time has not dated. It's the story of two truckers who are brothers, and it looks at the difficulties facing truckers (sleeplessness that can lead to accidents, suppliers that don't pay up, etc). Bogart and Raft are good as the brothers, although Raft doesn't have much of a range as an actor. Raft hooks up with Sheridan, a woman who can hold her own with any trucker. Sheridan plays her with just the right mix of outward toughness, but decency and tenderness, too. Unfortunately, Lupino wants Raft, and she won't be denied what she wants. Lupino gives the performance that you'll remember from this film. She becomes more intense with every scene, and by her last scene, she reaches a level that is amazing to behold. With Lupino's performance and the great dialogue, They Drive By Night is a Warner Brothers' film that should be seen. ... Read more

Reviews (76)

Witty and entertaining
(Please note that the DVD version I am reviewing is the Laserlight release that features an additional documentary on the life of Cary Grant as well as an introduction by an even-more-confused-than-usual Tony Curtis.)

With Laserlight you can never predict from the outside case exactly what the quality of the film itself is going to be in. I've watched good quality prints from them in the past, but I've also seen some truly awful releases that aren't worth the plastic that they're pressed on. Fortunately, their version of HIS GIRL FRIDAY is quite excellent, with a crisp picture and a clear soundtrack. Their budget releases are usually worth the risk, and in this case, you end up with a great movie that's quite well preserved and all for a fairly low price.

The movie itself is simply fantastic. The dialogue comes flying at you so fast that'll be afraid to laugh for fear of speaking over the next line. The story itself is also intensely funny, and deceptively dark. What begins as a seemingly light romantic comedy slowly becomes more and more twisted until the final scene, where the reinstatement of the romance subplot reminds us of how far we've come. It's a testament to the skills of the director, Howard Hawks, that the result is not only coherent, but also highly enjoyable. The story flows effortlessly from moment to moment, with each scene being slightly more frantic than the last, yet still together enough to be extremely entertaining.

The acting from the two main leads is also a delight. In the past I had thought of Cary Grant as always playing the same sort of character in every film. Although, you'll see some similarity to other roles that he played, he's incredibly amusing in this film and playing a far more manipulative character than I'd seen him perform. It's a nice change to see the usually easily befuddled Cary Grant actually running rings around the rest of the cast.

As for the DVD extras, they don't distract from the feature, but they won't be the deciding factor in whether you purchase this DVD or not. The included documentary, CARY GRANT ON FILM: A BIOGRAPHY runs about 28 minutes long and consists mainly of random trailers that span Grant's entire film career. It's fairly interesting, although not terribly riveting. The introductory remarks by Tony Curtis are as bizarrely entertaining as always. The film contains Spanish, Japanese and Chinese subtitles, but does not include an option for English, which is a slightly annoying oversight.

In the end, it's not the extras that you should be buying this disc for; it's the wonderful film that's packaged with them. Kick back, relax, and watch the dialog fly across the screen. You'll want to keep the remote control handy so that you can rewind to catch all the great moments that you missed while laughing over them.

which version to buy? There's only one!
OK, we all know that 'His Girl Friday' (aka 'The Front Page') is a terrific movie which belongs in every DVD collection. But there are some really bad, almost unviewable versions out there. Fortunately, I chose the right version, and it's a clean crisp image, tightly-focused sound -- a joy throughout. So if you want 'His Girl Friday', make sure you get the Laserlight DVD version, complete with a Cary Grant biog documentary and an unvelievably hokey intro from Tony Curtis on a bad day. I got the Laserlight disc from Amazon for around $7 -- the really bad dubs other reviewers have complained about from other companies cost more! I've found Laserlight transfers of old films are generally ok -- their cheapie Hitchcock transfers of 'The Lady Vanishes' and 'The 39 Steps' are almost as good as as Criterion in image, though pretty scratchy in sound. For a budget label, they do a good job compared to the absolute garbage put out by Madacy and others. So remember -- 'His Girl Friday' has to be from Laserlight or you're wasting your money and buying something totally unviewable. And no, this is NOT a paid ad! Just trying to steer people towards a good edition of a classic comedy. If Laserlight wants to thank me, they could prepare a DVD edition of my favourite of all Billy Wilder comedies, 'The Major and the Minor' with Ginger Rogers and Ray Milland. Love those 1940s comedies!

