His Girl Friday (1940)
Star Birthday... Rosalind Russell
Rosalind Russell was born on 4 June 1907, and had a successful career spanning 40 years. Known for playing classy character roles, often professional characters, she was not considered a sex symbol. Some of her memorable roles include Sylvia Fowler in The Women (1939), Hildy Johnson in His Girl Friday (1940), Mame Dennis in Auntie Mame (1958) and Madame Rose in Gypsy (1962).
Recommended viewing
His Girl Friday
'His Girl Friday' is a 1940 screwball comedy directed by Howard Hawks, and starring Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell.
Walter Burns (played by Grant), is having dicculty in letting go of his ex-wife Hildy Johnson (played by Russell). After Hildy informs him she is about to marry insurance salesman Bruce Baldwin (played by Ralph Bellamy), Walter attempts to delay the marriage by enticing Hildy to run an exclusive interview with a convicted murderer Earl Williams, who is about to be hanged. The film takes a humourous turn when Williams escapes from jail.
Rushed dialogue
The flm is notable for having rapid dialogue, where many of the actors talk over each other, rather than waiting for the other actor to finish speaking. This was deliberately intended by Howard Hawks to give the film a more naturalistic feel, however as a spectator it is distracting and at times difficult to understand what is being said. For this reason, I do not recommend this film to viewers speaking English as a second language, unless the film is subtitled.
Did you know...
- As of 1968 the film is the public domain due to Columbia Pictures not renewing copywright - as a result this film is widely available on DVD very cheaply
- In the original play in which the film is based, the role of Hildy was a male character
The Women (1939)
Star Birthday - Paulette Goddard
Paulette Goddard was born on 3 June 1910, and first found fame on Broadway as a Ziegfeld Girl, before moving to the movies. Goddard died on 23 April 1990.
Recommended Viewing
The Women (1939)
Be careful what you say in private - it could become a movie.
That's exactly what happened when Clare Booth Luce heard some interesting gossip in a public toilet. It inspired her to write the play on which this film is based.
"The Women" is an entertaining husband snatching catty tale, which starts with a bitch fight (literally), as two female pet dogs violently snap at each other. Shortly after this, as Sylvia Fowler (played by Rosalind Russell) is having her nails done, the manicurist let's slip her cousin Mary Haines' (played by Norma Shearer) husband is having an affair with perfume salesgirl Crystal Allen (played by Joan Crawford). Knowing this juicy bit of gossip Sylvia takes it upon herself to spread this to everyone she knows.
The cast features 139 women and not a man in sight. Even the pet animals in the film were female. The film's supporting cast features Paulette Goddard, Mary Boland, Joan Fontaine, Marjorie Main, Virginia Weidler (a forgotten actress whom I particularly like), Lucile Watson, Ruth Hussey, Virginia Grey and Butterfly McQueen.
The film includes a 10 minute fashion show sequence filmed in Technicolor. Although dazzling and visually stunning, the sequence is pointless and adds unnecessary time to an already long film.
The film has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
The film was later remade as a musical in 1956, 'The Opposite Sex', starring June Allyson, Joan Collins and Ann Miller.
Did you know...
- No stunt doubles were used when Rosalind Russell bit Paulette Goddard's leg, leaving a permanant scar
Lesbianism is subtlely portrayed in the character of Nancy Blake
- As of June 2012, Joan Fontaine is the only surviving credited cast member
- This film was Butterfly McQueen's film debut
"All right, I'll give you radio. Why, I'll produce the gosh damnedest blowouts for 1938."
Breakdowns of 1938 is a short Warner Bros. studio blooper reel featuring popular stars forgetting lines, muddling lines and having difficulties with props.
Blooper highlights include:
- Basil Rathbone trying on 17 different helmets (until he finds one which fits) during the filming of 'The Adventures of Robin Hood' (1938)
- Bette Davis struggling to get her bracelet off during 'That Certain Woman' (1938) - "Son of a bitch, it won't come off!"
- Bette Davis forgetting her line to Henry Fonda in 'Jezebel' (1938) - "Well, I'm a son of a bitch"
- Claude Rains forgetting his lines from 'White Banners' (1938)
- Claudette Colbert muddling up her lines from 'Tovarich' (1938)
- Errol Flynn and Eugene Pallette in 'The Adventures of Robin Hood' (1938)
- Humphrey Bogart forgetting his lines from 'Kid Galahad' (1938) - "I can't remember the line! God damn it!"
- Humphrey Bogart and Frank McHugh muddling lines from 'Swing Your Girl' (1938)
- Paul Muni forgetting his lines from 'The Life of Emile Zola' (1938)
- Ronald Reagan having trouble with a faulty prop gun in 'Love is on the Air' (1938) - "Well that goddamn thing locked up again!"
Other stars featured in this short film include Eddie Acuff, Katharine Alexander, Fay Bainter, Robert Barrat, Ralph Bellamy, George Brent, Sheila Bromley, Walter Connolly, Richard Cromwell, Glenda Farrell, Louise Fazenda, Dick Foran, Kay Francis, Margorie Gateson, Gregory Gaye, Edmund Goulding, Eddie Graham, Bonita Granville, Fernand Gravey, William Haade, Raymond Hatton, Hugh Herbert, Ian Hunter, Isabel Jeans, Allen Jenkins, Paul Kelly, Tom Kennedy, Anita Kerry, Patric Knowles, Margaret Lindsay, John Litel, Al Lloyd, Carole Lombard, Anita Louise, Wilfred Lucas, Mary Maguire, Michael Mark, Robert J. Mauch, Pat O'Brien, Hugh O'Connell, Nat Pendleton, Mary Philips, Dick Powell, Dick Purcell, Marcia Ralston, Marjorie Rambeau, Addison Richards, Rosalind Russell, Daniel Boone Savage, Ann Sheridan, Penny Singleton, Verree Teasdale, Rudy Vallee, Emmett Vogan, Patricia Walthall, Ben Welden, Sammy White and Walter Young.
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