The Front Page Page #3

Synopsis: When Hildy Johnson, the top reporter of a Chicago newspaper announces that he is quitting to get married, his editor, Walter Burns desperately tries to change his mind. When denial, cursing, and luring don't work, Walter resorts to tricks. It's the day before a supposed communist is to be hanged, and all Chicago waits with baited breath. Meanwhile, each of the papers has a man on the story trying to get a scoop or angle for themselves. With a train to catch at midnight to join his fiancé, Hildy is at first not interested, but events and his own habits work against him as the day unfolds, and he can't help but get roped in, especially when the man to be executed escapes and then almost literally falls into his lap.
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Director(s): Billy Wilder
Production: Universal Pictures
  Nominated for 3 Golden Globes. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination.
 
IMDB:
7.4
Rotten Tomatoes:
73%
PG
Year:
1974
105 min
2,878 Views


or "Quick, Henry, the Flit"?

You bet.

For $150 a week.

Jesus, Hildy.

You're a newspaperman,

not some f*ggot

writing poetry

about brassieres

and laxatives.

It's all set. We got 300 extra newsboys

for tomorrow morning.

St. Paul's Parochial School

is gonna be playin' hooky.

We'll cover Chicago

like a blizzard.

Goodbye, Duffy.

Watch the diabetes.

Walter, it's been fun.

What does he mean

by that?

He's leavin' us.

Gettin' married.

Yeah?

That hostess

at the Hotsy Totsy Club?

You're not even close.

This is

a very classy dame.

Philadelphia. Studied to be

a concert pianist.

Where the hell would you meet

a concert pianist?

Well, actually,

she's a widow.

Husband cracked up

in a brand-new Packard.

Only had 18 miles on it.

So, to support herself

she's playing the organ

at the Balaban & Katz Theatre.

The one in the Loop?

Yeah. We've been

dating three months.

Jeez, why didn't you

tell me?

I would've thrown you

a little farewell party.

Oh, no, no.

I know your farewell parties.

When Ben Hecht was

leaving for Hollywood,

you slipped a Mickey

in his gin fizz.

It took four of us to get him

on the California Limited.

Well, look at him now.

Sitting under those goddamn palm trees,

writing dialogue

for Rin Tin Tin.

What's the matter

with you guys?

You're traitors,

all of you.

If it isn't Hollywood,

it's Broadway or Paris.

Write the great

American novel.

Be Scott Fitzgerald. Christ!

And now,

you're gonna sell out.

The last real newspaperman

I got on this sheet.

Don't give me

that Vaseline, Jocko.

When you did that interview

with Earl Williams in the death house,

our circulation

went up 75,000.

It's been your story

right from the beginning.

You can't run out now.

Can't I? Watch me.

Because, hot or cold,

rain or shine,

I'm gonna be on the midnight train

to Philadelphia.

Okay, you ungrateful

son of a b*tch.

I picked you up

when you were a nothing,

covering Polack weddings

on the South side.

I taught you

everything I knew.

And now when I need you,

you stab me in the back.

Well, I can take

the greenest cub out there

and turn him into

a better reporter than you ever were.

Fix him another Bromo.

Get out of here, you lousy,

double-crossing heel.

Well, as long as

there's no hard feelings.

You really gonna

let him go?

In a pig's eye.

Marrying some dame

that plays the organ

from Philadelphia,

for Christ's sake.

# Button up your overcoat #

# When the wind is free #

# Take good care of yourself #

# You belong to me #

# Eat an apple every day #

# Get to bed by 03:00 #

# Take good care of yourself #

# You belong to me! #

# Be careful

crossing streets #

Rate this script:4.0 / 3 votes

Billy Wilder

Billy Wilder was an Austrian-born American filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, artist and journalist, whose career spanned more than fifty years and sixty films. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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    "The Front Page" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/the_front_page_20267>.

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