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The Front Page (1931)

 The Front Page (1931)
type
TVTItem
 The Front Page (1931)
label
The Front Page (1931)
 The Front Page (1931)
page
TheFrontPage1931
 The Front Page (1931)
comment
Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_1'); })The Front Page is a 1931 American comedy film produced by Howard Hughes and directed by Lewis Milestone, starring Adolphe Menjou and Pat O'Brien along with a supporting cast including Mary Brian, Edward Everett Horton, Walter Catlett, George E. Stone, Slim Summerville, and Mae Clarke.Hildy Johnson (O'Brien), an investigative reporter for The Morning Post, is engaged to be married, and is quitting the newspaper business to go work for his fiancée Peggy's family's advertising firm in New York. Hildy drops by the press room at the courthouse to say goodbye to all of his fellow reporters on the crime beat. The reporters are all at the courthouse to cover the impending hanging execution of Earl Williams, a mentally-addled anarchist convicted of murdering a black policeman. All of the reporters think the city's cynical mayor is greasing the skids for Williams's execution in order to get re-elected — the election is in two days, and anti-Red sentiment is running high.Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_2'); })Enter into this Hildy's editor, Walter Burns (Menjou). Walter serves his newspaper with a monomaniacal devotion, and is determined to save Earl Williams, not because he cares about Williams himself (he doesn't really), but to embarrass the mayor and his toady, Sheriff "Pinky" Hartman. He also wants the story for his newspaper and he wants Hildy to write it. Not wanting his best reporter to quit, Walter sets out to undermine Hildy's relationship with Peggy. The situation grows more chaotic after Williams escapes from prison.The Front Page was the first of several screen adaptations of the hit 1928 stage play of the same title (written by former real-life Chicago news reporters Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur). It was remade in 1974 by Billy Wilder, and again in 1988 as Switching Channels, which updated the setting for the cable TV news era. However, the most famous remake was Howard Hawks' 1940 film His Girl Friday. That version, while being very faithful to the story of the play and the 1931 film, pulled a Gender Flip in which "Hildy Johnson" became a woman (played by Rosalind Russell) and her editor Walter Burns (played by Cary Grant) became her ex-husband as well as her boss.Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_3'); })
 The Front Page (1931)
fetched
2022-12-27T05:29:10Z
 The Front Page (1931)
parsed
2022-12-27T05:29:10Z
 The Front Page (1931)
isPartOf
DBTropes
 The Front Page (1931) / int_18d15922
type
Title Drop
 The Front Page (1931) / int_18d15922
comment
Title Drop: Many references to what is going to go on the front page of the newspaper.
 The Front Page (1931) / int_18d15922
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Front Page (1931) / int_18d15922
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Front Page (1931)
hasFeature
The Front Page (1931) / int_18d15922
 The Front Page (1931) / int_30ed4f7d
type
Sleazy Politician
 The Front Page (1931) / int_30ed4f7d
comment
Sleazy Politician: The mayor tries to hide Earl Williams's reprieve.
 The Front Page (1931) / int_30ed4f7d
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Front Page (1931) / int_30ed4f7d
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Front Page (1931)
hasFeature
The Front Page (1931) / int_30ed4f7d
 The Front Page (1931) / int_364b9be6
type
Flipping the Bird
 The Front Page (1931) / int_364b9be6
comment
Flipping the Bird: One of the reporters does this to the mayor, whom all of them loathe. (In The Pre-Code Era the movies could get away with a lot more.)
 The Front Page (1931) / int_364b9be6
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Front Page (1931) / int_364b9be6
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Front Page (1931)
hasFeature
The Front Page (1931) / int_364b9be6
 The Front Page (1931) / int_40bb59d0
type
Blatant Lies
 The Front Page (1931) / int_40bb59d0
comment
Blatant Lies: Newspapermen don't let the truth get in the way of a good story, as they all give to their copy desks different and much more exciting accounts of how Earl Williams was caught. (One claims the cops followed a trail of blood.)
