Rewind, Review, and Re-Rate: ‘The Front Page’

Director Billy Wilder’s punchy remake of the popular 1920s stage play

1973 | PG | 1h 45m | Comedy, Drama, Romance

Unique collaborations between actors can sometimes yield bountiful results when things go right and the pairings seem natural. A fine example of this is the coupling of Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as the wisecracking LAPD cops of the “Lethal Weapon” franchise. A more classic example would be Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn, who teamed up in the 1938 films “Bringing Up Baby” and “Holiday.” Another fruitful pairing was the repeated collaboration between actors (and real-life friends) Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. In a black comedy period piece, “The Front Page,” they teamed up with legendary director Billy Wilder.

The film is one of several remakes of a popular stage play of the same name that was written by former Chicago journalists-turned-playwrights Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur in 1928.

This film adaptation takes place in 1929, at the tail end of America’s tumultuous Prohibition era. As in the stage play, the film opens with the scene of a group of chain-smoking reporters who are sitting around a table in the press room of the Chicago Examiner and passing their time with witty back-and-forth banter while they play a game of cards.

Hildy Johnson (Jack Lemmon, L) confronts his old friend and boss Walter Burns (Walter Matthau) with unexpected news, in “The Front Page.” (Universal Pictures)

Soon, we’re introduced to the blustery, strong-willed managing editor of the paper, Walter Burns (Matthau), who is irate that his star reporter Hildy Johnson (Lemmon) hasn’t shown up for work. There’s a big story to cover, which has to do with the execution (by hanging) of a traitorous communist, and as far as Walter is concerned, no other reporter besides his main man Hildy is capable of covering the story.

Hildy suddenly strolls into work, extravagantly dressed in a three-piece suit and wielding a fancy cane. He casually saunters into Walter’s office, and the latter wastes no time in laying out his scheme for capturing the commie-execution scoop in a way that no other newspapers can.

However, Hildy has his own plans, which entail ending his career as a news reporter at the Chicago Examiner, getting married, and working a more leisurely and higher-paying job for his soon-to-be-wife’s uncle in the advertising business. This news hits Walter like a bombshell.

Peggy Grant (Susan Sarandon) and Walter Burns (Walter Matthau), in “The Front Page.” (Universal Pictures)

In the ensuing (and highly entertaining) exchange, Walter switches between a multitude of modes and strategies in an effort to change Hildy’s mind, ranging from denial to flat-out guilt-tripping his old friend and colleague. “And now you’re gonna sell out!” Walter yells as he picks up an object and throws it at his hastily departing ace reporter.

From there, things get very interesting as a triangle develops between Walter, Hildy, and Hildy’s fiancée Peggy Grant (Susan Sarandon in one of her earliest film roles). The fine brew of subtle romance and scintillating humor enters into pot-boiler status when we learn that the cop-killing communist, Earl Williams (Austin Pendleton), escapes from prison just before he’s about to be executed.

This film features much of the fast-talking dialogue that Lemmon and Matthau are known for, at times interrupting or overlapping each other’s lines. On the one hand, this makes their exchange seem more realistic and raw. However, a drawback to this style of delivery can sometimes be that audiences can’t quite make out what the characters are saying since it’s so quick and convoluted. Yet in the hands of such master thespians as these two gentlemen, most of what they’re saying is clear due to their proper enunciation and indicative body gesturing.

Hildy Johnson (Jack Lemmon, L) and Walter Burns (Walter Matthau) end up in some interesting circumstances, in “The Front Page.” (Universal Pictures)

Susan Sarandon is good as Peggy, a pretty young woman who gets caught up in a tug-of-war for Hildy between herself and Walter. Lemmon is his usual radiant self; had he been paired with any lesser actor than Matthau, Lemmon would have run off with every scene he was in. Indeed, Matthau’s loud, highly manipulative managing editor, Walter Burns, is a fantastic contrast to the more subtly comical Hildy. 

Although the rest of the cast, which includes Herb Edelman, Charles Durning, Harold Gould, Vincent Gardenia, Paul Benedict, Cliff Osmond, and David Wayne, perform well in their respective roles, actress Carol Burnett stands out as an odd choice for the character Mollie Malloy, a prostitute. Burnett seems uncomfortable in the role, which seems more like an ill-conceived caricature than anything else.

In the end, although this cinematic adaptation isn’t quite on the same level as Howard Hawks’s 1940 version of the play, “His Girl Friday” (in which Hildy’s role was gender-switched with the lovely Rosalind Russell), “The Front Page” still manages to be a very entertaining combination of scathing humor and well-paced drama, topped by a dollop of romance.

If anything else, simply watch it to witness the incredible chemistry between Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon, two outstanding actors who are at the top of their game.

Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon are two outstanding actors who are at the top of their game, in "The Front Page." (Universal Pictures)

‘The Front Page’ Director: Billy Wilder Starring: Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Susan Sarandon MPAA: PG Running Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes Release Date: Dec. 20, 1974 Rated: 3 stars out of 5