The Front Page (1931)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Lewis Milestone

Writers:

Ben Hecht (play) and
Charles MacArthur (play) ...

Release Date:

4 April 1931 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Hildy Johnson, newspaper reporter, is engaged to Peggy Grant and planning to move to New York for a higher paying advertising job...

Plot Keywords:

Escape | Editor | Newspaper | Press Room | Suicide Attempt

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars.

Cast

Adolphe Menjou	...	Walter Burns
Pat O'Brien	...	Hildebrand 'Hildy' Johnson
Mary Brian	...	Peggy Grant
Edward Everett Horton	...	Roy V. Bensinger
Walter Catlett	...	Jimmy Murphy (as Walter L. Catlett)
George E. Stone	...	Earl Williams
Mae Clarke	...	Molly Malloy
Slim Summerville	...	Irving Pincus
Matt Moore	...	Ernie Kruger
Frank McHugh	...	'Mac' McCue
Clarence Wilson	...	Sheriff Peter B. 'Pinky' Hartman (as Clarence H. Wilson)
Fred Howard	...	Schwartz (as Freddie Howard)
Phil Tead	...	Wilson
Eugene Strong	...	Endicott (as Gene Strong)
Spencer Charters	...	Woodenshoes

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Canada:PA (Ontario) | Spain:T

Filming Locations:

Metropolitan Studios - 1040 N. Las Palmas Boulevard, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

The Caddo Company

Trivia:

Louis Wolheim was originally cast to play Walter Burns, but Adolphe Menjou got the part when Wolheim died suddenly.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Title card: This story is laid in a mythical kingdom.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Kids in the Hall: (#1.3)" (1989)

Entertaining Version of the Story

If it weren't for the even better Howard Hawks remake, "The Front Page" would probably be much more well-remembered today. It's entertaining in its own right, with a slightly different feel from the remake, and it is better than most movies of its own era in at least a couple of important respects. While you can still tell at times that it is from the very early sound era, it does use sound and dialogue more smoothly and constructively (that is, rather than as a mere novelty) than do most early 30's movies.

Adolphe Menjou has the role of Walter Burns, and he is a good fit, giving the character just a slightly different turn from the way that Cary Grant would later play it. The role of Hildy Johnson is somewhat bland in this one - it was the genius of Hawks in changing this role into a more worthy foil for Burns that made "His Girl Friday" so outstanding - but in compensation, some of the other reporters get more to do here. The supporting cast has a number of good character actors, especially Edward Everett Horton as the fussy Bensinger, and it's good that they were given some worthwhile moments of their own. Certainly the great remake deserves its own reputation, but this version deserves to be remembered as well.