 The Front Page (1931) / int_40bb59d0
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Front Page (1931) / int_40bb59d0
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Front Page (1931)
hasFeature
The Front Page (1931) / int_40bb59d0
 The Front Page (1931) / int_40c57041
type
Manipulative Bastard
 The Front Page (1931) / int_40c57041
comment
Manipulative Bastard: Walter Burns, who does all sorts of crazy things to get the story and keep Hildy from leaving, going so far as to kidnap Peggy's mom when she finds out where Earl Williams is. At the end, Walter wishes Hildy and Peggy well, gives Hildy his watch for a wedding present, and then calls ahead to have Hildy arrested for stealing his watch.
 The Front Page (1931) / int_40c57041
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Front Page (1931) / int_40c57041
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Front Page (1931)
hasFeature
The Front Page (1931) / int_40c57041
 The Front Page (1931) / int_42839f8b
type
Sound-Effect Bleep
 The Front Page (1931) / int_42839f8b
comment
Sound-Effect Bleep: A curse word in the film's final line is obliterated by Walter noisily smacking a typewriter.
 The Front Page (1931) / int_42839f8b
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Front Page (1931) / int_42839f8b
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Front Page (1931)
hasFeature
The Front Page (1931) / int_42839f8b
 The Front Page (1931) / int_5cfaad8a
type
Audience Murmurs
 The Front Page (1931) / int_5cfaad8a
comment
Audience Murmurs: Lampshaded. After Hildy insists to his fiancée that he's in the press room saying goodbye to his friends, he says "Can't you fellas say something?" They respond with sarcastic nonverbal murmurs.
 The Front Page (1931) / int_5cfaad8a
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Front Page (1931) / int_5cfaad8a
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Front Page (1931)
hasFeature
The Front Page (1931) / int_5cfaad8a
 The Front Page (1931) / int_5f52cfcf
type
Intrepid Reporter
 The Front Page (1931) / int_5f52cfcf
comment
Intrepid Reporter: As in all versions of this story, Hildy is determined to save Earl Williams and get the big scoop.
 The Front Page (1931) / int_5f52cfcf
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Front Page (1931) / int_5f52cfcf
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Front Page (1931)
hasFeature
The Front Page (1931) / int_5f52cfcf
 The Front Page (1931) / int_5f91efd9
type
Creative Closing Credits
 The Front Page (1931) / int_5f91efd9
comment
Creative Closing Credits: Well, opening credits. The opening credits have the title as the headline on the front page of a newspaper. Then all the cast members are introduced with their picture as pages flip by on the paper.
 The Front Page (1931) / int_5f91efd9
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Front Page (1931) / int_5f91efd9
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Front Page (1931)
hasFeature
The Front Page (1931) / int_5f91efd9
 The Front Page (1931) / int_653bb6cf
type
Last-Minute Reprieve
 The Front Page (1931) / int_653bb6cf
comment
Last-Minute Reprieve: One arrives for Earl Williams, and the mayor tries to hide it because he wants Williams hanged to help his re-election bid.
 The Front Page (1931) / int_653bb6cf
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Front Page (1931) / int_653bb6cf
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Front Page (1931)
hasFeature
The Front Page (1931) / int_653bb6cf
 The Front Page (1931) / int_6cb1745e
type
Streetwalker
 The Front Page (1931) / int_6cb1745e
comment
Streetwalker: Molly Malloy, Earl Williams's only friend, identifies herself as this.
 The Front Page (1931) / int_6cb1745e
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Front Page (1931) / int_6cb1745e
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Front Page (1931)
hasFeature
The Front Page (1931) / int_6cb1745e
 The Front Page (1931) / int_7286e96d
type
Idiot Ball
 The Front Page (1931) / int_7286e96d
comment
Idiot Ball: Sheriff Hartman and the psychiatrist electing to give Earl Williams a loaded gun to "re-enact" his crime.