brilliant film--dreadful DVD
Don't buy this DVD. The sound quality is terrible--a loud hissing noise overshadows the film's trademark fast, witty dialog. $5 seemed a small investment at the time, but I should have saved my money. Surely someday those who own the rights to "His Girl Friday" will release a DVD worthy of this wonderful classic.

Get The Girl
1940's His Girl Friday is a fast-paced comedy from director Howard Hawks that is has brilliant pacing and performances from Cary Grant & Rosalind Russell. The film is based on the play, The Front Page and had been previously made into a film and those versions concern the professional relationship of two men, Walter Burns & Hildy Johnson. In this version they changed the gender of Hildy to a female and the professional tension of the original is replaced by sexual tension. Though it seems tame today, the erotic electricity & innuendo between Mr. Grant & Ms. Russell was quite groundbreaking for the time. The screenplay has been one of the most influential in film history, with Quentin Tarantino citing it as an inspiration for his script's pacing.

VINTAGE SCREWBALL SPARKLES ON DVD FROM COLUMBIA
"His Girl Friday" is Howard Hawk's inspired remake of the award-winning Broadway play and previous movie release of "The Front Page". It's the story of a rapid fire newspaper editor, Walter (Cary Grant) and his star reporter and ex-wife, Hildie Johnston. Hildie has decided to retire to the country with her soon to be new husband (Ralph Belamy). But when a prison break captures the imagination of a troupe of cutthroat reporters, all rabid for the real scoop, Hildie sets aside marital bliss for one last hurrah behind the desk as a cub reporter.
THE TRANSFER: BEWARE OF THIS DVD! There are no less than 12 bootlegged versions of this film being sold through various vendors on DVD. In all but one case the image quality looks as though the entire print had been fed through a meat grinder. The version you want is the one from Columbia Tri-Star Home Video. Its packaging features a disclaimer that reads "mastered from the original camera negative." This version of "His Girl Friday" exhibits - in short - exemplary video quality. The B&W picture has been completely restored. Age related artifacts are nonexistent. The gray scale, black and contrast levels are perfectly realized. Fine detail will astound. There are no digital anomalies. The audio is mono but very nicely cleaned up.
EXTRAS: This version also includes some very nice - if all too brief - featurettes on the careers of stars Rosiland Russell and Cary Grant and the making of the film. There's also the original theatrical trailer.
BOTTOM LINE: This girl is worth seeking out! ... Read more

Reviews (76)

Witty and entertaining
(Please note that the DVD version I am reviewing is the Laserlight release that features an additional documentary on the life of Cary Grant as well as an introduction by an even-more-confused-than-usual Tony Curtis.)

With Laserlight you can never predict from the outside case exactly what the quality of the film itself is going to be in. I've watched good quality prints from them in the past, but I've also seen some truly awful releases that aren't worth the plastic that they're pressed on. Fortunately, their version of HIS GIRL FRIDAY is quite excellent, with a crisp picture and a clear soundtrack. Their budget releases are usually worth the risk, and in this case, you end up with a great movie that's quite well preserved and all for a fairly low price.

The movie itself is simply fantastic. The dialogue comes flying at you so fast that'll be afraid to laugh for fear of speaking over the next line. The story itself is also intensely funny, and deceptively dark. What begins as a seemingly light romantic comedy slowly becomes more and more twisted until the final scene, where the reinstatement of the romance subplot reminds us of how far we've come. It's a testament to the skills of the director, Howard Hawks, that the result is not only coherent, but also highly enjoyable. The story flows effortlessly from moment to moment, with each scene being slightly more frantic than the last, yet still together enough to be extremely entertaining.

