His Girl Friday is a 1940 screwball comedy, a remake of the 1931 film The Front Page, which is an adaptation by Charles Lederer, Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur of their play of the same name. The "twist" to His Girl Friday is that the one of the lead roles was converted from a man to a woman.
The film stars Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell and features Ralph Bellamy. It was directed by Howard Hawks and is noted for the rapid-fire pace of its dialogue.
The film was #19 on American Film Institute's "100 Years, 100 Laughs" and has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. Today the film is in the public domain(even though the 1928 play it is based on is still under copyright), which hasn't prevented Columbia Pictures from issuing official video releases of the film.
Walter Burns (Cary Grant) is a hard-boiled editor for The Morning Post whose ex-wife and former star reporter, Hildegard "Hildy" Johnson (Rosalind Russell) is about to marry bland insurance man Bruce Baldwin (Ralph Bellamy) and settle down to a quiet life as a wife and mother in Albany, New York – but Burns has other ideas. He entices the reluctant Johnson into covering one last story: the upcoming execution of convicted murderer Earl Williams (John Qualen).
Walter does everything he can to keep Hildy from leaving, including setting Bruce up so he gets arrested over and over again on trumped-up charges. He even kidnaps Hildy's stern mother-in-law-to-be (Alma Kruger). When Williams escapes from the bumbling sheriff (Gene Lockhart) and practically falls into Hildy's lap, the lure of a big scoop proves to be too much for her. She is so consumed with writing the story that she hardly notices as Bruce realizes his cause is hopeless and leaves to return to Albany.
The crooked mayor (Clarence Kolb) and sheriff need the publicity from the execution to keep their jobs in an upcoming election, so when a messenger (Billy Gilbert) brings them a reprieve from the governor, they try to bribe the man to go away and return later, when it will be too late. Walter and Hildy find out just in time to save Walter from being arrested for kidnapping.
Afterwards, Walter offers to remarry Hildy, promising to take her on the honeymoon they never had in Niagara Falls, but then Walter learns that there is a newsworthy strike in Albany, which is on the way to Niagara Falls by train.
Cast Cary Grant, Rosalind Russell, and Ralph Bellamy
* Cary Grant as Walter Burns * Rosalind Russell as Hildegard "Hildy" Johnson * Ralph Bellamy as Bruce Baldwin * Alma Kruger as Mrs. Baldwin, Bruce's mother * Gene Lockhart as Sheriff Peter B. Hartwell * Clarence Kolb as Mayor Fred * Abner Biberman as Louis "Diamond Louie" Palutso * John Qualen as Earl Williams * Helen Mack as Molly Malloy, Earl's girlfriend * Porter Hall as Reporter Murphy * Ernest Truex as Reporter Roy V. Bensinger * Cliff Edwards as Reporter Endicott * Roscoe Karns as Reporter McCue * Frank Jenks as Reporter Wilson * Regis Toomey as Reporter Sanders * Frank Orth as Duffy, Walter's copy editor * Billy Gilbert as Joe Pettibone * Pat West as Warden Cooley * Edwin Maxwell as Dr. Max J. Eggelhoffer
Production
His Girl Friday was originally supposed to be a straightforward retelling of The Front Page, with both the editor and reporter being men, however during auditions, Howard Hawks' secretary read reporter Hildy Johnson's lines. Hawks liked the way the dialogue sounded coming from a woman, so the script was rewritten to make Hildy female, and the ex-wife of editor Walter Burns. Most of the original dialogue and all of the characters' names (with the exception of Bruce Baldwin, Hildy's fiance, who was of course a woman in the play) were left the same.
Hawks had a very difficult time casting this film. While Cary Grant's casting was almost immediate, the character of Hildy was a far more complicated process. At first, Hawks wanted Carole Lombard for the role, whom he had directed in the screwball comedy Twentieth Century, but the cost of hiring Lombard in her new status as a freelancer proved to be far too expensive, and Columbia could not afford her. Katharine Hepburn, Claudette Colbert, Margaret Sullavan, Ginger Rogers and Irene Dunne were offered the role, but turned it down, Dunne because she felt the part was too small and needed to be expanded. Jean Arthur was offered the part, and was suspended by the studio when she refused to take it. Joan Crawford was reportedly also considered for the part.
Hawks then turned to Rosalind Russell, who was annoyed by the fact that she had not been his first choice, even arriving at her audition with wet hair. During filming, Russell noticed that Hawks treated her like an also-ran, so she confronted him: "You don't want me, do you? Well, you're stuck with me, so you might as well make the most of it." In her autobiography, Life Is A Banquet, Russell wrote that she thought that her character did not have as many good lines as Cary Grant's did, so she hired her own writer to "punch up" her dialogue. With Hawks encouraging ad-libbing on the set, Russell was able to slip her writers' work into the movie. Only Grant was wise to this tactic and greeted her each morning, saying, "What have you got today?"
