Category Archives: 1940

This Thing Called Love (1940)

rosalind russell this thing called love
Rosalind Russell in This Thing Called Love (1940)

Banned in Australia, Ireland, and by the Catholic Legion of Decency, This Thing Called Love is a fun romantic comedy with innuendos a-plenty. Although any mention of sex in this film is only implied (and it is implied quite a bit), such implications were enough to cause the ban. It is interesting to think that both Australia and Ireland’s censors were more conservative compared to the United States in 1940 than they are today. Today, most people would agree it is the complete opposite.

rosalind russell melvyn douglas this thing called love
Rosalind Russell and Melvyn Douglas in This Thing Called Love (1940)

This Thing Called Love also marked the first time Rosalind Russell would star opposite Melvyn Douglas, one of my favorite actors. He was a little on the underrated side and not one of the most conventionally handsome types, but he was always bursting with exuberant charm and his most wonderful asset was his voice. I have always loved that voice of his and he was always a good match for many popular leading ladies of the time, appearing in many comedies with the likes of Greta Garbo, Myrna Loy, Irene Dunne, Gloria Swanson, Claudette Colbert, Jean Arthur, Mary Astor, and Joan Blondell. He always had fantastic chemistry with all of his leading ladies. There must have been something about him that made him easy to get along with and work with. This was the sixth comedy in a row for Roz (although No Time for Comedy is also part drama) and it was clear what a bright comedienne she was. She was becoming known for comedy and perfectly showed off her flair for it.

rosalind russell this thing called love
Rosalind Russell in This Thing Called Love (1940)

Tice Collins, played by Melvyn Douglas, is on a ship sailing from South America (Peru, to be exact) back to New York City. He has had one woman on his mind during his trip and is excited to get back to her. Also on the boat with him is a successful banker named Julio Diestro (Lee J. Cobb), and his wife and children. Tice is trying to get a large business loan ($1 million) to finance a new mine (he’s an engineer) and has been busy trying to charm Diestro into getting him that loan. Meanwhile, back in the Big Apple, Ann (Rosalind Russell) is trying to win over her bosses at the insurance company where she works as a statistician. She wants them to finance a project she is planning. She has written a book called The Practical Plan for Marriage and her idea is that after couples get married, they should live together in name only. This means they shouldn’t consummate their marriage for three months. Couples need to get to know each other better before they bring sex into it. She believes that this idea needs to be tested to see if it works and her soon-to-be husband, Tice, has no idea he will be the guinea pig in her experiment.

melvyn douglas rosalind russell this thing called love
Melvyn Douglas and Rosalind Russell in This Thing Called Love (1940)

When Ann goes to the docks to meet Tice, it is obvious how smitten they are with each other. They don’t even speak when they see each other. They kiss and kiss for what seems a long time, while Tice’s lawyer, Harry (Allyn Joslyn) and his secretary, Charlotte (Binnie Barnes) stand right next to them. Of course, they are so wrapped up in each other that they don’t even hear Harry and Charlotte attempting to talk to them. Tice and Ann have been separated from each other for six months, but it is soon revealed that they only knew each other on the boat for one week when they fell in love and decided to get married. Ann’s sister Ruth (Leona Maricle) is getting divorced just as Ann is about to marry. Predictably, when Ann whispers her plan in Tice’s ear, he yelps, “WHAT?! YOU’RE CRAZY!” As she gets up to leave the courtroom where they came to watch the divorce proceedings, Tice whimpers like a hurt puppy before following her out. Ann explains to him that she isn’t sure their marriage will work because they fell too hard too fast.

rosalind russell this thing called love
Rosalind Russell in This Thing Called Love (1940)

The next day, Tice decides to discuss Ann’s plan with Harry. Harry and his wife Florence (Gloria Dickson) are cause for a lot of friction in this story. They are constantly bickering and insulting each other. In fact, they fight so much that there are about five or six dents in their bedroom door where Florence throws a shoe at him as he closes the door. Harry thinks Ann’s plan is silly and she will soon forget it as long as Tice turns on the charm for her after they’re married.

sig arno melvyn douglas rosalind russell this thing called love
Sig Arno, Melvyn Douglas, and Rosalind Russell in This Thing Called Love (1940)

So they get married. On their wedding night, they both get dressed up to have dinner together downstairs in their new house. As Ann gets ready, Tice gets ready… to ply her with champagne and whichever tricks he may have up his sleeve to seduce her. When she comes down, they embrace and kiss each other. As he holds her, he catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror and salutes. Even though the objective is for Tice to charm Ann into the bedroom, there is a moment where Ann kisses him and immediately wants to kiss him again, but he actually turns away, almost as if he’s playing hard to get for a brief moment. They start drinking champagne, something that Ann thoroughly enjoys. As Tice continuously refills her glass, she remarks that she can “drink quarts and quarts of it [champagne] and it never affects me one way or another.” She spies a little statuette on the table and he explains that it is the Aztec god of plenty, a fertility god that will “ensure abundant crops and offspring.” She makes with the big eyes and turns away from him, changing the subject.

melvyn douglas rosalind russell this thing called love
Melvyn Douglas and Rosalind Russell in This Thing Called Love (1940)

Tice’s next technique is to play the song that was playing when they first met. She immediately recognizes it and with goo-goo eyes, she starts to dance with him as they reminisce about that night. She starts complaining about it being too warm and Tice suggests that they go upstairs because it’s much cooler up there. She refuses, but he doesn’t give up. He slyly turns on the heater so it won’t cool down as she opens the window. The champagne begins to make her act silly and when the phone rings, she makes herself comfortable on the couch and answers with a shrill, very relaxed “Hellooooo!” She half listens to her colleague talk about a business proposition, saying things like “They’re just putting in these perfectly looooooooooooooovely safety belts.” After Tice unplugs the phone, Ann grins at him and tells him the place is “sooooooooooo nice.” Ann is just about to crack as Tice starts kissing her from her temple down her face and neck, but then she catches sight of the pamphlet about her plan. She comes to her senses, gets up, and bids Tice good night, but not before she takes the groom off their wedding cake, bringing him with her.

rosalind russell this thing called love
Rosalind Russell in This Thing Called Love (1940)

Tice grumbles and stares at his reflection in the mirror, saying sarcastically, “You’re irresistible! You’ve got charm!” Not long after this, Diestro comes over to their house for dinner, not sure he wants to give Tice the loan because he isn’t the family man he was hoping for. Harry and Charlotte mistakenly lead Diestro to believe that Ann is pregnant (which of course would be impossible) and so they will start their family very soon. When Tice is let in on this secret, they all desperately do their best to conceal the news of Ann’s alleged pregnancy from Ann herself. Ann arrives home and literally jumps with all the gusto she could muster into the living room, which shocks the Diestros, not wishing to see a pregnant woman acting like that. That part always makes me laugh because seriously, who does that? Only Rosalind Russell, of course. At dinner, Tice constantly changes the subject away from babies or anything related to them and Ann starts to think he’s insane. He, Harry, and Charlotte change the subject to football, to sluices (water channel controlled at its head by a gate, from Wikipedia), to the world’s fair, then they all stand up and toast three times—to South America, to the United States, and to both Americas! In a final ditch effort to steer the conversation, Tice breaks into song, singing “America the Beautiful” until everyone in the room is singing along, including Ann, who is shooting Tice a dirty look.

Rosalind Russell and Melvyn Douglas in This Thing Called Love (1940)
Rosalind Russell and Melvyn Douglas in This Thing Called Love (1940)

Tice calls his own phone from the extension upstairs and as he gets Ann’s boss, Gordon Daniels (Paul McGrath), on the phone, he informs him that his office is on fire in order to clear out the house. As Ann is giving the Diestros a tour of the house, she catches them in the act as she watches Harry splashing in the bathtub, pretending to be putting out the “fire.” She then discovers that Tice has invited the Diestros to stay for the weekend, which means he gave up his bedroom for them. Oh, what a sacrifice he made! I guess that means he has to stay in Ann’s room this weekend. Meanwhile, Harry’s wife Florence finds Charlotte outside doing some work. They get into an argument, which culminates in Florence literally tearing the black dress (which was a cause for friction between her husband and herself) off Charlotte’s back. Ann plays cards with the Diestros and keeps dropping hints about what a bad idea it was for them to leave their children at their hotel. When she mentions that she had a friend get lost in the hotel for days, Mrs. Diestro can’t stand it any longer and insists they go back to the hotel. They go outside and there is an awkward moment as Ann finds her husband draping a towel around Charlotte.

rosalind russell melvyn douglas this thing called love
Rosalind Russell and Melvyn Douglas in This Thing Called Love (1940)