The acting from the two main leads is also a delight. In the past I had thought of Cary Grant as always playing the same sort of character in every film. Although, you'll see some similarity to other roles that he played, he's incredibly amusing in this film and playing a far more manipulative character than I'd seen him perform. It's a nice change to see the usually easily befuddled Cary Grant actually running rings around the rest of the cast.

As for the DVD extras, they don't distract from the feature, but they won't be the deciding factor in whether you purchase this DVD or not. The included documentary, CARY GRANT ON FILM: A BIOGRAPHY runs about 28 minutes long and consists mainly of random trailers that span Grant's entire film career. It's fairly interesting, although not terribly riveting. The introductory remarks by Tony Curtis are as bizarrely entertaining as always. The film contains Spanish, Japanese and Chinese subtitles, but does not include an option for English, which is a slightly annoying oversight.

In the end, it's not the extras that you should be buying this disc for; it's the wonderful film that's packaged with them. Kick back, relax, and watch the dialog fly across the screen. You'll want to keep the remote control handy so that you can rewind to catch all the great moments that you missed while laughing over them.

which version to buy? There's only one!
OK, we all know that 'His Girl Friday' (aka 'The Front Page') is a terrific movie which belongs in every DVD collection. But there are some really bad, almost unviewable versions out there. Fortunately, I chose the right version, and it's a clean crisp image, tightly-focused sound -- a joy throughout. So if you want 'His Girl Friday', make sure you get the Laserlight DVD version, complete with a Cary Grant biog documentary and an unvelievably hokey intro from Tony Curtis on a bad day. I got the Laserlight disc from Amazon for around $7 -- the really bad dubs other reviewers have complained about from other companies cost more! I've found Laserlight transfers of old films are generally ok -- their cheapie Hitchcock transfers of 'The Lady Vanishes' and 'The 39 Steps' are almost as good as as Criterion in image, though pretty scratchy in sound. For a budget label, they do a good job compared to the absolute garbage put out by Madacy and others. So remember -- 'His Girl Friday' has to be from Laserlight or you're wasting your money and buying something totally unviewable. And no, this is NOT a paid ad! Just trying to steer people towards a good edition of a classic comedy. If Laserlight wants to thank me, they could prepare a DVD edition of my favourite of all Billy Wilder comedies, 'The Major and the Minor' with Ginger Rogers and Ray Milland. Love those 1940s comedies!

brilliant film--dreadful DVD
Don't buy this DVD. The sound quality is terrible--a loud hissing noise overshadows the film's trademark fast, witty dialog. $5 seemed a small investment at the time, but I should have saved my money. Surely someday those who own the rights to "His Girl Friday" will release a DVD worthy of this wonderful classic.

Get The Girl
1940's His Girl Friday is a fast-paced comedy from director Howard Hawks that is has brilliant pacing and performances from Cary Grant & Rosalind Russell. The film is based on the play, The Front Page and had been previously made into a film and those versions concern the professional relationship of two men, Walter Burns & Hildy Johnson. In this version they changed the gender of Hildy to a female and the professional tension of the original is replaced by sexual tension. Though it seems tame today, the erotic electricity & innuendo between Mr. Grant & Ms. Russell was quite groundbreaking for the time. The screenplay has been one of the most influential in film history, with Quentin Tarantino citing it as an inspiration for his script's pacing.

