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Jan 11, 2017 · Stop the Presses! T he Front Page is the zestiest and most influential movie you’ve never seen. A critical sensation and a runaway hit in its original theatrical form in 1928, the play proved even more of a trendsetter when it first hit the screen in 1931. It became famous, sometimes infamous, for its frankness about sleazy backroom politics ...
- Author Biography
- Plot Summary
- Characters
- Themes
- Style
- Historical Context
- Critical Overview
- Criticism
- Sources
- Further Reading
Hecht was born on February 28,1894, in New YorkCity, the son of Joseph and Sarah Hecht. When he was six years old, his family moved to Racine, Wisconsin, where he resided until moving to Chicago in 1910. In Chicago Hecht began working for the Chicago Journaland eventually become a successful journalist. His interests were not limited to reporting; ...
Act I
The Front Page opens in the pressroom of the Criminal Courts Building in Chicago. Several reporters are playing cards, waiting for new information on a major story: the hanging that night of a convicted cop killer, Earl Williams. The reporters talk about one of their colleagues, Hildy Johnson; though rumor has it that Hildy has quit the newspaper business to get married, none of the reporters can believe it. Another reporter, Bensinger, calls his boss and reports that Williams will be examine...
Act II
Twenty minutes later, the reporters reveal that Williams escaped by shooting the psychiatrist. Hildy calls Burns and tells him that Sheriff Hartman gave his gun to the psychiatrist to be used as a prop in his psychological exam. Peggy enters, angry with Hildy for always putting his job before her. Peggy’s mother, Mrs. Grant, comes in; she has been waiting in a cab downstairs during the argument. Hildy tells them to go ahead to the station—he will meet them later. In the meantime, the Mayor en...
Act III
Five minutes later, Hildy is still writing as Burns makes arrangements to smuggle the desk and Williams out of the building. Burns reads over what Hildy has written and makes him rewrite it. Bensinger knocks at the door. Burns lets him in, and before he can get to his desk, Burns hires him to work for the Examinerand sends him to the office. Hildy regrets choosing the newspaper over Peggy. Hildy’s musings are interrupted by the appearance of Diamond Louie. He tells them that there was an auto...
Roy Bensinger
Bensinger is a reporter for the Chicago Tribune.He is the owner of the big, ornate desk; later in the play, Williams hides inside of it. Bensinger is a neat freak, a quality that the other reporters constantly violate by leaving garbage all over his desk.
Walter Burns
Walter Burns is Hildy’s boss at the paper. Desperate to keep his star reporter, he will go to any lengths to entice Hildy to stay. When he finds out that Hildy is hiding Williams in the press office, Burns helps to keep the convict hidden so that Hildy can get the exclusive story. Burns is a cold, calculating man; he is willing to break the law to get an edge. When Mrs. Grant realizes the truth about Williams, Burns kidnaps her. When the truth is revealed and Williams is found, Burns is able...
Diamond Louie
Diamond Louie is a local thug. He works for Burns as a circulation manager. He helps kidnap Mrs. Grant.
Choices and Consequences
Hildy Johnson has to make several hard choices in the course of The Front Page—the most important choice being his old life or a new one. His new life means that he must leave his career behind in order to move to New York City with Peggy and her mother, get married, and work at an advertising agency. His old life is in the pressroom reporting the news. This choice results in many humorous situations. Hildy repeatedly puts off Peggy and her mother in order to pursue the Williams story. He alm...
Loyalty
Loyalty is a recurring theme in The Front Page.Despite their constant complaints, the reporters are loyal to their newspapers and their jobs. They do what it takes to get a story, and are content with their way of life. Even Hildy is loyal to his paper and Burns when the chips are down. The criminal, Williams, is in trouble out of loyalty. A diehard anarchist who killed a police officer when the cop tried to take down his red flag on Washington’s Birthday, he does not mind dying for his cause...
Deception
Several characters in The Front Pageparticipate in deception. The primary example is when Williams hides in the pressroom. Hoping for an exclusive story, Hildy helps him. First, Hildy puts him in the adjacent bathroom, then inside of reporter Roy Bensinger’s desk. Then Mollie also helps Williams by jumping out of the window, nearly killing herself. When Walter Burns arrives, he does everything he can to keep Williams’s location a secret. The Mayor and the Sheriff conspire to keep Williams’s r...
Setting
The Front Pageis a comedic melodrama set in Chicago. All of the action is confined to one place (the pressroom) and one time (around 8:30 p.m. on Friday night). The room is rather bare and dirty, with a few tables, chairs, garbage cans, and telephones. There are several windows that overlook the Cook County jail and an adjacent bathroom. The largest piece of furniture is an ornate desk. By confining all the action to one location, Hecht and MacArthur emphasize the importance of the reporters;...
