This Classic 1940s Rom-Com Was Originally a Story About Two Men (original) (raw)
Published Feb 25, 2024, 10:30 PM EST
Logan Kelly is a professional author, screenwriter, and proud cinemaphile. He studied screenwriting and film history while attending Valencia College, before moving to the New York Metro Area.
Logan's first publication came with his book, Brighter Stars. The LGBTQ+ Historical-Romance garnered praise, and kicked off his professional writing career. His second novel, The Prince and the Scribe, was released by the Wild Rose Press in February of 2025. Logan began working for Collider in the Fall of 2023, and has had his articles featured by various industry professionals, including Abbott Elementary's Janelle James. For more information on Logan, please visit his provided social media accounts. He can be contacted via email at logankellyinquiries@gmail.com
Summary
- Director Howard Hawks originally intended for His Girl Friday to be a faithful remake of The Front Page, the movie and play upon which it was based. Hawks viewed The Front Page as a love affair between two men.
- A dinner party led to Hawks' decision to revamp His Girl Friday to include a female lead. While Hawks' original version of the script would have challenged Hollywood norms by telling a story with a queer subtext, the final version of His Girl Friday still explores what was a social taboo at the time: divorce.
- The change to Hildy's character and the fast-paced script resulted in His Girl Friday becoming a beloved screwball comedy.
His Girl Friday is one of the most unique films from Hollywood's golden age. Known for itsquirky, quick dialogue, screwball humor, and unique thematic elements for the time, the film was a critical hit and became one of director Howard Hawks' most beloved films. It tells the story of Walter Burns (Cary Grant), a newspaper editor, whose ex-wife Hildy (Rosalind Russell), a journalist, is engaged to be married and to move to Albany. Walter is determined to derail the marriage and convinces Hildy to cover the execution of Earl Williams (John Qualen), a man convicted of killing a police officer. Hildy is reluctant to become involved, but agrees if Walter buys a life-insurance policy from her husband to be. Thus, the zany adventure begins, one that includes an escape, bribery, and crooked politicians. The story concludes with Walter and Hildy falling back in love and on the brink of covering a new story on the way to their honeymoon.
Though divorce was a taboo topic for films of the time, the happy ending is a favorite one. However, the movie wasn't always going to play out in such a way. In fact, His Girl Friday was originally a story that followed two men. Based on the 1931 film, The Front Page, and the play of the same name, Hawks' original intent was to faithfully remake the predecessor. But then came a dinner party with a chance reading that changed everything. Not only was the sex of Hildy's character changed, but the whole dynamic and style of the film. And while Hawks' original vision would have put the film among the groundbreaking queer films audiences know today, the change did lead to another daring story element.
Release Date
January 18, 1940
Runtime
92 minutes
Director
Howard Hawks
Writers
Ben Hecht
Producers
Jed Harris
Cast
Rosalind Russell
Hildy Johnson
A newspaper editor uses every trick in the book to keep his ace reporter ex-wife from remarrying.
Why Did Hawks Change the 'His Girl Friday' Script?
Originally, Hawkes intended the screwball comedy to be a faithful remake of The Front Page. The film and the play on which it is based followed a similar story. Hilderbrand "Hildy" and his editor, Walter, are hot on the trail of an escaped murderer, and hope for a big payday if they crack the story. Cary Grant was an early contender for the film, although in the role of Hildy. However, according to Joseph McBride's book, Hawks on Hawks, the director's vision changed at a dinner party. Per the book, Hawks recalled: "We were having dinner one night at the house, six or eight people, and we were talking about dialogue." Hawks said there were two copies of the screenplay present at the party and, after dinner was finished, the party proceeded to read. Hawks said:
"There was a girl there who was pretty good, and I said, 'Read the reporter’s part, and I’ll read the editor’s part.' And in the middle of it, I said, 'My Lord, it’s better with a girl reading it than the way it was!' See, The Front Page was intended as a love affair between two men. I mean, they loved each other. There’s no doubt about it. And it was a lot easier for me to make a love story with a man and a girl and make some better scenes."
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While the queer subtext, as seen by Hawks (a tradition that was largely associated with horror at the time), was lost, the new story featured divorce as a major story beat. Divorce was a major taboo under the infamous Hays Code, a collection of rules that Hollywood was forced to follow. While the reunion of the couple at the film's conclusion was enough to satisfy censors, it was still groundbreaking at the time of the film's release. The change didn't only shake up subtexts and censors, though — it also gave the film its signature style.
How 'His Girl Friday' Became One of the Best Screwball Comedies
With the change of Hildy's character came a whole new dynamic for the script. Via Hawks on Hawks, the director remarked, "Everybody said that the original Front Page was the fastest picture that was ever made... I said, ‘I’d like to show them that the first picture was not as fast.’" As the script was revised, Hawks ensured the rewrite included overlapping dialogue. Per the book, Hawks said he noticed that people talk over one another in real life and, thus, it gave the film a more believable feel despite the high-end comedy. There was so much dialogue that the script was 191 pages long. Typically, this would equate to a three-hour and ten-minute film, but because of the quirky pacing of the scenes, the movie ended up being only 92 minutes. The change to Hildy's character and the fast-paced script worked, as the film was a hit with critics of the time and, to date, is considered one of the best screwball comedies ever made.
His Girl Friday had an unorthodox journey to the screen. Once conceived as a faithful adaptation, it morphed into something that not only made it stand out, but surpassed the original. From changing the character dynamics to challenging the first film's reputation, it proved to be a beloved screwball comedy that still has viewers laughing more than 80 years later.
His Girl Friday is available to stream on Prime Video in the U.S.