 The Front Page (1931) / int_7286e96d
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Front Page (1931) / int_7286e96d
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Front Page (1931)
hasFeature
The Front Page (1931) / int_7286e96d
 The Front Page (1931) / int_77063cd7
type
Hooker with a Heart of Gold
 The Front Page (1931) / int_77063cd7
comment
Hooker with a Heart of Gold: Molly Malloy, the prostitute who is clearly the only one who gives a rat's ass about Earl Williams.
 The Front Page (1931) / int_77063cd7
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Front Page (1931) / int_77063cd7
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Front Page (1931)
hasFeature
The Front Page (1931) / int_77063cd7
 The Front Page (1931) / int_775a1af6
type
Married to the Job
 The Front Page (1931) / int_775a1af6
comment
Married to the Job: Hildy's problem. Walter is too, but he likes being married to the job.
 The Front Page (1931) / int_775a1af6
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Front Page (1931) / int_775a1af6
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Front Page (1931)
hasFeature
The Front Page (1931) / int_775a1af6
 The Front Page (1931) / int_7c5960bf
type
Hall of Mirrors
 The Front Page (1931) / int_7c5960bf
comment
Hall of Mirrors: A throwaway gag when the entrance to Hildy's apartment is shown to be one of these.
 The Front Page (1931) / int_7c5960bf
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Front Page (1931) / int_7c5960bf
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Front Page (1931)
hasFeature
The Front Page (1931) / int_7c5960bf
 The Front Page (1931) / int_99305f1f
type
Round Table Shot
 The Front Page (1931) / int_99305f1f
comment
Round Table Shot: Has a variation on this in which, instead of the camera spinning around to capture the people at the table, it follows Hildy and Walter as they walk around the table. They circle the table at least twice as Walter puts on the hard sell and gets Hildy to forget about his impending marriage as they get excited about bringing the mayor and the sheriff down.
 The Front Page (1931) / int_99305f1f
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Front Page (1931) / int_99305f1f
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Front Page (1931)
hasFeature
The Front Page (1931) / int_99305f1f
 The Front Page (1931) / int_a698ad42
type
City with No Name
 The Front Page (1931) / int_a698ad42
comment
City with No Name: While the original play was set in Chicago, this film announces (via an opening title card) that "This story is laid in a Mythical Kingdom". The change was made by the producers in response to criticisms that the original play was defamatory towards the Windy City and its police, politicians, and newspapermen.
 The Front Page (1931) / int_a698ad42
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Front Page (1931) / int_a698ad42
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Front Page (1931)
hasFeature
The Front Page (1931) / int_a698ad42
 The Front Page (1931) / int_a7850fbf
type
Only Known by Their Nickname
 The Front Page (1931) / int_a7850fbf
comment
Only Known by Their Nickname: "Woodenshoes", the cop who posits to the reporters that Earl Williams has a Split Personality.
 The Front Page (1931) / int_a7850fbf
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Front Page (1931) / int_a7850fbf
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Front Page (1931)
hasFeature
The Front Page (1931) / int_a7850fbf
 The Front Page (1931) / int_b707726f
type
Hypocritical Humor
 The Front Page (1931) / int_b707726f
comment
Hypocritical Humor: The reports who relentlessly slut-shame poor Molly have pictures of naked women on the wall.
 The Front Page (1931) / int_b707726f
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Front Page (1931) / int_b707726f
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Front Page (1931)
hasFeature
The Front Page (1931) / int_b707726f
 The Front Page (1931) / int_be009bbc
type
Alliterative Name
 The Front Page (1931) / int_be009bbc
comment
Alliterative Name: Molly Malloy
 The Front Page (1931) / int_be009bbc
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Front Page (1931) / int_be009bbc
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Front Page (1931)
hasFeature
The Front Page (1931) / int_be009bbc
 The Front Page (1931) / int_dcbe8a6e
type
Chekhov's Gunman
 The Front Page (1931) / int_dcbe8a6e
comment
Chekhov's Gunman: The courier who arrives bearing the commutation of Earl Williams's sentence. The mayor and the sheriff appear to successfully get rid of him, but he shows back up at the end, pardon in hand, getting Hildy and Walter off the hook.