Now that the Diestros aren’t staying, Tice tries again and this time, he helps Florence and Harry make up, inviting them to stay for the weekend. However, before the now happy couple enters Tice’s bedroom, Ann takes Harry aside and lets him know that Florence called him some names in front of other people. “It was something awfully silly. I think it was, um… chowderhead.” Harry snaps at Florence: “When are you gonna learn to shut that flannel mouth of yours?” They start bickering again and leave. Tice is angry that his plans didn’t come to fruition and goes to take a swim with Charlotte. When some neighbors come walking by, Charlotte tells Tice they need to hide in the nearby bush because she doesn’t want to get into trouble with another wife. Unfortunately, as the neighbors remark, what they just jumped into was poison oak.

this thing called love poster
This Thing Called Love poster

In the last half hour of the film enters “Sexy Rosalind.” She wears a total of four nightgowns or negligées in this span of time. I wonder how she liked to parade around in nightgowns because it was not something she usually did in films. It is a very interesting change for her and she does it very well (for people who don’t think Roz can pull “sexy” off). The next morning when Ann finds Tice’s bed hasn’t been slept in, she decides once and for all to forget her plan and have a real marriage. Of course, by this time, Tice has decided to play hard to get. When Ann calls him up at the club and mentions that if a man claims he has a wife and really hasn’t one, that would be insurance fraud, she purrs into the phone, “Wellll, I don’t want you to go to jail.” When Tice arrives home, he finds Ann trying to be as sexy as possible for him. He tries to put the flowers he brought in some water, but he can’t ignore Ann. He drops the flowers and reaches out to kiss her, but the telephone rings. Tice has started scratching himself and as Charlotte tells him on the phone, he finds out why. They both have poison oak and he will come down with it badly very soon. He turns to Ann and they start drinking champagne. She says, “You know, one sip of this and I don’t remember a thing,” a statement very different from the one earlier in the film.

melvyn douglas rosalind russell this thing called love
Melvyn Douglas and Rosalind Russell in This Thing Called Love (1940)

Tice takes her wedding ring off her finger and throws it into the fireplace. He puts another on her finger and tells her it’s the real one since now they will start a real marriage. Trying to keep the conversation with Charlotte from his wife, he tells her it was Harry. She keeps wanting to get close to him, so he asks her to dance instead. They start dancing, but he has the urge to scratch. He starts doing a funny sort of “rumba” dance, but is really just rubbing himself against the post behind him to scratch that itch, while making bizarre jerking movements. He has the operator call him and pretends he is on the phone with a friend named “Shorty” in Cheyenne. He has to go out of town right away to Cheyenne and immediately leaves Ann hanging. Ann responds, “I don’t get it.” Then she turns to the camera, as if she is talking to us. “Do you?”

rosalind russell on the set this thing called love
Rosalind Russell on the set of This Thing Called Love (1940)

Sometime later, Ann’s boss, Gordon, completely drunk, has driven her home from a business dinner. He passes out and Ann lets him sleep it off in Tice’s bedroom. Tice suddenly comes home the next morning, surprising her. As he takes Ann into his arms, over Tice’s shoulder she sees Arno (Sig Arno), the butler, go into the other bedroom. She tries her best to keep Tice out of his own bedroom. Unfortunately, as Arno tries to get Gordon out, they both fall down the stairs and make a racket. Tice sees Gordon in his pajamas and shoots Ann an angry look. She tries to explain what happened, but he won’t listen to her. He is in trouble, too, because she sees the label on his cowboy hat and it was made in New York City. Then medicine for poison oak falls out of his coat pocket. She begins to realize that he never went to Cheyenne after all and he has poison oak, which she knows Charlotte also has. She lifts up his shirt and he slaps her hand away. They do this over and over until she glares at him and says, “Did he [his friend Shorty] give you his spots, too?” He replies, “They’re birthmarks!” “Whose birthmarks—Charlotte Campbell’s?”

alexander hall rosalind russell this thing called love
Director Alexander Hall and Rosalind Russell on the set of This Thing Called Love

Just as Ann is about to board plane for Reno, she hears Tice has gone a little nuts and is selling his mine for much less than it’s worth. She asks her brother-in-law, who is a psychiatrist, to get him out of the meeting and take him home. “You gotta get him out of there, even if you have to put him in a straitjacket!” Which is exactly what he does, and Tice is stuck at home in one. At the last minute, Ann changes her mind and runs back home. When she can’t find Tice anywhere, she sobs, knowing she’s lost him. But when the phone rings and she hears Tice on the extension, she gets excited and grabs the fertility god from downstairs. She slowly puts the statuette on the dresser in Tice’s room and he knows what this means.

IMDB page for This Thing Called Love

TCM overview of the film

No Time for Comedy (1940)

rosalind russell james stewart cbs radio
Rosalind Russell and James Stewart on CBS radio

Around 1938, Rosalind Russell was teamed with James Stewart for a radio play, and although I am no biographer so I cannot confirm this, it is probably around this time that she befriended him. This cute couple were known to be dating on and off from around 1938 to early 1940. Rosalind met her future husband in late 1939, but she didn’t settle for one man right away. By 1940, she had fallen in love with Frederick Brisson and married him the following year. But her friendship with Jimmy Stewart persisted until her death in 1976. Although she did not marry Jimmy (she said in an interview later in life that they liked each other very much, but they just weren’t right for each other), I have always considered them an adorable couple. This is another great romantic pairing for Roz that only produced one film. The other one I’m speaking of is, of course, Cary Grant and His Girl Friday. And just like with Jimmy, Cary and Roz forged a very long friendship also lasting until her death.

james stewart rosalind russell
James Stewart and Rosalind Russell out at a restaurant

When Jimmy and Roz were put into No Time for Comedy (ridiculous renamed when it was re-released years later as Guy with a Grin), Rosalind had just come off of a phenomenally brilliant performance in His Girl Friday. She was on top of the world professionally and so was Stewart, who had given a talented performance in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, which had been released the previous year. In comparison, No Time for Comedy is very weak in story, but I believe it makes up for it with those two sparkling, talented stars who share an amazing chemistry. They would both go on to make greater films, but we are lucky to have this one film so we can all watch them together.

Rosalind Russell plays Linda Paige, a Broadway stage actress, and a successful one to boot. She is rehearsing a new play called Dilemma at Dinner, which was written by an unknown from Minnesota named Gaylord Esterbrook (what a name!). The new writer hasn’t arrived in New York City and the director bursting with bad attitude, Morgan Carrell (Allyn Joslyn), has little faith in the play, while the producer who is backing it, Richard Benson (Clarence Kolb), is about ready to give up on it. On the other hand, Linda finds it to be a brilliant play and wants them to give it a chance. It just needs a little touching up by the playwright… if he ever comes to town.

james stewart rosalind russell on the set no time for comedy
James Stewart and Rosalind Russell on the set of No Time for Comedy (1940)

When we first see this group of colorful characters, they stop into the local bar and order an aspirin, bi-carbonate, and Bromo (-Seltzer) when asked what they would like. With an order like that, it’s clear how well the play is progressing.

Gaylord Esterbrook (herein called Gay, played by James Stewart) finally arrives in town when the cast is in the middle of a rehearsal. When he stops outside the theater and sees a poster promoting his play with his name in bold letters, he beams with pride. The stagehand tries not to let him in because being a small town boy from Redfield, Minnesota, he doesn’t look like the type who would write a play about some high class socialites who live on Park Avenue. Before he is finally let into the theater, we meet Clementine, another actress in the play and also a friend of Linda’s. The actress who plays this actress is Louise Beavers, who always plays fun, gregarious types.

james stewart rosalind russell on the set no time for comedy
Rosalind Russell feeding James Stewart cake on the set of No Time for Comedy (1940)

However, because she was African American and especially because of the time period, she was usually relegated to roles as maids or nannies (in this film as well), which is downright unfair and something that causes me anger. Who knows what amazing, inspiring characters she could have brought to the screen? She immediately has friction with the director, who always seems to be on edge.

When they finally believe that Gay is who he says he is, he is let in and as Benson and Carrell go out, Morgan remarks, “What does he know about Park Avenue?” Benson responds, “Doesn’t mean a thing. I don’t know anything about Park Avenue, either, and I live on the darn street.” Inside the theater, Linda meets Gay for the first time, and assuming he is just some guy wanting to watch a rehearsal, she asks him to run out and get her a pack of cigarettes, handing him a quarter. He’s supposed to be watching the rehearsal and she thinks nothing of this until Benson and Carrell come back. She is introduced to Gay as the star of the play and he to her as the playwright.

james stewart rosalind russell no time for comedy
James Stewart and Rosalind Russell in No Time for Comedy (1940)

She is taken aback and asks for her quarter back, laughing. It is at this point that they shake hands and the viewer can size them up. It is ob vious what a good choice Jimmy is for Roz. It’s his sheet height that does that trick. Roz was tall (about 5’8”), so Jimmy’s 6 feet 3 inches definitely meant no awkward dance scenes or things of that nature. They have a wonderful rapport and you can tell right off they were friendly behind the scenes.

