The big motion picture news recently has been about the sale of Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. This caused me to remember that I have had the pleasure of being on all of Hollywood’s major studio lots. Regardless of what names they may go by now, or who sits in the executive offices, the history and rich traditions of movies at all of the studios were palpable.
Being able to walk around freely at MGM, Universal Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney, Paramount, and Warner’s was thrilling. It was especially enjoyable at Warner’s because a friend of mine worked in the script library. We had lunch in the commissary and after he went back to work, I had the run of the studio and its backlot with all of those make-believe streets and alleys, brownstones and storefronts. At Warner Bros., certain filmmakers have their own offices; therefore, it was fun to see some famous names on those stucco California bungalows with their red tile roofs. The most notable was for Malpaso, which is Clint Eastwood’s production company. There was a truck in Eastwood’s parking space; therefore, he was probably in.
Many screenings for movie junkets I attended were held in incredibly comfortable cinemas on studio lots, and I’ve seen films at the immense theater at the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences — the Oscar people. I was also on Francis Ford Coppola’s American Zoetrope studio lot in the heart of Hollywood. Because a friend from Buffalo worked in Coppola’s casting department, I ended up being an extra in two features that were being shot because she needed extras quickly. The movies are “Frances,” a costume drama about a troublesome actress, and “One From The Heart,” a contemporary musical. I played a 1940s press photographer in some scenes in the former, and I was a fellow walking in front of a travel agency in the latter, which was Coppola’s reinvention of a melancholy Las Vegas.
Believe it or not, but history and tradition are important to the men and women who work at the studios. This is why the streaming giant Netflix buying Warner Bros. has unnerved many folks. Will movie theaters survive? I believe so.
Classic full-scale studio filmmaking is vital to Hollywood history, and one movie that certifies its importance is the masterful, fast-talking screwball comedy, “His Girl Friday.” It has been given a magical restoration by The Criterion Collection. This restored edition of the wonderful classic is the complete original theatrical release version, which was tinkered with decades ago. The set, which includes 4K UHD and Blu-ray discs, has a long list of exceptional extras.
American moviemakers have long made popular features about the newspaper industry, but none may be funnier than “His Girl Friday,” which stars Rosalind Russell, Cary Grant, and Ralph Bellamy. It is directed by the legendary Howard Hawks. The film ranks high in quality, just as high as three great and essential journalism dramas that are extraordinary pictures: “Citizen Kane,” “All The President’s Men,” and “Spotlight.” In addition to being riveting entertainment, the three also serve as invaluable teaching tools about the journalism business and how newspapers tell and present their stories.
I firmly believe that “His Girl Friday” is as important as the titles mentioned above. Laughter aside, and it is robustly funny, the audience is given a very smart and clever education in getting the story and getting it right. The movie is based on the 1928 Broadway play “The Front Page” and the subsequent 1931 film of the same title made from it. Both were highly honored. The new Criterion Collection edition has a long list of exceptional extras, with “The Front Page” included for your entertainment pleasure.
The grand and delightful difference with “His Girl Friday,” from 1940, is that there is a major flip of one key gender role. The main reporter, Hildebrand “Hildy” Johnson, a man, becomes Hildegarde “Hildy” Johnson, a woman. It’s a brilliant switch because it explores many of the human dynamics regarding the wild world of daily newspapers during the era.
The story being told in “His Girl Friday” is about a man about to be executed for murder becoming involved with a gaggle of eager reporters looking to tell the truth about his guilt or innocence. Female star reporter Hildy Johnson has retired, and she is going to marry Bruce Baldwin, a mild-mannered insurance salesman. One day, she goes back to her old newspaper office and everything becomes topsy-turvy because her ex-husband Walter Burns, a rapscallion editor with printer’s ink running through his veins, tries to finagle Hildy into working on one last story, which happens to be the murder case. After some give and take, Hildy accedes to Walter’s request and the honeymoon in Niagara Falls is temporarily postponed.
The cast is sublime. Russell, who is one of my top three favorite movie comedy actresses, is magnificent as Hildy. My two other top comic film actresses are Judy Holliday and Diane Keaton. Matching Russell witticism for witticism is Grant as Burns. Bellamy is superb as the quietly suffering Bruce. The rest of the cast is comprised of diamonds in a grand tiara of supporting greatness. The dialogue from screenwriter Charles Lederer is on wisecracking steroids. Lederer was a child prodigy who went to college at age 13, but he dropped out. Then, at age 16, the precocious boy became a reporter for the Hearst newspapers in California. His aunt, actress Marion Davies, was William Randolph Hearst’s mistress. She raised Lederer after his parents divorced.
One of the reasons some people are concerned about the sale of Warner Bros. and Paramount is the possibility that the new owners won’t allow some classic films to be seen. All movies owned by a studio are considered content, rarely art. Netflix (for Warner Bros.) and Skydance (for Paramount) may want to remake titles in their vault and not want the public to see the originals, preferring to keep them hidden in order to sell tickets or subscriptions for new versions. I have always been a believer in allowing all motion pictures to be available for the good of the public. Any other restrictions that might be on the horizon would be an unfortunate development. The people who truly love movies deserve to be able to see as many movies as they would like to see.