 The Front Page (1931) / int_dcbe8a6e
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Front Page (1931) / int_dcbe8a6e
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Front Page (1931)
hasFeature
The Front Page (1931) / int_dcbe8a6e
 The Front Page (1931) / int_e34400ab
type
Ambiguously Gay
 The Front Page (1931) / int_e34400ab
comment
Ambiguously Gay: Bensinger, the vaguely prissy Tribune reporter who writes poetry. (He's played by Edward Everett Horton, who more or less specialized in this type of role.) It's his desk that Earl Williams hides inside.
 The Front Page (1931) / int_e34400ab
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Front Page (1931) / int_e34400ab
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Front Page (1931)
hasFeature
The Front Page (1931) / int_e34400ab
 The Front Page (1931) / int_eb251937
type
Dirty Cop
 The Front Page (1931) / int_eb251937
comment
Dirty Cop: Sherriff Hartman is perfectly willing to conceal a commutation message and send a man to the gallows if it will help the mayor and himself get re-elected.
 The Front Page (1931) / int_eb251937
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Front Page (1931) / int_eb251937
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Front Page (1931)
hasFeature
The Front Page (1931) / int_eb251937
 The Front Page (1931) / int_f09e6c1c
type
Ironic Juxtaposition
 The Front Page (1931) / int_f09e6c1c
comment
Ironic Juxtaposition: The film opens with a closeup of a large bag of flour that is labeled "Sunshine Flower – Insures Domestic Happiness." The camera then zooms out to reveal that the bag of flour is being used as a weight to test a gallows rope.
 The Front Page (1931) / int_f09e6c1c
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Front Page (1931) / int_f09e6c1c
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Front Page (1931)
hasFeature
The Front Page (1931) / int_f09e6c1c
 The Front Page (1931) / int_f511ea9b
type
Product Placement
 The Front Page (1931) / int_f511ea9b
comment
Product Placement: In-Universe. Bensinger has taken a payoff from the restaurant that provided Earl Williams' last meal, which requires him to name the restaurant in his story.
 The Front Page (1931) / int_f511ea9b
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Front Page (1931) / int_f511ea9b
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Front Page (1931)
hasFeature
The Front Page (1931) / int_f511ea9b
 The Front Page (1931) / int_f641252f
type
Da Editor
 The Front Page (1931) / int_f641252f
comment
Da Editor: Burns, who's going to get that story, and won't let a little thing like his star reporter quitting and getting married interfere with that.
 The Front Page (1931) / int_f641252f
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Front Page (1931) / int_f641252f
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Front Page (1931)
hasFeature
The Front Page (1931) / int_f641252f
 The Front Page (1931) / int_fced5df7
type
Disposable Fiancé
 The Front Page (1931) / int_fced5df7
comment
Disposable Fiancé: Averted in this version, as Hildy and Peggy get back together, although it's clear Walter is going to keep meddling. This is different from both the 1974 version and His Girl Friday, in which Hildy and the object of his/her affection break up.
 The Front Page (1931) / int_fced5df7
featureApplicability
-1.0
 The Front Page (1931) / int_fced5df7
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Front Page (1931)
hasFeature
The Front Page (1931) / int_fced5df7
 The Front Page (1931) / int_name
type
ItemName
 The Front Page (1931) / int_name
comment
 The Front Page (1931) / int_name
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Front Page (1931) / int_name
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Front Page (1931)
hasFeature
The Front Page (1931) / int_name
 The Front Page (1931) / int_name
itemName
The Front Page (1931)

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 The Front Page (1931)
hasFeature
Audience Murmurs / int_69b0c567
 The Front Page (1931)
hasFeature
Round Table Shot / int_69b0c567
 The Front Page (1931)
hasFeature
The Film of the Play / int_69b0c567
 The Front Page (1931)
hasFeature
The Remake / int_69b0c567