They all sit down in the same row to watch the next scene. As they do, Gay stares at Linda without blinking. Sensing his stare, she looks at him out of the corner of her eye, turns to him, and smiles. As Benson lights her cigarette, Gay whispers to Carrell (but not out of earshot of Linda) “Is that really Linda Paige?” Carrell crosses his heart with his finger. “Cross my heart.” “For my money, she’s a little skinny to be a star.” Linda responds to this with a simple smile. They all agree to meet at Benson’s later for a meeting on the script and as they all start to go home, Linda notices Gay looking at a map. She offers to take him home, but he insists on taking the subway back to the Y because he longs for the city experience.

rosalind russell james stewart no time for comedy
Rosalind Russell and James Stewart in No Time for Comedy (1940)

Linda informs him that the subway at this house is “undeclared war,” but she offers to accompany him so she can “identify the body” after the subway dwellers gang up on him. Linda has immediately taken a liking to this country boy, and she is pleased when he walks on the outer part of the sidewalk in order to protect her from the danger of the street (Cue the ladies swooning). Gentlemen are few in the city and he is a rare breed.

Later that night when Gay arrives at Benson’s for dinner, he is embarrassed to discover that all the men are dressed in tuxedoes while he is dressed plainly in a suit. He immediately runs back home to change into a tux. However, by the time he gets back to Benson’s apartment, the men have changed back into regular suits. During their discussion, Morgan vocalizes how much he hates the play, enlightening everyone, especially the author, with plenty of negative adjectives. Linda still really loves the play and convinces Benson to continue backing it. Linda and Gay have a discussion on the terrace about their backgrounds (Linda’s real name is not Paige but “Haggerty,” revealing her Irish roots).

rosalind russell james stewart on the set no time for comedy
Rosalind Russell and James Stewart goofing off on the set of No Time for Comedy (1940)

Gay sticks to the belief that people are pretty much the same all over, no matter how their lifestyles may differ. When Linda gives Gay his chocolate mousse, he doesn’t even recognize it, even though it is a dessert that is mentioned more than once in his play. Unfortunately, Benson decides not to produce the play after all because his butler doesn’t approve of the script.

In the morning, Linda gathers all the actors together and they agree to waive their salaries for the first two weeks since the theater has already been paid for that allotted time anyway. The play opens and as both Gay and Carrell prepare for the controversial third act that Carrell hated so much, they drop in at the bar. When Gay sees Carrell order six scotches, all glasses set before him in a row, Gay decides to replicate that. “Give me six champagnes.” “What kind of champagne do you like?” “Uh, the type with bubbles.” Always that small town boy at heart without much world experience, he hadn’t mastered the art of drinking alcohol (he would show just how much he improved upon this later on).

rosalind russell james stewart on the set no time for comedy
Rosalind Russell and James Stewart on the set of No Time for Comedy (1940)

He emerges from the bar drunk and accidentally finds himself at the wrong play at the wrong theater. He sees Carrell outside and blames him for ruining his third act. He starts a brawl with him and they end up at the police station.

After Linda gets them out, she and Gay wander over to Central Park and wait for the 5 am reviews. It is adorable as he stays up while she sleeps on his shoulder. “You don’t look bad at all for a girl who’s just getting up in the morning,” Gay quips. “Well, for a man who’s stayed up all night, you look great.” The newspapers start circulating. They discover they have received rave reviews for both acting (Linda) and writing (Gay). Gay then starts reading about what Linda did to save his play and he tenderly kisses her on the cheek to express his gratitude. Linda informs him she was about to “attack” him, too (as if a kiss on the cheek is an attack) and she asks him to marry her. “I don’t know whatever gave me the idea you’re skinny,” he says, and then kisses her.

rosalind russell james stewart on the set no time for comedy
Rosalind Russell and James Stewart on the set of No Time for Comedy (1940)

Before you know it, they are enjoying wedded bliss. But it doesn’t take long for problems to surface.

Although as the time has passed, Linda has appeared in a string of successful comedies all written by Gay, he has found himself in a rut. And this isn’t the first time this has happened. He has developed a drinking problem (a far cry from the man he used to be) and goes on drinking binges when he is in between writing ideas. One night at a party, Gay and Linda meet Philo and Amanda Swift (Charlie Ruggles and Genevieve Tobin), a very strange couple indeed. Amanda flutters around the party until she finds a man in which she sees “possibilities” and encourages him until he has a swelled ego. Philo is very indifferent to his wife’s activities. He just goes back to his reading or his drink, not giving a damn either way. Amanda decides her new “project” will be Gay. She sees the unhappiness in him, but she knows she can fix that.

rosalind russell james stewart on the set no time for comedy
Rosalind Russell and James Stewart on the set of No Time for Comedy (1940)

The way she fixes her gaze on Gay is an immediate cause for trouble. I personally (and I hope I’m not alone in this) find Genevieve Tobin absolutely irritating in this film. It’s not just her character, but her whiny, high-pitched voice and the fact that her beauty is nothing compared to the beauty that Rosalind Russell possesses. So why would any man (even temporarily) drift to her instead? I suppose it might mainly be because of the lovely lies she tells him, but it is a bizarre situation nevertheless.

Under Amanda’s guidance, Gay decides to steer away for comedies for which he is known for and sets his sights on a great drama. It is difficult for him and he doesn’t make much progress on it as time passes. He starts frequenting more and more of the local bars and Linda and Clementine (who is now her personal maid—yep!) have collected a long list of these bars’ numbers on their notepad. When Gay doesn’t come home, they can dial these numbers to try to find him. One day when Philo comes over to the Esterbrook residence, he lets Linda know that she will be able to find Gay at his house.

rosalind russell no time for comedy
Rosalind Russell in No Time for Comedy (1940)

He has been spending a lot of time with Amanda there. She is surprised at the news, but she acts like she’s fine with it, smiling her way out of it. After he leaves, Linda adds the Swift number to her pad of bars’ numbers. When Gay arrives home the next day, in spite of their recent troubles, it is still so obvious how much they love each other. A cute, charming moment occurs when Gay lies down on the couch with his head in Linda’s lap. Before he gets up, she ruffles his hair by running her fingers through it. Even though the scene ends with an argument about what Gay does with his time and Gay’s childish accusations against Linda, I love this scene anyway. Gay recognizes Amanda’s number on the pad and accuses Linda of spying on him and storms out of there.

Linda shows up at Amanda’s house and has a talk with her about what she’s doing to Gay and to their in sweetness by crying like a baby. “You’re hateful and horrid and I hate you!”

james stewart rosalind russell no time for comedy
James Stewart and Rosalind Russell in No Time for Comedy (1940)

When Amanda runs from the room crying and Gay yells viciously at Linda for upsetting her, Linda is left alone with Philo. At first she seems to have her wits about her and in control of her emotions, but just like turning on a dime, Linda is suddenly hysterically sobbing about the predicament she’s found herself in. Even though he’s awkward and uncomfortable about it, Philo allows Linda to sob on his shoulder. She cries out to him: “I don’t want to lose him!” and how completely unrestrained her sobs are gives us a glimpse of what a great actress Roz is. It is with moments like these that we can see how realistic of an actress she can be.

rosalind russell james stewart no time for comedy
Rosalind Russell and James Stewart in No Time for Comedy (1940)

When Gay returns home, Linda acts like she hasn’t been worried about him at all. During this scene, when Gay asks Linda if she thinks Amanda is an idiot and Linda replies, “I think she’s a clever idiot, but an idiot nevertheless,” I always think of the blooper Roz made when filming this scene. As part of their Breakdowns of *insert year here* series, Warner Bros. included Jimmy and Roz in 1940. Roz flubs her lines and says, “I think she’s a clever idiot, but an idiot never the same. I mean…” I just love stuff like that!

Gay tells Linda that he wants to marry Amanda, whom he nicknames “Mandy.” Again, I’m thinking, “Really? You’d rather marry her?” But anyway, Linda acts very noble about her marriage crumbling around her. She tells Gay that she’ll just let him do what he wants and she won’t stand in his way. Feeling defensive, he insults her in the worst way possible:

rosalind russell no time for comedy
Rosalind Russell in No Time for Comedy (1940)

“You can preen yourself. You can revel in your own superiority. You’re self-sufficient. You don’t need anybody but your press agent. And then you can turn and gaze at yourself in a full-length mirror!” Her feelings hurt, she tells him to stop saying those things and asks him to leave, tears stinging her eyes.