The film had the working title of The Bigger They Are, and was in production from 27 September to 21 November 1939. It premiered in New York City on 11 January 1940. It went into general American release on 18 January.
His Girl Friday is noted for the rapid-fire pace of the repartee, using overlapping dialogue to make conversations sound more realistic, with one character speaking before another was finished. Hawks told Peter Bogdanovich, "I had noticed that when people talk, they talk over one another, especially people who talk fast or who are arguing or describing something. So we wrote the dialogue in a way that made the beginnings and ends of sentences unnecessary; they were there for overlapping." To get the effect he wanted, Hawks had the sound mixer on the set turn the various overhead microphones on and off as required for the scene, as many as 35 times.
Cary Grant's character describes Ralph Bellamy's character by saying "He looks like that actor...Ralph Bellamy!" According to Bellamy, the remark was ad libbed by Grant. Columbia studio head Harry Cohn thought it was too cheeky and ordered it removed, but Hawks insisted that it stay. Grant also makes several "inside" remarks in the film. When his character is arrested for kidnapping, he describes the horrendous fate suffered by the last person who crossed him: Archie Leach (Grant's real name). When Earl Williams attempts to get out of the roll-top desk he's been hiding in, Grant says, "Get back in there, you Mock Turtle." The line is in the original version of The Front Page and Grant also played "The Mock Turtle" in the 1933 film version of Alice in Wonderland.
His Girl Friday Feature Film|1:31:43| Editor tries to keep ace reporter from remarrying
Super Size Me is a 2004 documentary film written, produced, directed by, and starring Morgan Spurlock, an American independent filmmaker. Spurlock's film follows a 30-day time period (February to beginning of March 2003) during which he limits himself to only eat McDonald's food. The film documents this lifestyle's drastic effects on Spurlock's physical and psychological well-being, and explores the fast food industry's corporate influence, including how it encourages poor nutrition for its own profit. During the filming, Spurlock dined at McDonald's restaurants three times per day, sampling every item on the chain's menu at least once. He also "super-sized" his meal every time he was asked. Spurlock consumed an average of 20.92 megajoules or 5,000 cal (the equivalent of 9.26 Big Macs) per day during the experiment. As a result, the then-32-year-old Spurlock gained 24½ lbs. (1¾ stone, 11.1 kg), a 13% body mass increase, and experienced mood swings, sexual dysfunction, and liver damage. It took Spurlock fourteen months to lose the weight he gained.
The stated driving factor for Spurlock's investigation was the increasing spread of obesity throughout U.S. society, which the Surgeon General has declared "epidemic," and the corresponding lawsuit brought against McDonald's on behalf of two overweight girls, who, it was alleged, became obese as a result of eating McDonald's food. Spurlock points out that although the lawsuit against McDonald's failed (and subsequently many state legislatures have legislated against product liability actions against producers and distributors of "fast food"), much of the same criticism leveled against the tobacco companies applies to fast food franchises (except that these companies never lied about their product), although it could be argued that fast food, though physiologically addictive,is not as addictive as nicotine.
The documentary was nominated for an Academy Award for Documentary Feature.
On February 2005, Super Size Me Educationally Enhanced DVD edition was released. It is an edited version of the film designed to be integrated into a high school health curriculum.
MSNBC has also broadcast an hour long version of the film, in addition to the regular version.
Film premise
Experiment
As the film begins, Spurlock, age 32 at the time the movie was filmed in 2003, is physically above average, as attested to by three doctors (a cardiologist, a gastroenterologist, and a general practitioner), as well as a nutritionist and a personal trainer. He enlists all three to track his health during the month-long binge. All of the health professionals predict the "Mcdiet" will have unwelcome effects on his body, but none expect anything too drastic, one citing the human body as being "extremely adaptable." Prior to the experiment, Spurlock ate a varied diet but always had vegan evening meals to appease his then-girlfriend (now wife), Alexandra, a vegan chef. At the beginning of the experiment, Spurlock, who stands 6 feet 2 inches (188 cm) tall, had a body weight of 185.5 lb (84.1 kg).
Spurlock starts the month with breakfast near his home in Manhattan, where there are an average of four McDonald's (and 66,950 residents, and twice as many commuters) per square mile (2.6 km²). He also elects to ride in taxis more often, since he aims to keep the distances he walks in line with the 5,000 steps (approximately two miles) walked per day by the average American. Spurlock has several stipulations which govern his eating habits:
* He must fully consume three McDonald's meals per day. * He must sample every item on the McDonald's menu at least once over the course of the 30 days (this he managed in nine days). * He must only ingest items that are offered on the McDonald's menu. This includes bottled water. Any and all outside consumption of food is prohibited. He can't eat non-McItems. * He can only SuperSize the meal when asked. * If asked, he has to supersize the meal. * He will attempt to walk about as much as a typical American, based on a suggested figure of 5,000 steps per day, but he did not closely adhere to this, as he walked relatively more while in New York than Houston.
