The Front Page was a smash hit Broadway comedy written in 1928 by onetime Chicago, Illinois reporters Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur. Flag Seal Nickname: The Windy City Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location Location in Chicagoland and northern Illinois Coordinates , Government Country State Counties United States Illinois Cook, DuPage Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 606. ... Official language(s) English Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq mi (149,998 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 390 miles (629 km)  - % water 4. ... Ben Hecht (February 28, 1894 – April 18, 1964) was one of the most prolific of all Hollywood screenwriters, even though he professed disdain for the motion picture industry, and a human rights and Zionism activist. ... Charles MacArthur (November 5, 1895 _ April 21, 1956) was an American playwright and screenwriter, born in Scranton, Pennsylvania. ...

Synopsis

Its pungent working class dialogue and breakneck pace strongly influenced other American writing, especially in Hollywood. The single set is the dingy Press Room of Chicago's Criminal Courts Building, overlooking the gallows behind the Cook County Jail. Reporters from most of the city's newspapers are passing the time with poker and wisecracks about the news of the day. Soon they'll witness the hanging of Earl Williams, a white man and supposed Communist revolutionary convicted of killing a black policeman. Hildy Johnson, cocky star reporter for the Examiner, is late. He appears only to say good-bye; he's quitting to get a respectable job and be married. Suddenly the reporters hear that Earl Williams has escaped from the jail. All but Hildy stampede out for more information. As Hildy tries to decide how to react Williams comes in through the window. He tells Hildy he's no revolutionary and shot the policeman by accident. The reporter realizes this bewildered, harmless little man was railroaded to help the crooked mayor and sheriff pick up enough black votes to win re-election. It's the story of a lifetime. Hildy helps Williams hide inside a roll-top desk. All he has to do now is get Williams out of the building to a safe place for an interview before rival reporters or trigger-happy policemen discover him. The Examiner managing editor, Walter Burns, is a devious tyrant who would do just about anything to keep Hildy with the paper. Nevertheless, Hildy has no choice but to ask for his help.

For the real-life background to the settings, and for a character, of The Front Page, see City News Bureau of Chicago, where MacArthur had worked, and Chicago's American. City News Bureau of Chicago, or City Press, was one of the first cooperative news agencies in the United States. ... Chicagos American, an afternoon newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, was the last flowering of the aggressive journalistic tradition depicted in the play and movie The Front Page. ...

Adaptations

promotional poster for The Front Page (1974)

The Front Page has been adapted to film several times: Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (494x755, 57 KB) Summary movie poster for the American theatrical release of the film front Page (1974) Source URL: http://www. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (494x755, 57 KB) Summary movie poster for the American theatrical release of the film front Page (1974) Source URL: http://www. ...

• The Front Page (1931) starred Adolphe Menjou and Pat O'Brien.
• His Girl Friday (1940) starred Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell.
• The Front Page (1974) was directed by Billy Wilder and starred Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau.
• Switching Channels (1988) starred Burt Reynolds and Kathleen Turner, with the newspaper reporters updated to television reporters.

His Girl Friday and Switching Channels took the unusual twist of changing the sex of a character, from a male Hildy Johnson to females Hildegaard 'Hildy' Johnson and Christy Colleran respectively. The Front Page is the name of a 1931 motion picture starring Adolphe Menjou, Pat OBrien and directed by Lewis Milestone. ... Adolphe Menjou Adolphe Jean Menjou (February 18, 1890 – October 29, 1963) was an American actor of French and Irish descent. ... James Cagney (center) and OBrien (right) in Angels with Dirty Faces Pat OBrien (November 11, 1899 – October 15, 1983) was an American movie actor with over 100 screen credits. ... His Girl Friday is a 1940 screwball comedy, a remake of the 1931 film The Front Page, itself an adaptation by Charles Lederer, Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur of their play of the same name. ... Archibald Alexander Leach (January 18, 1904 – November 29, 1986), better known by his screen name, Cary Grant, was an English film actor. ... Rosalind Russell (June 4, 1907 - November 28, 1976) was an American film and stage actress. ... Billy Wilder Billy Wilder (June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was a screenwriter, film director and producer whose career spanned more than 50 years and 60 films. ... Jack Lemmon at Expo 1967. ... Walter Matthau Walter Matthau (October 1, 1920 – July 1, 2000) was an Academy Award winning American comedy actor. ... Switching Channels is a 1988 comedic movie remake of The Front Page (also more famously remade as His Girl Friday in 1940). ... Burt Reynolds in 2005 Burt Reynolds (born Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. ... Turner as private eye V.I. Warshawski Kathleen Turner (born June 19, 1954) is an American actress. ...

John Varley's 1991 science-fiction novel Steel Beach takes the story—and the change of sex—to another level. In the novel, the plot includes a sex-change by a male reporter named Hildy Johnson. John Herbert Varley (born August 9, 1947 in Austin, Texas) is a science fiction author. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Science fiction books, magazines, film, TV, gaming and fandom material Science fiction (often called either sci-fi or sf) is a genre of fiction in which the author contrives an artificial world or universe using a literary device involving hypothetical physical, biological, technological, philosophical, historical or cultural constraints or suppositions... Daniel Defoes Robinson Crusoe; title page of 1719 newspaper edition A novel (from French nouvelle Italian novella, new) is an extended fictional narrative in prose. ...

There have also been four television productions, all under the title The Front Page:

• 1945, in the US,
• 1948, in the UK,
• 1949–1950, in the US as a series,
• 1970, in the US

The musical Windy City (book and lyrics by Dick Vosburgh, music by Tony Macaulay), which premiered at the Victoria Palace Theatre, London, England on July 20, 1982 and ran there for 250 performances, is also based on The Front Page. 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... The Fantasticks was the longest-running musical in history Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining music, songs, spoken dialogue and dance. ... The nickname Windy City has been applied to at least two cities: Chicago, Illinois - the most famous Windy City Wellington, New Zealand This is a disambiguation page — a list of articles associated with the same title. ... Tony Macaulay (born Anthony Instone, April 21, 1944, England) is an author, composer for musical theatre, and songwriter, though it was the latter that made him a household name early in his career. ... The Victoria Palace Theatre during the 2002 season, showing Cole Porters 1948 musical comedy Kiss Me, Kate Victoria Palace Theatre in 2005, showing Billy Elliott The Victoria Palace Theatre is a theatre in Victoria Street, London, England. ... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and of the United Kingdom. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification    - by Athelstan AD927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi   - Water (%) Population... July 20 is the 201st day (202nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 164 days remaining. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• List of United States comedy films

This is a list of United States comedy films. ...

References

External links

• The Front Page at the Internet Movie Database
• His Girl Friday at the Internet Movie Database
• Switching Channels at the Internet Movie Database