 

Before we all know it, Gay has finished his tragic drama and it is about to open on Broadway. Linda and Philo attend the play. Linda knows how talented Gay is, and even though many of the patrons laugh during his drama, Linda feels deeply for the play, especially for its writing. Before the third act starts, Philo is ready to leave because Gay has clearly failed.

rosalind russell james stewart no time for comedy
Rosalind Russell and James Stewart in No Time for Comedy (1940)

Assuming Linda will go with him, she surprises him by staying for the remainder of the play. Amanda has already set her sights on Morgan in whom she sees “latent possibilities.” The theater empties very quickly and the only two people left in the theater are Gay and Linda. She starts applauding him loudly and yelling “Author! Author! Speech! Speech!” with tears filling her eyes. He delivers a beautiful but sad speech about what has become of him and his admitted failure with this play. It is quite reminiscent of his moving speech delivery in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. He is a truly gifted actor. Linda, who is indeed very moved, runs toward him, telling him of her idea for a new comedy he should write (with her as the star, of course).

rosalind russell james stewart no time for comedy
Rosalind Russell and James Stewart in No Time for Comedy (1940)

She looks around the theater and remarks, “Gosh, all those seats,” which is a throwback to the moment when they first met. He starts to go out to get her a pack of cigarettes when she touches his hand. He gazes down at her and says, “Gosh, I haven’t kissed you for two months.” “That’s nothing to brag about, you long drink of water.” The movie fades out, ending as we wanted and expected it to.

 

rosalind russell james stewart on the set no time for comedy
More fun on the set with Roz & Jimmy

 

IMDB page for No Time for Comedy

TCM overview of the film

Clip from the movie:

Hired Wife (1940)

rosalind russell hired wife
A little boy and Rosalind Russell on the set of Hired Wife (1940)

After receiving rave reviews for her lightning fast, electric performance in the screwball comedy His Girl Friday, Rosalind Russell had established herself as one of film’s best comediennes. She was on top of the world and although she resented being “everyone’s fifteenth choice” when she was chosen for His Girl Friday, she was becoming first choice for the popular “career woman” comedies. The downside of this is that she would be typecast in the same type of role throughout the 1940s. Fortunately for movie fans, she enjoyed doing these comedies, even if she didn’t share the same ideals with her career woman counterpart. She wrote in an article in the Los Angeles Times, 1957: “It is simply to keep the goal of marriage and family always ahead of the job.” She’s speaking about the way a career woman can be happy, have a great career, and keep love in her life. Rosalind was incredibly ambitious in her career, but she was never as big a star as some others (Joan Crawford is a great example) partly because she made sacrifices to keep her home life happy and enduring. She started to freelance after she was married because she didn’t want to “belong” to the studio day and night.

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Rosalind Russell in Hired Wife (1940)

She could pick her own films when they came her way and figure out for herself if it was a good idea to take on the project, her husband (and eventually child) always first on her mind. No matter how she felt about these career women she played, she played them damn well. From her first role as a career woman (Hildy Johnson in His Girl Friday) to her next ten or so similar roles in her career, she characterized them perfectly. The careers of these women may have varied in the fields in which they worked, but the films almost always started with “My career is the only thing that matters. I don’t have time for love” to ending with “Oh, I love you, darling” as she looks at the man with doe eyes, now wearing a lacy negligee.

In her second such role, the job of her character didn’t seem so important (a secretary), but as the audience observes how fantastically she controls every facet of her boss’s life, it is obvious how important she is. Hired Wife was also the first time Rosalind Russell was teamed with Brian Aherne, and most exciting of all, it was the first time since making Craig’s Wife in 1936 that Rosalind was billed above her leading man. It is a shame that it took this long for her to get this recognition, but at last it had come! She was a star, a star on fire.

rosalind russell brian aherne hired wife
Rosalind Russell and Brian Aherne in Hired Wife (1940)

When Hired Wife commences, we first see Rosalind (as Kendal Browning) jauntily walking down the street to her job, looking free as a bird. Suddenly, the first voice you hear is coming from a friend of hers from Argentina, José. As he graciously asks her if he can “lift her” (give her a lift), she hops inside the car and you can see right away they have a fun relationship. But as the film progresses, Kendal seems to have a fun relationship with everyone, talking freely to all. As José explains that he’s lost another rich girlfriend, she asks him, “What happened, according to you?” As he tells her that she didn’t want to spoil their beautiful friendship, Kendal laughs, calling him by his full name Señor Don José Antonio de Fragoza de Briganza. He confesses that he has “catch a cold in the feet.” Kendal, who is in love with her boss, Stephen Dexter, explains that José was born with a flower in his buttonhole, but when Stephen starts feeling all romantic, usually falling for some blonde, she can’t stand to watch it. In this very first scene, it is amazing to watch Rosalind closely as she involuntarily (I am so sure of this at this point) widens and narrows her eyes in reaction to what her partner is saying. Rosalind was born to do comedy. She had been practicing it ever since she crossed her eyes as a child to get attention.

rosalind russell hired wife
Rosalind Russell in Hired Wife (1940)

Kendal arrives at work and as she crosses the room to get to the back office, it is very reminiscent of the first scene of His Girl Friday. I couldn’t help but think of her newspaperwoman role as she passes everyone, saying hello, making small talk with them as she goes. As she enters her office, she passes her own secretary, a timid little man named William (Hobart Cavanaugh). Yes, Roz towers over him, as she does many of the characters actors in her films. Kendal is a bit apprehensive because it is about springtime and she knows it is around this time that Stephen starts humming the song “Juanita” and looking for a new blonde to go ga-ga over. As she goes into Stephen’s office with her pad and pencil, she first asks William if Stephen is wearing anything (meaning a flower in the buttonhole), but William just stares back at her, confused. Now we meet Stephen Dexter, played by Brian Aherne, whom I always thought was physically a great match for Roz because of his 6 feet 3 inches. His trademark characteristics include his British accent and his mustache. As the film progresses, it is wonderful to see how well Brian’s straight man persona bounces off Rosalind’s hilarious antics. Considering this is their first teaming (of four), I think they mesh together quite well. Immediately, Kendal is controlling everything Stephen does, and we, the audience, get the feeling that this is what she does every day. She tells him everything he will do today and at what time.

rosalind russell hired wife
Rosalind Russell in Hired Wife (1940)

He asks her, “Then can I go home?” She replies, “Yes, after you’ve had a haircut.” She’s beaming because he’s acting like his usual self. So far, so good. Unfortunately, when he needs a pin to attach the flower to his buttonhole, she knows it’s trouble. She takes a pin from William, who is cooing over a bird on the windowsill.

William: Tweet, tweet, tweet. Tweet, tweet, tweet!

Kendal: Ah, shut up!

When Kendal comes back, Stephen is gazing at a billboard across the way with a beautiful blonde on it while humming “Juanita.” Oh, no, the time has come. For the advertising campaign for his company, Dexter Cement, Stephen suddenly has girls on his mind as he decides to change everything. He wants to use a girl in the ad, something feminine that doesn’t even seem to match his product. However, that’s what he wants. As Kendal keeps interjecting with suggestions, he ignores her and wants to find a girl right away. He wants the girl on the billboard he was staring at. He orders Kendal to find her, and Kendal is less than happy in doing so.

Stephen: (talking about the new campaign) It must be warm and it must be human.

Kendal: The cement you love to touch!

Stephen: No!

 

Stephen: Kendal, who is that girl?

Kendal: Well… I don’t know her name, but her face is on the canned tomatoes I use.

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Rosalind Russell in Hired Wife (1940)

Next thing you know, Kendal is at Phyllis Walden’s (Virginia Bruce) door, wanting her for a posing job. Acting like someone who is too important to bother with anything Kendal says, she says, “Phone me sometime next week, but not before 11.” She asks if it will be a big campaign, and as Kendal looks Phyllis up and down, she responds, “I think it’ll be one of his biggest.” The hostility between Kendal and Phyllis is immediate and strong. Phyllis can tell what kind of woman Kendal is, so she secretly has lunch with Stephen the next day without Kendal’s knowledge.

Kendal: William… back to the keys!

Phyllis and Stephen like each other right away and it’s apparent that Phyllis will be Stephen’s Spring Blonde. A laugh-out-loud moment occurs when he explains to Phyllis that his secretary suggested using an elephant as a symbol of strength for his advertising campaign. “Strength doesn’t appeal to men. Now take me. I’m a man. Well, here’s a picture of you (holds out his left palm toward her) and here’s an elephant! (holds out his right palm near an overweight man at the next table, who stares at him in disbelief) Oh, sorry, I was just illustrating a point.” And the comedy doesn’t stop there. Kendal calls Phyllis up and the phone is given to her. Kendal informs her that the posing job is off, that Stephen changed his mind, and too bad. He left for Chicago this morning and there’s no way he will change his mind again. Not knowing that Stephen is sitting next to Phyllis, she has no idea she’s being laughed at. Phyllis squeezes the phone between her and Stephen so they can both listen to Kendal as she explains exactly what Stephen said to her:

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Rosalind Russell in Hired Wife (1940)

Kendal: He said, “You call up Miss Goofy Face and tell her she can’t peddle her pan to Steve Dexter.” It’s just that women are things to him. He said, “Listen, kid, scrap that ‘girl on the bag’ idea.”