Day 2 brings Spurlock's first Super Size meal, at the McDonald's on 34th Street and Tenth Avenue, which happens to be a meal made of a Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese, Super Size french fries, and a 42 ounce Coke, which takes 22 minutes to eat. He experiences steadily increasing stomach aches during the process, which culminates in Spurlock vomiting in the parking lot.
After five days Spurlock has gained almost 10 pounds (4.5 kg) (from 185.5 to about 195 pounds). It is not long before he finds himself with a feeling of depression, and he claims that his bouts of depression, lethargy, and headaches are relieved by a McDonald's meal. One doctor describes him as "addicted." He has soon gained another 13 pounds (6 kg), putting his weight at 203.5 lb (92 kg). By the end of the month he weighs about 210 pounds (95.5 kg), an increase of about 24.5 pounds (about 11 kg). Because he could only eat McDonald's food for a month, Spurlock refused to take any medication at all. At one weigh-in Morgan lost 1 lb. from the previous weigh-in, but it was hypothesized by a nutritionist that he had lost muscle mass, which weighs more than an identical volume of fat.
Spurlock's girlfriend, Alexandra Jamieson, attests to the fact that Spurlock has lost much of his energy and sex drive during his experiment. It was not clear at the time if Spurlock would be able to complete the full month of the high-fat, high-carbohydrate diet, and friends and family began to express concern.
In Day 21, Spurlock has heart palpitations. Consultation with his concerned internist, Dr. Daryl Isaacs advises him to stop what he is doing immediately to avoid any serious health problems. He compares Spurlock with the protagonist played by Nicolas Cage in the movie Leaving Las Vegas who deliberately drinks himself to death over a similar time period. Despite this warning, Spurlock decides to continue the experiment.
Spurlock makes it to day 30 and achieves his goal. In thirty days, he "Supersized" his meals nine times along the way (five of which were in Texas, three in New York City.) All three doctors are surprised at the degree of deterioration in Spurlock's health. One of them states that the irreversible damage done to his liver could cause a heart attack even if he lost all the weight gained during the experiment. He notes that he has eaten more McDonald's meals than most nutritionists say the ordinary person should eat in 8 years (eating McDonald's once or twice a month per saying, which rounds up to 96 McMeals in an 8 year stretch).
Findings
Text at the conclusion of the movie states that it took Spurlock 5 months to lose 20 pounds (9 kg) and another 9.5 months to lose the last 4.5 pounds. His girlfriend Alexandra Jamieson, a vegan chef (not a dietitian or medical doctor), began supervising his recovery with her "detox diet," which became the basis for her book, The Great American Detox Diet.
"The bottom line, they're a business, no matter what they say, and by selling you unhealthy food, they make millions, and no company wants to stop doing that."
The movie ends with a rhetorical question, "Who do you want to see go first, you or them?" with a cartoon tombstone for Ronald McDonald ("1954-2012") as a backdrop. The cartoon of the tombstone originated in The Economist where it appeared in an article addressing the ethics of marketing toward children.
In the DVD release of the movie, a short epilogue was added about McDonald's discontinuation of the Super Size option six weeks later, as well as its recent emphasis of healthier menu items such as salads, and the release of the new adult happy meal. However, it is shown that the salads can contain even more calories than hamburgers, if the customer piles cheese and dressing on them. It is claimed that these changes had nothing to do with the film.
Another issue that Spurlock focuses on is the way McDonald's targets young children with ads before the kids themselves realize how harmful their food is. McDonald's spends approximately $1.4 billion annually on advertising, most of which is directed at pre-teens. In the movie, Spurlock jokes that he will battle the socialization of his children by punching them in the face every time they pass a McDonald's so that the golden arches do not elicit happy memories.
Reaction
The film opened in the U.S. on May 7, 2004, and grossed a total of $28,548,087 worldwide, making it the 9th highest grossing documentary film of all time. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary but lost to the film Born into Brothels. Also, the film received highly positive reviews; scoring, for example, 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. "Super Size Me" received two thumbs up on At the Movies with Ebert and Roeper.
Criticism
Critics of the film, including McDonald's, argue that the author intentionally consumed an average of 5,000 calories per day and did not exercise, and that the results would have been the same regardless of the source of the overeating. He was eating solely McDonald's food in keeping with the terms of a potential judgment against McDonald's in court documents highlighted at the beginning of the film.