VINTAGE SCREWBALL SPARKLES ON DVD FROM COLUMBIA
"His Girl Friday" is Howard Hawk's inspired remake of the award-winning Broadway play and previous movie release of "The Front Page". It's the story of a rapid fire newspaper editor, Walter (Cary Grant) and his star reporter and ex-wife, Hildie Johnston. Hildie has decided to retire to the country with her soon to be new husband (Ralph Belamy). But when a prison break captures the imagination of a troupe of cutthroat reporters, all rabid for the real scoop, Hildie sets aside marital bliss for one last hurrah behind the desk as a cub reporter.
THE TRANSFER: BEWARE OF THIS DVD! There are no less than 12 bootlegged versions of this film being sold through various vendors on DVD. In all but one case the image quality looks as though the entire print had been fed through a meat grinder. The version you want is the one from Columbia Tri-Star Home Video. Its packaging features a disclaimer that reads "mastered from the original camera negative." This version of "His Girl Friday" exhibits - in short - exemplary video quality. The B&W picture has been completely restored. Age related artifacts are nonexistent. The gray scale, black and contrast levels are perfectly realized. Fine detail will astound. There are no digital anomalies. The audio is mono but very nicely cleaned up.
EXTRAS: This version also includes some very nice - if all too brief - featurettes on the careers of stars Rosiland Russell and Cary Grant and the making of the film. There's also the original theatrical trailer.
BOTTOM LINE: This girl is worth seeking out! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Not the full versions
I bought this DVD because it seemed like a good deal, however it does not have the full versions of the movie. It has @90 min versions. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The first film starring the legendary screen team of Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, this savvy dramatic comedy from 1942 plays off the unlikely match of polar opposites--the brash sports reporter Sam Craig (Tracy) and the brilliant political commentator Tess Harding (Hepburn) from the New York Chronicle--whose marriage grabs front-page headlines. Balancing her flashy career with marital bliss turns out to be a complicated challenge for the worldly Tess, whose down-to-earth husband struggles to support her ambition while keeping their marriage from falling apart. Though some of its sexual politics are sure to seem outdated, this sparkling comedy is still relevant to today's demanding professional lifestyles, and the Hepburn-Tracy chemistry is a wonder to behold in some of their all-time favorite scenes.Woman of the Year was gracefully directed by George Stevens, from a screenplay by Ring Lardner Jr. and Michael Kanin. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (76)

Witty and entertaining
(Please note that the DVD version I am reviewing is the Laserlight release that features an additional documentary on the life of Cary Grant as well as an introduction by an even-more-confused-than-usual Tony Curtis.)

With Laserlight you can never predict from the outside case exactly what the quality of the film itself is going to be in. I've watched good quality prints from them in the past, but I've also seen some truly awful releases that aren't worth the plastic that they're pressed on. Fortunately, their version of HIS GIRL FRIDAY is quite excellent, with a crisp picture and a clear soundtrack. Their budget releases are usually worth the risk, and in this case, you end up with a great movie that's quite well preserved and all for a fairly low price.

The movie itself is simply fantastic. The dialogue comes flying at you so fast that'll be afraid to laugh for fear of speaking over the next line. The story itself is also intensely funny, and deceptively dark. What begins as a seemingly light romantic comedy slowly becomes more and more twisted until the final scene, where the reinstatement of the romance subplot reminds us of how far we've come. It's a testament to the skills of the director, Howard Hawks, that the result is not only coherent, but also highly enjoyable. The story flows effortlessly from moment to moment, with each scene being slightly more frantic than the last, yet still together enough to be extremely entertaining.

The acting from the two main leads is also a delight. In the past I had thought of Cary Grant as always playing the same sort of character in every film. Although, you'll see some similarity to other roles that he played, he's incredibly amusing in this film and playing a far more manipulative character than I'd seen him perform. It's a nice change to see the usually easily befuddled Cary Grant actually running rings around the rest of the cast.

As for the DVD extras, they don't distract from the feature, but they won't be the deciding factor in whether you purchase this DVD or not. The included documentary, CARY GRANT ON FILM: A BIOGRAPHY runs about 28 minutes long and consists mainly of random trailers that span Grant's entire film career. It's fairly interesting, although not terribly riveting. The introductory remarks by Tony Curtis are as bizarrely entertaining as always. The film contains Spanish, Japanese and Chinese subtitles, but does not include an option for English, which is a slightly annoying oversight.