Phyllis: The cad! Are those his exact words?

Kendal: Oh, I never quote Mr. D’s exact words. I had such bitter notes from the telephone company.

In order to get back at Kendal for what she did to him, Stephen returns to the office, speaking little snippets of Kendal’s exact words on the phone: “Sorry, kid.” “Oh, I suppose they were flying to Chicago, too.” “That ‘girl on the bag’ stuff is out. She can’t peddle her pan to Steve Dexter. Eh, kid?” As soon as he utters that last line, Kendal knows exactly what’s going on and closes her eyes painfully, making a face. They get into a shouting argument, Kendal angry that he “dated her behind my back!” Finally, she gives up and says she’ll let him do whatever he wants. She doesn’t care. She leaves his office and this funny exchange happens:

rosalind russell hired wife
Rosalind Russell in Hired Wife (1940)

Kendal: I won’t stop you. I’m through!

Stephen: That’s better.

Kendal: For me, not for you. Close it, butch!

Meanwhile, some men from a big company with big bucks are trying to buy Stephen out. Both companies had put a bid in on a subway job and Stephen won the bid fair and square. The bigwigs want to file an injunction and eventually bankrupt Dexter Cement. They threaten that they will tie up everything he owns and knowing they’re fighting dirty, Stephen makes a speech, proclaiming, “I’m going to be foolish and fight [you men].” As he gives this speech, it is evident how much Kendal loves him. Anyone can see it in her eyes. Later in the office, Kendal, Stephen, and his lawyer Roger Van Horn (Robert Benchley) start kicking around ideas to get out of this mess. They finally get an idea when William comes in, mentioning that his wife makes him put everything he owns in her name. They all decide Stephen has to get married right away. And who else would Stephen pick but Phyllis? Kendal is upset because she doesn’t want Stephen to marry a woman who doesn’t love him. Once Stephen marries, they will put everything he owns in his wife’s name in order to escape trouble from the opposing company.

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Brian Aherne and Rosalind Russell in Hired Wife (1940)

Kendal: (About marrying in New York) No use. You have to wait three days in New York.

Roger: The law says 72 hours.

Kendal: My mistake.

As Kendal objects to Stephen marrying Phyllis, he shouts out to her, “You know how to talk to a woman!” Sadly, she says, “Yes…” But immediately her face lights up, getting a bright idea: “Yes!”

Kendal (Talking about Phyllis) Well, I can’t drag her here by her phony eyelashes!

When Kendal visits Phyllis to tell her Stephen needs a wife for business purposes, she subtly hints that Stephen is basically buying her as a wife and it is purely a business arrangement. Phyllis begins to believe Kendal is making up ridiculous stories and gets angry: “Silly-looking, aren’t you?” “Uh-huh!” “Oh, I love your lies. They’re not very good, but they’re very, very funny.” She tells her she intends to marry Stephen eventually, but not now.

Phyllis: You were born to be a cop, and the only way you’ll ever get a man is by arresting him!

Once Kendal arrives at the airport without Phyllis, Roger and Stephen suddenly get the idea that Stephen should marry Kendal. They can trust her and she’s a woman. That’s all they need. When they get to South Carolina to marry, they watch a young couple in love being married before them. Kendal’s eyes fill with tears at the magical, happy scene before her, and at the same time, her tears are for her and Stephen because their marriage will be a sham—one without love on both sides.

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Rosalind Russell in Hired Wife (1940)

Nevertheless, they do get married and when they arrive at Stephen’s house, he signs some papers that Roger has ready for him. Roger, who keeps falling asleep mumbling nonsense and snoring, is sent home by Kendal, who promises to take a taxi home. As Stephen goes into the kitchen to get Kendal and himself glasses of buttermilk, Kendal lights a cigarette, looking around the room. Suddenly, she feels the wedding ring on her left hand and frowns, wondering what she got herself into. As Stephen and Kendal sip their buttermilk, which they both loathe, they laugh and pour it into the dirt of a potted plant. Now that he is married to her, Stephen thinks they can do anything a married couple would do. He kisses her, but as he leans in close to her face again, she stops him, telling him that she is a liar and she didn’t become his wife honestly. He now knows how Kendal manipulated Phyllis and he gets angry. As she walks into the living room, she shouts, “Besides, I don’t like being kissed by a man who keeps his eyes closed!” “Well, they’re open now!” As she makes her way to the front door, he tells her she’s fired. She says, “Yes, Stephen,” turns, and leaves.

rosalind russell brian aherne hired wife
Rosalind Russell and Brian Aherne in Hired Wife (1940)

Fortunately for Kendal, she knows that Stephen can’t possibly get on without her. Predictably, he comes to her home the next morning as she hums happily, making popovers in the kitchen. They go back to the office, but not before Kendal takes a hat off the refrigerator, puts it on her head, unzips her dress to reveal a “work” dress underneath, and informs him that he’s coming with her. And he utters that repeated line: “Oh, Kendal, what am I gonna do about you?” They look in the paper for their marriage announcement, which they discover is on the sports page. Stephen plans to keep dating Phyllis in spite of his marital status and Kendal just laughs about it because he hasn’t told Phyllis yet (“She isn’t conscious before 11”) and he isn’t single (legally) anymore. Right before they arrive at work, he says to her, “I wish I could afford to strangle you.” No words are necessary. She simply smiles at him with a funny giggle in her throat. It is funny, adorable, and perfect.

Kendal: (reading the marriage announcement) Oh, the fools! Don’t they read the proof? I’m not 92!

 

Kendal: (talking about Stephen and Phyllis) You two are going to have cozy evening, chatting about your bachelor days.

 

Kendal: (talking about Phyllis) I’m sure she doesn’t read anything but the cold cream ads… IF she can read.

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Rosalind Russell, Brian Aherne, and Virginia Bruce in Hired Wife (1940)

In the office, the employees have arranged a celebration of their marriage with flowers abound. Phyllis arrives, wanting to see Stephen. She doesn’t know about the recent marriage and when Stephen goes out to see her, he tries to hide the celebration from her. But when she sees rice come off him, she stomps into the office. Kendal sees her and for Phyllis’ benefit, she mentions Stephen as her husband twice. Another visitor comes into the office. This time it’s José, Kendal’s friend. He mistakes two men for Kendal’s new husband, even kissing Roger on the forehead, which he doesn’t seem to like. Kendal and Roger are sure the marriage will be found out to be a fake, so they decide Kendal should move in with Stephen. Roger also moves in as a sort of “chaperon” for Kendal. Kendal moves into Stephen’s bedroom and he moves in with Roger in the other bedroom. Roger plays a little ukulele and starts singing “Little Brown Jug” as Stephen moves all his clothes and things into the other bedroom. Stephen joins in at the “HA, HA, HA!” parts, which is amusing.

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Rosalind Russell and John Carroll in Hired Wife (1940)

The next evening, Stephen takes Phyllis out. Kendal makes sure to show up, inviting José along. They intrude on Stephen and Phyllis and sit at their table.

José: Is she a blonde?

Kendal: This year.

José: Is she a very blonde blonde?

Kendal: She’s almost invisible.

As Stephen dances with Phyllis on the dance floor, José and Kendal concoct a plan for José to seduce Phyllis to get her out of the picture. Kendal will supply all the money to José to woo her and it would be a secret between them. When Kendal and Stephen start dancing, they have to smile and keep up appearances, even though they are saying insulting things to each other. What follows is a tender, sad scene. Kendal may be all fun and games, wisecracking all day, but when she gets home at night, she cries herself to sleep. You can’t help but feel sorry for her!

rosalind russell brian aherne joan fontaine on the set hired wife
Rosalind Russell, Brian Aherne, and Joan Fontaine on the set of Hired Wife (1940)

And so the love triangle starts between Stephen, Phyllis, and José as they both battle to woo her almost every day. Meanwhile, Kendal is writing checks for all of José expenses. One night, she is doing this and Stephen comes home. She puts a check in his hand and pretends José was leaving anyway. He leaves Kendal and Stephen alone in the house.

Kendal: But José, $75 for one bird?

José: It talks.

Kendal: Well, for that amount of money, it ought to read, write, and vote.

