''His Girl Friday'' was directed by Howard Hawks and is noted for the rapidfire wit and extremely fast pace of the dialogue.
The film is consistently on the Internet Movie Database's list of top 250 films, was #19 on American Film Institute's 100 Years, 100 Laughs, and has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.
Plot
Cary Grant is hard-boiled newspaper editor Walter Burns, and Rosalind Russell his ex-wife and former star reporter, Hildegaard "Hildy" Johnson. She wants to marry Bruce Baldwin (Ralph Bellamy) and settle down to a normal life, but Burns has other ideas. When convicted murderer Earl Williams (John Qualen) escapes from the bumbling sheriff (Gene Lockhart) on the eve of his execution, Burns entices Johnson to cover one last story, and then the fun begins.Walter does everything he can to keep Hildy from leaving, including getting Bruce arrested for passing counterfeit money (which Walter gave him) and kidnapping Bruce's mother. When escapee Williams practically falls into Hildy's lap, the lure of a big scoop proves to be too much for her. Bruce finally realizes it's hopeless and leaves. Afterwards, Walter offers to remarry her, even letting her pick Niagara Falls for their honeymoon (they didn't have one the first time because of newspaper business). But then the phone rings; it seems there's a newsworthy strike in Albany, which is on the way there...
Trivia
*Some memorable moments incorporate real life references: Walter tells Ralph Bellamy's character that he looks a lot like an actor...Ralph Bellamy. Later, Walter notes that the last person who crossed him and lived to regret it was Archie Leach – Grant's real name.*The film was originally supposed to be a straightforward retelling of ''The Front Page'' -- i.e. the editor and reporter being both men. However, while conducting auditions for the film, Howard Hawks' secretary read Hildy Johnson's lines. Hawks liked the way the dialogue sounded coming from a woman, and the script was rewritten to make Hildy female (and the ex-wife of Walter).
*The film is one of famed director Quentin Tarantino's favourites, along with another Howard Hawks film, Rio Bravo.