Symbolism
For Williams, the pressroom symbolizes sanctuary from his pursuers. It serves a similar purpose for the reporters; they avoid their wives, their bosses, and the problems of everyday life by hanging out there. Even the Mayor and the Sheriff are able to talk privately there. For Burns and Hildy, Williams is perceived as a symbol of the corruption of the current political administration. Burns and Hildy want to use Earl as a means of exposing this corruption to the world. To that end, Earl is hi...
TOPICS FOR FURTHER STUDY
1. Compare and contrast the Hildy Johnson of the stage version of The Front Page with the Hildy Johnson in the 1940 film version, entitled Girl Friday.In the latter, Hildy is a woman played by Rosalind Russell. How do these changes impact the dynamics of the play? What does this express about the role of women in 1928 versus 1940? 2. Research the history of corruption in Chicago politics. Has the press played a role in revealing corruption and/or getting rid of corrupt politicians? 3. How has...
During the 1920s, America emerged as the world’s major economic and cultural force. Under the administrations of Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover, big business flourished. One such business was the automobile industry; by 1930, twenty-two million cars would be on the road. Roads connecting cities were being built. The proliferation of automobiles...
When The Front Pagefirst opened in New York City in 1928, the play’s critical praise was qualified by a controversy over language. Many reviewers considered it harsh and inappropriate. J. Brooks Atkinson of the New York Times summed up the controversy. He asserted, “The Front Page,which is one of the tautest and most unerring melodramas of the day ...
A. Petrusso
In this essay, Petrusso examines the role of women inThe Front Page. In recent reviews of The Front Page, several critics have contended that the play denigrates the role of women. For example, John Bemrose of Maclean’smaintained that “the air is perpetually blue with profanity and verbal attacks—some of them directed against blacks and women.” John Simonargued that the reporters “have contempt at best for women lovers, whatever doesn’t jibe with their grimy, grubby, ecumenical smugness.” I a...
WHAT DO I READ NEXT?
1. All the President’s Menis a nonfiction book written by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward in 1974. Written by two journalists, it chronicles their efforts to uncover political corruption during the administration of President Richard Nixon. 2. The Twentieth Century,a play written by Hecht and Mac Arthur in 1933, is a farce that examines the theater scene. 3. Written by Bruce D. Price, Too Easy: A Novelwas published in 1994. The story focuses on a murder investigation in New York. 4. 1001 Afte...
Robert Brustein
Brustein reviews a 1987 revival of Hecht and MacArthur’s play at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre in New York. Finding that the play’s potent message has endured, the critic offers a favorable review ofThe Front Page. Yet another revival of The Front Page, Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur’s 1928 play about Chicago newspapermen covering an execution, would not appear to be a particularly original theatrical idea or an especially bold choice to open Gregory Mosher’s second season at Lincoln Center’s...
Atkinson, J. Brooks. A review in The New York Times,August 26, 1928, p. 1. Bemrose, John. “Cynics and Sybarites: Attacking a Deficiency with First-Rate Drama,” Maclean’s,June 13, 1994, p. 45. Brien, Alan. “The Front Page,” Plays and Players, August 1972, p. 35–36. Brustein, Robert. “Headline Hunting,” in The New Republic,January 5 & 12, 1987, pp. 2...
Epstein, Joseph. “The Great Hack Genius,” in Commentary,December 1990. Hecht, Ben. A Child of the Century,Simon & Schuster, 1954, 654 p. ——. The Improbable Life and Times of Charles MacArthur,Harper, 1957, 242 p. Martin, Jeffrey Brown. Ben Hecht: Hollywood Screenwriter,UMI Research Press, 1985, pp. 41–56. Zion, Sidney. “The Scoop from Helen Hayes,”...
People also ask
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Why is Reddit the 'front page of the Internet'?
The Front Page was controversial at the time for its use of profane language and references (to such things as sex, prostitutes, and peeping toms) unfit for a decent audience.
Sep 2, 2018 · Imgur. When you visit Reddit.com, you’ll see a list of links, which is how Reddit earned the title of “front page of the internet.”. Think of Reddit as a massive, high-tech message board ...
May 16, 2024 · At first Reddit was meant to be a “front page of the Internet”—and indeed this was its motto for some time. The idea was for users to submit the best articles from major news outlets, journals, and other sites so they would not have to visit each individual publication.
Oct 15, 2016 · The Front Page, by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur. Directed by Jack O'Brien. Tickets: $67-$157. At Broadhurst Theatre, 235 W. 44th St., New York. Call 212-239-6200 or visit telecharge.com. A ...
The Front Page is a Broadway comedy about newspaper reporters on the police beat. Written by former Chicago reporters Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, it was first produced in 1928 and has been adapted for the cinema several times. The play entered the public domain in the United States in 2024. [1]