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Brian Aherne and Rosalind Russell in Hired Wife (1940)

Stephen tells Kendal that the big guys backed down and he wants a divorce now. He is nice about it. He gives her a check and a plane ticket to go take a vacation. She responds by ripping them up, not intending to do anything of the sort. She likes being Mrs. Stephen Dexter. She runs out on the terrace, bangs on the table loudly, shouting “Yoo-hoooooo, yoo-hoooo!” She wakes up Roger and Stephen tells him he wants a divorce, but Kendal isn’t willing to give him one. After Roger tells him if Kendal fights, the divorce may take years, Stephen gets angry. “Oh, you like being Mrs. Stephen Dexter, eh?” He backs her straight into a bench and they fall down on it hard. He violently kisses her all over, not letting go of her. She screams, “Mother!” as if her mother could come whisking by and save her. He even knocks an earring out in the process and Stephen yells out to Roger: “How can I get rid of this woman?” “Not that way.” Roger says he will testify to an annulment, that there never really was a marriage in the first place.

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Rosalind Russell and Brian Aherne in Hired Wife (1940)

Unfortunately, this doesn’t go well for Stephen. Kendal leaves that night for her home, but Roger is not aware of this. However, he does see Stephen leave their bedroom for his own that was once occupied by Kendal. As he watches him sneak in there, he assumes he’s going in there to sleep with Kendal. The next morning, Stephen is happy as a clam and Roger is very suspicious of him. Kendal comes back, running up the stairs to get her clothes. Neither of the men know she is there. She listens in on Roger’s suspicions from the upstairs window and gets an idea. She lets a handkerchief fall out of the window down into Roger’s lap and he knows something’s up. When Kendal comes down for breakfast in a nightgown, Stephen knows he’s in trouble. “I already said good night to Stevie.”

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Brian Aherne and Rosalind Russell in Hired Wife (1940)

The next day back at the office, Stephen and Kendal are deciding which men should be sent to different locations around the country.

Kendal: He’d be glad to get away from Denver and that little redhead.

Stephen: Oh, is she his secretary, too?

Kendal: Yeah, I see what you mean.

Kendal believes Stephen really loves her and won’t let him go.

Stephen: I promise you until I have a beard down here, I’ll never lay a hand on you… except maybe in anger.

Suddenly, Kendal is in trouble when the judge who married them in South Carolina arrives and tells them that his license expired four years ago. That means their marriage is not legal. Stephen is happy about this, but Kendal is not. After the judge leaves and Kendal realizes she’s been licked, she gets angry and before she leaves Stephen’s office, she gives his rear end a good, swift kick.

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Rosalind Russell and Brian Aherne in Hired Wife (1940)

José and Phyllis arrive at the office, ready to go away to be married. José told Phyllis a tiny bit of the truth about himself, but not all. However, she does learn the truth as Roger brings in a bunch of checks made out to José. So Stephen and Phyllis try to usher José and Kendal out, knowing they both double-crossed them. Kendal tells Phyllis to just tell her two more words, pointing her two fingers at her as if to poke her eyes out. She almost does when Phyllis says emphatically: You’re pathetic!

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Rosalind Russell in Hired Wife (1940)

When José and Kendal leave, Phyllis and Stephen suddenly have two conversations at once. Phyllis goes on and on about José, while Stephen does the same about Kendal. They suddenly realize they are with the wrong mate and go after José and Kendal. They find them on a double-decker bus and Stephen climbs on the bus, while José goes down into the car on the street. Stephen smiles at Kendal, glad to be with her.

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Brian Aherne and Rosalind Russell in Hired Wife (1940)

Kendal: Darling… did you remember to put Kelly in Kansas City?

Stephen: Oh, Kendal, what am I going to do about you?!

 

 

IMDB page for Hired Wife

TCM oveview of the film

A clip from the movie:

His Girl Friday (1940)

cary grant rosalind russell his girl friday
Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell among others in His Girl Friday (1940)

Wearing an outrageous, wacky suit with matching hat, the pattern zig zag, while holding her head high as she marches matter-of-factly into the “news room” was Rosalind Russell in the opening scene of the quintessential screwball comedy His Girl Friday. Her character, Hildy Johnson, is a woman that both men and women are wont to like. To women, she is that strong woman who is smarter, wittier, and more talented than the men around her, and that’s a woman to admire!

ralph bellamy cary grant rosalind russell his girl friday
Ralph Bellamy, Cary Grant, and Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday (1940)

To men, besides her intelligence and wit, she is also an incredibly beautiful woman who can keep up with anything a man does. Even though in 1940, this might be deemed as a threat to men, I think it is ridiculous to believe all men would be threatened by a woman like Hildy Johnson, much less the actress who plays her, who was very much like her in many ways. His Girl Friday paved the way for other “career women” roles in the 1940s, which was a character that Rosalind Russell in particular perfected to the point of being typecast.

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Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday (1940)

It was announced that Rosalind Russell would play the part of Hildy Johnson, who was actually a man in the original play, but the character was now a woman in this version. However, when Miss Russell first discovered she’d been chosen, but after many other actresses had turned it down for various reasons, that sassiness in her came out. She was angry that she “was everybody’s fifteenth choice,” as she put it, so she took a dip in her pool the first day of work and walked right into the studio with her hair and clothes completely soaked. Even though her next movie job had started off with some bad behavior on Rosalind’s part, after her breakout role in The Women, His Girl Friday further cemented her place as a brilliant comedienne.

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Ralph Bellamy, Cary Grant, and Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday (1940)

Even though she was typecast as a career woman, I cannot think of any other classic actress better at this type of role, and Hildy Johnson is arguably her best one. Tell me, can anyone possibly think of anyone but Rosalind Russell in the part? I certainly cannot. It was fate that she should land this role after so many top actresses turned it down.

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Rosalind Russell and Cary Grant in His Girl Friday (1940)

Sassy Roz aside, she had a ball working with Cary Grant for the first time (and sadly the only time) because they were both very adept at ad libbing and extremely talented in the art of comedy. Many Rosalind Russell fans know this story, but I will briefly mention it: Cary Grant played matchmaker in Rosalind’s life as well. He had a friend, Danish-born Frederick Brisson, who was dying to meet Roz after he heard that Cary would be working with her. Although it took a long time for him to get that coveted date and Rosalind played rather hard to get during much of their courtship, they did fall in love and get married. And who was best man at their wedding? Nobody but Cary Grant, of course! And so a 37-year-long friendship blossomed between Rosalind and Cary.

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Ernest Truex, Roscoe Karns, Rosalind Russell, and Regis Toomey in His Girl Friday (1940)

When the film opens, we (the viewers) see a barrage of reporters in the offices of the Morning Post, where Walter Burns (Cary Grant) is editor. The way the writers talk all at once, constantly overlapping each other, sets the scene for the entire movie. Rapid-fire and overlapping dialogue is a very important element of His Girl Friday and it goes on from beginning to end. I find this kind of movie to be awe-inspiring and absolutely brilliant, the two leads being the source of most of this brilliance. In fact, the film is so saturated with dialogue that there is only time and space for music during the opening and closing credits!

rosalind russell cary grant billy gilbert clarence kolb gene lockhart his girl friday
Rosalind Russell, Cary Grant, Billy Gilbert, Clarence Kolb, and Gene Lockhart in His Girl Friday (1940)

The first important character that makes her appearance is the one and only Hildy Johnson (Rosalind Russell), who enters in her ziggety-zaggety suit, which I expect would be even more insane in color. She comes in with Bruce Baldwin (played by Ralph Bellamy), her fiancé. She is about to go in to talk to Walter, who is also her ex-husband besides being her boss. She saunters through the office, talking to everyone she passes. Everyone is happy to see her, cheerily saying “hello!” to her. One woman starts walking with her and informs her that her cat just had kittens again. Hildy’s response? “It’s your own fault.” Finally, she arrives at Walter’s office and knocks on the door. Grumpy, he barks at whoever is there: “What do you want?”

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Rosalind Russell, Abner Biberman, and Cary Grant in His Girl Friday (1940)

When he looks up and sees it’s Hildy, he changes his tone and my favorite scene has begun. As she stands there, Walter discusses with Duffy (Frank Orth), one of the men who works for him, about what they will do for the Earl Williams story in the paper. We can all see that he will do anything for a great story, even double-cross people in the process. As Duffy leaves, Hildy smirks and says, “Well, Walter, I see you’re still at it.” She tells him she needs to talk to him, but first she wants to sit down. The very subtle sexual tension and romantic chemistry becomes unmistakable as Walter pats his lap, motioning her over, and says, “There’s been a lamp burning in the window for you, honey. Here.” She barely glances at him before responding, “Oh, I jumped out that window a long time ago, Walter.” It is fun to watch as Hildy and Walter hurl insults at each other during this entire scene without Hildy able to tell him the news she intended.

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Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday (1940)

Hildy: I am fond of you, you know. I often wish you weren’t such a stinker!

 

Hildy: Big, fat lummox like you hiring an airplane to write, “Hildy, don’t be hasty. Remember my dimple. Walter”

It is evident that Walter was not a model husband, not even showing up for their honeymoon because his work always comes first. But even so, I think many women can understand why Hildy would fall in love with him… he looks like Cary Grant! As Walter continues to rattle off words, not allowing Hildy to get to the point, she utters a very famous line and my favorite in the film: “Oh, Walter, you’re wonderful in a loathsome sort of way.”