The film addresses such objections by highlighting that a part of the reason for Spurlock's deteriorating health was not just the high calorie intake but also the high quantity of fat relative to vitamins and minerals in the McDonald's menu, which is similar in that regard to the nutritional content of the menus of most other U.S. fast-food chains.
About 1/3 of his calories came from sugar. His nutritionist, Bridget Bennett RD, cited him about his excess intake of sugar from "milkshakes and cokes". It is revealed toward the end of the movie that over the course of the diet, he consumed "over 30 pounds of sugar, and over 12 lbs. of fat from their food". The nutritional side of the diet was not fully explored in the film because of the closure, during the 30 days, of the clinic which was monitoring this aspect.
Spurlock claimed he was trying to imitate what an average diet for a regular eater at McDonald's, for a person who would get little to no exercise, would do to them. It is possible that 5,000 calories per day is an average diet for a typical consumer of McDonald's or any other fast food source, despite the fact that the average adult male only requires 2,500 calories per day to maintain their weight. However, Spurlock did not demonstrate that anyone, let alone a substantial number of people, eat at McDonald's three times per day. In fact McDonald's is mentioned during the movie to have two classes of users of their restaurants: There are the "Heavy Users," (about 72% of the people, who eat at their restaurants once or twice a week), and the "SUPER Heavy Users" (about 22% of the customers, who eat McDonald's just about every day of the year). But no one was found who ate at McDonalds three times a day. Morgan said that he was eating in thirty days the amount of fast food most nutritionists suggest someone should eat in eight years. Spurlock did theorize during the course of the film, however, that the average McDonald's consumer likely wasn't eating other, healthier foods in the interim. The film has also been criticized for its stereotypical view of American obesity and for being vegan propaganda, primarily due to Spurlock's girlfriend being vegan herself.
Impact: Subsequent to the showing of the film at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival, the Super Size fries and beverage were retired from the menu and McDonald's replaced them with more "healthful" alternatives though McDonald's denied that this was in reaction to the movie. In Summer 2006, Super Size beverage was brought back under the name 'Summer Size', but only for a limited time. The corporation did, however, issue a press release on their website, denouncing Spurlock's film and blaming the filmmaker for being a part of the problem, and not the solution. Morgan also mentions in the documentary that despite the addition of healthier options around the same time, McDonald's also added the McGriddle breakfast sandwich to their menu; Morgan called it one of the most unhealthy sandwiches they've ever made, saying it has more fat than the Big Mac and more sugar than their pack of cookies.
The film received the highest-ever opening for a documentary in Australia, and within two weeks of release, it sparked a massive negative ad campaign, with McDonald's admitting the essential unhealthiness of their food but blaming the customer for overindulging. Russo stated to News Limited that customers had been surprised that the company had not addressed the claims. McDonald's placed a 30-second ad spot in the opening trailers of all viewings of Super Size Me and also offered to pay movie theaters to allow McDonald's employees to distribute apples to patrons as they exited the film.
In recent years however, some McDonald's outlets in Australia have offered more nutritious alternatives to their customary menu, particularly where breakfast is concerned. This includes offerings of fresh fruit, and direct resale of popular breakfast cereals made by other companies. The "deli choices" breakfast items are also only made after ordering, so there is less chance of eating food that has been left to sit for some minutes. As of 2008 all burgers are now made to order.
In the United Kingdom, McDonald's placed a brief ad in the trailers of showings of the film, pointing to the website www.supersizeme-thedebate.co.uk (archive). The ads simply stated, "See what we disagree with. See what we agree with."
In April 2006, when British newspaper The Guardian distributed a free DVD of the film, McDonald's placed a full-page advertisement on the back, which included a telephone number for complaints.
This movie's creation gave Spurlock an idea: a show entitled 30 Days, which aired on the American channel FX, British channel More 4, and on Australian Network Ten.
Super Size Me Feature Film|1:39:56| Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock puts his health on the line in this examination of the food industry.
Kings is an inspiring exploration of the timeless David vs. Goliath struggle. The show is set in a modern metropolis under siege where the fighting has gone on for too long and cost far too many lives. When David Shepherd (Christopher Egan, “Resident Evil: Extinction”), a brave young soldier, rescues the king’s (Golden Globe winner Ian McShane, “Deadwood”) son from enemy territory, he sets events in motion that will finally bring peace. Suddenly, David is thrust into the limelight, earning the affections of women -- including the king’s daughter. When he’s promoted to captain, he becomes the reluctant poster boy for hope. But for David, the line between his allies and enemies will blur as the power players in the kingdom go to great lengths to see him fall.
Goliath, Parts 1 and 2 (Season 1, Episode 1)
When an unknown soldier saves the life of the King's son in battle, he's thrust into the limelight and politics of the kingdom. 1:23:23 minutes