In the end, it's not the extras that you should be buying this disc for; it's the wonderful film that's packaged with them. Kick back, relax, and watch the dialog fly across the screen. You'll want to keep the remote control handy so that you can rewind to catch all the great moments that you missed while laughing over them.

which version to buy? There's only one!
OK, we all know that 'His Girl Friday' (aka 'The Front Page') is a terrific movie which belongs in every DVD collection. But there are some really bad, almost unviewable versions out there. Fortunately, I chose the right version, and it's a clean crisp image, tightly-focused sound -- a joy throughout. So if you want 'His Girl Friday', make sure you get the Laserlight DVD version, complete with a Cary Grant biog documentary and an unvelievably hokey intro from Tony Curtis on a bad day. I got the Laserlight disc from Amazon for around $7 -- the really bad dubs other reviewers have complained about from other companies cost more! I've found Laserlight transfers of old films are generally ok -- their cheapie Hitchcock transfers of 'The Lady Vanishes' and 'The 39 Steps' are almost as good as as Criterion in image, though pretty scratchy in sound. For a budget label, they do a good job compared to the absolute garbage put out by Madacy and others. So remember -- 'His Girl Friday' has to be from Laserlight or you're wasting your money and buying something totally unviewable. And no, this is NOT a paid ad! Just trying to steer people towards a good edition of a classic comedy. If Laserlight wants to thank me, they could prepare a DVD edition of my favourite of all Billy Wilder comedies, 'The Major and the Minor' with Ginger Rogers and Ray Milland. Love those 1940s comedies!

brilliant film--dreadful DVD
Don't buy this DVD. The sound quality is terrible--a loud hissing noise overshadows the film's trademark fast, witty dialog. $5 seemed a small investment at the time, but I should have saved my money. Surely someday those who own the rights to "His Girl Friday" will release a DVD worthy of this wonderful classic.

Get The Girl
1940's His Girl Friday is a fast-paced comedy from director Howard Hawks that is has brilliant pacing and performances from Cary Grant & Rosalind Russell. The film is based on the play, The Front Page and had been previously made into a film and those versions concern the professional relationship of two men, Walter Burns & Hildy Johnson. In this version they changed the gender of Hildy to a female and the professional tension of the original is replaced by sexual tension. Though it seems tame today, the erotic electricity & innuendo between Mr. Grant & Ms. Russell was quite groundbreaking for the time. The screenplay has been one of the most influential in film history, with Quentin Tarantino citing it as an inspiration for his script's pacing.

VINTAGE SCREWBALL SPARKLES ON DVD FROM COLUMBIA
"His Girl Friday" is Howard Hawk's inspired remake of the award-winning Broadway play and previous movie release of "The Front Page". It's the story of a rapid fire newspaper editor, Walter (Cary Grant) and his star reporter and ex-wife, Hildie Johnston. Hildie has decided to retire to the country with her soon to be new husband (Ralph Belamy). But when a prison break captures the imagination of a troupe of cutthroat reporters, all rabid for the real scoop, Hildie sets aside marital bliss for one last hurrah behind the desk as a cub reporter.
THE TRANSFER: BEWARE OF THIS DVD! There are no less than 12 bootlegged versions of this film being sold through various vendors on DVD. In all but one case the image quality looks as though the entire print had been fed through a meat grinder. The version you want is the one from Columbia Tri-Star Home Video. Its packaging features a disclaimer that reads "mastered from the original camera negative." This version of "His Girl Friday" exhibits - in short - exemplary video quality. The B&W picture has been completely restored. Age related artifacts are nonexistent. The gray scale, black and contrast levels are perfectly realized. Fine detail will astound. There are no digital anomalies. The audio is mono but very nicely cleaned up.
EXTRAS: This version also includes some very nice - if all too brief - featurettes on the careers of stars Rosiland Russell and Cary Grant and the making of the film. There's also the original theatrical trailer.
BOTTOM LINE: This girl is worth seeking out! ...