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Rosalind Russell and Gene Lockhart among others in His Girl Friday (1940)

And that chemistry intensifies as he approaches her, touching her arms, trying to get her to stay on the paper with him. “Will you take your hands off me? What are you playing, osteopath?” “Temper, temper!” At one point, he mocks her, putting his hand on his hip effeminately, saying she kept making goo-goo eyes at him for two years in order to make him marry her. This causes a fun ad lib to erupt: Hildy throws her bag at him, which was an ad lib on Roz’s part; very quick on his feet, Cary immediately ducks and says “You’re losing your eye. You used to be able to pitch better than that!”

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Rosalind Russell and John Qualen in His Girl Friday (1940)

There are so many elements of this beautiful first scene that make the movie. It has just the right amount of back-and-forth witty repartee, romantic chemistry, and even the more subtle dramatic reactions as Hildy shoves her engagement ring in his face and he suddenly has to think of a plan to get her not to marry this fellow, which goes to show that he still loves her.

 

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Irving Bacon, Cary Grant, Ralph Bellamy, and Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday (1940)

Hildy: Scram, Svengali.

 

After Walter is going on and on and won’t stop talking, Hildy hits the desk with the palm of her hand, mumbles something incoherently, and cries out, “Sold, American!” a reference to a “tobacco auction,” advertising the cigarettes Lucky Strike, which always ended with this phrase being yelled out.

 

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Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday (1940)

Hildy: Listen to me, you great, big, bubble-headed baboon!

 

And at this point, he is informed of her engagement and he walks out with her, intent on meeting the man. In one of those “so funny, it just about cracks your ribs” moments, Walter walks right up to an old man who may even be missing some teeth, taking him for Bruce Baldwin. The man is confused, trying to tell him his name is Pete Davis. The real Bruce Baldwin taps him on the shoulder and tells him he has the wrong man.

rosalind russell his girl friday
Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday (1940)

And with a couple hilarious lines, Cary Grant has me clutching my sides: “Who are you?” “Well, I’m Pete Davis.” “Well, Mr. Davis, is this any concern of yours? From now on, I’ll thank you to keep your nose out of my affairs!” He immediately turns around and shakes Bruce’s umbrella instead of his hand and says, “Oh, that’s wrong, isn’t it?” What a funny man he is!

rosalind russell his girl friday
Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday (1940)

Right away, Walter invites them to lunch and off they go. As they get on the elevator, Hildy talks expertly out of the corner of her mouth: “You’re wasting your time, Walter. It won’t do you a bit of good.” They eat lunch at a favorite place of Hildy’s and Walter’s, but the funny thing is that Bruce is the only one who really gets any eating done. Hildy and Walter are too busy talking their heads off to satisfy their hunger. Walter keeps trying to get Hildy to stay at least a few hours in town to write an article on Earl Williams, a timid man who shot a cop dead. Both Hildy and Walter do little things directed at each other to show the kind of relationship they have. When Hildy tries to light her cigarette, Walter immediately grabs her hand and lights his own cigarette before she gets a chance.

rosalind russell ralph bellamy his girl friday
Rosalind Russell and Ralph Bellamy in His Girl Friday (1940)

Something else that needs no words and that I just love: she has one fist up against her mouth and her right hand, she lays next to the fist and opens her fingers, thumbing her nose at Walter in a way. It’s perfect! But this wasn’t an ad lib she came up with on her own. Just like in The Women, she did something she shouldn’t have and she mentioned that she never did it again. She secretly hired a writer from her brother-in-law’s advertising firm to help her punch up the script.

rosalind russell alma kruger his girl friday
Rosalind Russell and Alma Kruger among others in His Girl Friday (1940)

Walter gets an idea, so he pretends to spill water on himself. He gets up, has Gus (Irving Bacon), the proprietor, help clean him up, and tells him to call him to the telephone when he gets back to the table. Once he is in the telephone booth, he speaks to Duffy and tries to think of an idea to get Hildy to stay. As Walter is talking on the telephone, at the table, Bruce, just sweet as pie, tells Hildy that Walter seems nice, to which Hildy responds, “Yeah, he ought to make some girl real happy,” then under her  breath, “Slap happy.” (That was an addition by Rosalind’s hired writer).

cary grant rosalind russell his girl friday
Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday (1940)

Bruce also mentions that Walter has a lot of charm. “Yeah, he comes by it naturally. His grandfather was a snake.” When Walter comes back to the table, he tells Hildy about the Earl Williams story and how he needs “a woman’s touch” for the interview. The Morning Post is on Earl Williams’ side and also in opposition to the politicians, who keep reprieving Earl Williams for no reason other than to make his hanging closer to election time. As Hildy says about the mayor, “He’d hang his own grandmother to get re-elected.” Walter tries a few ploys to get Hildy to write the interview, but she refuses. But suddenly, she gets an idea that if she writes the interview, Walter will take out a life insurance policy with Bruce, who is an insurance salesman. “See what they’ll allow on that old carcass of his.” “Say! I’m better than I ever was.” “That was never anything to brag about.”

cary grant ralph bellamy rosalind russell his girl friday
Cary Grant, Ralph Bellamy, and Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday (1940)

Next scene, while Walter is off getting a physical for the insurance policy, Hildy enters the press room at the criminal courts building, which will be pretty much the only place she will be for the rest of the film. She has on a new outfit, but still decked out in stripes with a not-so-crazy hat. This is the second and last outfit she wears in the film. Some men are outside, testing the hanging contraption for Earl Williams’ execution. One of the reporters, McCue (Roscoe Karns) tells them to keep it down because they’re all trying to work up there. A man shouts, “Ah, shut up!” Hildy’s reaction is “Very little respect for the press around here.” She gets the lowdown on Earl Williams so she has a bit of a backstory to work with before going to interview him. Bruce calls up, saying he has the check from Walter.

cary grant rosalind russell his girl friday
Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday (1940)

It is always obvious when Hildy is on the phone with Bruce because although she often speaks in a hard-boiled way, her tone changes to sugary sweet when she is talking to Bruce. Not trusting Walter at all, she tells Bruce to put the check in the lining of his hat because she knows exactly what Walter would do. Then she is off to the jail to talk to Earl Williams (played by John Qualen). After bribing the warden, Cooley (Pat West), with $20, she takes a seat next to Earl’s cell and starts to talk to him. While in other scenes, we can hardly keep up with Hildy and what she’s saying, this is by far her most toned down scene. She speaks quietly, methodically, softly.

cary grant rosalind russell his girl friday
Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday (1940)

Earl Williams is the timid sort of fellow who might be easily scared. She starts talking to him about “production for use,” which was something a person was speaking of in the park that Earl frequents. She asks him, “What’s a gun for, Earl?” “Why, to shoot, of course.” “Maybe that’s why you used it. It seems reasonable.” “That’s what a gun’s for. Maybe that’s why! Production for use!” Hildy only talks like this for Earl, for with anyone else, she speaks in her usual manner. It is a short interview, but she has her story.

his girl friday poster
His Girl Friday poster

When Hildy comes back to the press room to start typing up her interview, Mollie Malloy (Helen Mack) is there, trying to give the reporters a piece of her mind. They have been making up stories, lying about her having a “love nest” with Earl when all she did was be nice to him. As the “typical reporter” is painted in this scene, they don’t pay her any mind and keep on with their card game. When Mollie starts crying and yells out, “They ain’t human!” Hildy helps her out of the room while saying, “I know. They’re newspapermen.” In one of the only silent moments in the film, the reporters hang their heads in shame until Hildy comes back, simply addressing them as “Gentlemen of the press” in disgust.

rosalind russell cary grant his girl friday
Rosalind Russell and Cary Grant in His Girl Friday (1940)

When she gets a call from Bruce that he’s been arrested for stealing a man’s wallet (and the man is the shady little Louie [Abner Biberman] who works for Walter, of course), she suddenly bolts out the door with all the force she has, running right into Peter B. Hartwell, the sheriff (Gene Lockhart), causing him to cry out in pain.

