New Books Network

His Girl Friday


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The average estimated words-per-minute in a feature film is 90; His Girl Friday (1940) clocks in at 240. And yet the fast dialogue is only one of its many fascinations. Everything about it perfectly lands: the script, the casting, the camerawork, the minor players–all contribute to what can be called, without the kind of hyperbole found in the Morning Post, a perfect film. It’s as cynical as Network yet as joyful as Singin’ in the Rain and skewers the news-tainment complex with an affection for its perpetrators. Join us for an appreciation for one of the best.

Incredible bumper music by John Deley.

Admirers of the film will enjoy this beautifully designed book edition of the original screenplay, in which the original dialogue from the film is reproduced complete with an accompanying commentary.

Please subscribe to the show and consider leaving us a rating or review. You can find over three hundred episodes wherever you get your podcasts. Follow the show on Letterboxd and email us any time at [email protected] with requests and recommendations. Check out Dan Moran’s substack, Pages and Frames, where he writes about books and movies, as well as his many film-related author interviews on The New Books NetworkRead Mike Takla’s substack, The Grumbler’s Almanac, for commentary on offbeat topics of the day.

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