The newspapermen read Hildy’s story and realize she can’t leave the newspaper game—she’s just too talented. As they start making bets how long her marriage will last, an angry Hildy comes back into the room, telling them she’ll take that bet. “It’s getting so a girl can’t leave the room without being discussed by a bunch of old ladies.” She immediately gets on the phone, emphatic about leaving the newspaper business and getting married and having babies.

cary grant rosalind russell his girl friday
Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday (1940)

She asks for Walter and as soon as she is connected, she starts in on him: “Now get this, you double-crossing chimpanzee. There ain’t gonna be any interview and there ain’t gonna be any story. I wouldn’t cover the burning of Rome for you if they were just lighting it up!” She puts the phone down, grabs her story out fresh out of the typewriter, and rips the pages up into little pieces within earshot of the phone. “Hear that? That’s the story I just wrote. I just said I’d write it. I didn’t say I wouldn’t tear it up!”

cary grant rosalind russell ralph bellamy his girl riday
Cary Grant, Rosalind Russell, and Ralph Bellamy in His Girl Friday (1940)

With that, she hangs up and gets ready to leave, expressing her pity for the other reporters in the room. The phone starts ringing again and mad as hell at this point, she uses all her strength to pull the phone right out of the wall. She speaks into the receiver: “And another thing, I… Oh!” Realizing she just pulled it out, she is a little frazzled. Just as she is about to leave, there are loud noises of gunshots across the street. Earl Williams has shot his way out and escaped! What is Hildy to do as her fellow reporters scramble around her, trying to get the scoop? Her newspaperwoman instincts kick in, of course, and out the door she goes.

cary grant rosalind russell his girl friday
Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday (1940)

She runs out of the building and yells at the top of her lungs at Cooley, who is running away: “Hey, Cooley! Hey!” As she struggles to run across the street as scads of motorcycle cops and other cars zoom down the street, she runs after Cooley, finally tackling him to the ground, wanting to get the story straight from his mouth. When she comes back with the story in her memory, she calls up Walter. She makes him promise to send $450 down because it’s Bruce’s money that she used to get the story from Cooley. He assures her, “I swear it on my mother’s grave.” She responds, “Wait a minute, your mother’s alive.” “On my grandmother’s grave. Don’t be technical, Hildy.” She informs him that when the doctor was examining Earl Williams, he wanted to re-enact the crime scene, and Sheriff Pete B. (B for Brains) Hartwell stupidly handed over his gun to Earl.

rosalind russell his girl friday
Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday (1940)

Earl shot the doctor with said gun and escaped. Their conversation over, Walter gets another of his minions to go over and delay Hildy by getting Bruce arrested again. He sends over Evangeline (Marion Martin), a tall blonde, to get him in trouble for “mashing.” When she asks Walter what Bruce looks like, Cary’s ad libbing skills once again come in handy: “He looks like, you know, that fella in the movies… Ralph Bellamy.” “Oh, him?” When Bruce calls up Hildy once again to tell her what happened, she knows exactly who is behind it (again). She tries to get a hold of Walter, but they can’t locate him.

rosalind russell his girl friday
Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday (1940)

Meanwhile, the mayor and the sheriff are discussing the Earl Williams escape when a man comes in to deliver a reprieve, Mr. Pettibone (played to brilliant perfection by Billy Gilbert). The man constantly brings up his wife, even when the situation doesn’t call for it. He is one of the most memorable characters with a smaller role in the film. The mayor (Clarence Kolb) tries to bribe him into a fancy job so he won’t deliver the reprieve. As he leaves, the mayor asks him, “What’s your name?” “Pettibone.” “Pettibone?” Mistaking the mayor for saying his name is also Pettibone, he grins and shakes his hand, “Not really!”

his girl friday poster
His Girl Friday poster

In the press room, Hildy is suddenly surprised by Earl Williams coming into the room, pointing a gun at her. Shocked, she puts on her low, soothing voice again, only reserved for Mr. Williams. She tells him, “You don’t want to kill anybody.” The man is a little mentally disturbed and nervous and when he hears a noise, he shoots at the window. She immediately takes the gun from him and tells him to sit down. After she locks the door, she calls up Walter, and at the same time, Bruce calls her, wondering what will be done with him. She wants to help him, but more importantly, she wants to get on this story of the escape. In one of Rosalind Russell’s most dazzling comedic moments, she expertly talks to Bruce on one phone in her right ear and then switches to talking to Walter on another phone with her left ear.

his girl friday poster
His Girl Friday poster

It is amazing to watch her go back and forth between phones without missing a beat. When someone starts knocking on the door, she ends the call with Bruce with so much gusto that she knocks the telephone over. At first, she tries to keep Mollie from knowing that Earl is in there, but he calls out for her. Hildy rolls her eyes and allows her inside. However, when the writers are back, wanting inside the press room, they have to hide Earl in the desk in the back of the room. Mrs. Baldwin (Alma Kruger), Bruce’s mother, comes into the room and mentions that Hildy said there was a murderer locked up in there. Hildy tries to reassure the reporters that she was only looking for the murderer, not that she was trying to scoop them. The men start ganging up on her until Mollie comes to her rescue by stating she’s the only one who knows anything. She starts acting hysterical and right after she screams, she jumps out of the window.

on the set of his girl friday
on the set of His Girl Friday (1940)

Walter finally makes another appearance (this film really belongs to Rosalind) and has Louie pick up Mrs. Baldwin over his shoulder and carry her out of the room, screaming. Walter starts trying to persuade Hildy to get to what she should be doing—writing—by backing her into a corner, calling her all sorts of odd names (“drooling idiot,” “brain of a pancake”) and telling her that if she writes this story, there will be billboards of her everywhere. He stops when she tells him to stop acting, which he is really doing throughout the entire film (over-the-top, hammy, which is how it should be).

ralph bellamy rosalind russell his girl friday
Ralph Bellamy and Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday (1940)

As Hildy starts pounding out a story on the typewriter, Bruce suddenly comes in and tries to get Hildy to go back with him. However, she’s so invested in her story that she barely notices him there. This is another scene of note because it contains two different conversations between three people occurring at the same time. At one point, Walter even says, “I’m trying to concentrate!” (You’re telling me, Walter!). Eventually, Bruce leaves the room, telling her he will be taking that 9 o’clock train.

cary grant rosalind russell his girl friday
Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday (1940)

Bruce: I’m taking the 9 o’clock train!

Hildy: The 9 o’clock… Oh, Bruce, I put it in here! (She snaps the papers out of the typewriter and starts over again)

Hildy doesn’t even realize he’s leaving as she shouts out, “You have to take me as I am. I’m no suburban bridge player. I’m a newspaperman!” It doesn’t take long for Hildy to notice that Bruce is gone without her and that Walter has got her again.

rosalind russell cary grant billy gilert clarence kolb his girl friday
Rosalind Russell, Cary Grant, Billy Gilbert, and Clarence Kolb in His Girl Friday (1940)

Walter: (on the phone) Diabetes! I ought to know better than to hire anybody with a disease!

Hildy gets ready to leave again when all of a sudden, all the reporters, as well as the sheriff, grab her, preventing her from going anywhere. They know she knows something. She says to Hartwell: “What do you want me to say?” “What do you know about Williams?” “’What do you know about Williams?’” “Now we’re getting somewhere!” But he doesn’t get anywhere with her and Walter goes on to call him an “insignificant, square-toed, pimple-headed spy.” Unfortunately, Walter makes a mistake when he calls Mrs. Baldwin, who has come back to spill everything, a “cock-eyed liar!” and on each syllable, he bangs on the desk.

helen mack rosalind russell his girl friday
Helen Mack and Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday (1940)

Knowing that Walter’s three taps on the desk is his signal, Earl taps three times back. As Earl is taken away, the reporters, true to form, immediately start exaggerating their stories on their telephones. Hildy and Walter get handcuffed together for hiding a convict. But when Pettibone comes back in with the reprieve, accusing the mayor and sheriff of bribery, Hildy and Walter suddenly have something to laugh about. It is absolutely indisputable how much fun both Cary and Rosalind are having with this scene. They can’t help smiling, no matter what is said. Knowing what trouble he will be in if this gets out, the mayor makes Sheriff Hartwell take the handcuffs off.

john qualen rosalind russell his girl friday
John Qualen and Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday (1940)

Walter: Out of the mouths of babes!

Pettibone: Hi, babe!

What happens then is something that happened with most of Rosalind Russell’s “career woman” characters after this as well. She has gone from tough and businesslike to sweet and gaga for the man in the room. She has fallen for Walter again and wants to stay with him, not giving Bruce a second thought.

rosalind russell his girl friday
Rosalind Russell with some of the reporters in His Girl Friday (1940)

But he urges her to go back to Bruce and gives her one kiss… the only kiss in the entire film, but somehow a powerful one at that. When she is told that Bruce has been arrested again because of Walter’s doing, she just breaks down in tears, having almost believed Walter was being noble for once. But he really does love her and they decide to get married again.

rosalind russell his girl friday
Rosalind Russell with some of the reporters in His Girl Friday (1940)

Hildy is excited to finally go on a real honeymoon when suddenly, Walter gets the call that there is a strike in Albany and he must cover it. Work comes first! As Hildy goes out the door, carrying all her bags with no help from the “gentleman” beside her, he says, “Albany… what a coincidence! Wonder if Bruce can put us up? Why don’t you carry that with your hand?”

IMDB page for His Girl Friday

TCM overview of the film

The entire film for your viewing pleasure!