IT CAME FROM THE BOTTOM SHELF!

The general critical consensus around the work of the great writer-director Billy Wilder is that he had a great run of films in the 1940s and 50s (Double Indemnity; The Lost Weekend; Sunset Boulevard), he hit his stride in the late 50s/early 60s when teaming with co-writer I.A.L. Diamond (Some Like It Hot; The Apartment; One, Two, Three; Irma La Douce), and from the mid-60s forward, he ended his career with a series of lesser works that were a blot on his filmography.  I couldn’t disagree more.  Wilder’s later output contains a couple of my favorites of his films — The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970) and Avanti! (1972) — and his other late Sixties and Seventies films are deserving of a reappraisal.  Now is the perfect time re-examine Wilder’s 1974 film adaptation of the classic 1928 Ben Hecht & Charles MacArthur play The Front Page, because a new Blu-ray is being released this week by Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

While The Front Page was a marginal moneymaker in 1974, critics were fairly harsh in their reviews of the film, and the movie has continued to be maligned in the intervening years.  Mainly, it has been unfavorably compared with the 1940 adaptation of the same material, His Girl Friday, which is an unfair standard to hold against any picture, because His Girl Friday is one of the three funniest films ever made (the other two being The Bank Dick and The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek).  If you separate the Wilder & Diamond adaptation from the memory of the earlier film, The Front Page (1974) is a colorful, breezy comedy with one of the better teamings of Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau.

Wilder’s film follows the basic plot of the play.  On the eve of the high-profile execution of Earl Williams (Austin Pendleton), a convicted cop killer, ace reporter Hildy Johnson (Jack Lemmon) submits his resignation to the editor of the Chicago Examiner, Walter Burns (Walter Matthau), in order to marry a theater organist, Peggy Grant (Susan Sarandon pre-Rocky Horror) and take a new job in the advertising business.  Burns has no intention of letting his top writer walk out on him, and he tries multiple underhanded tactics to keep Hildy from leaving.  However, what really threatens Hildy and Peggy’s wedding bells is when Earl Williams escapes and drops into Hildy’s lap.  Can Hildy walk away from the story of the century in order to walk down the aisle?

There’s a lot to like in Billy Wilder’s adaptation of this 1928 property.  First and foremost is a fantastic performance by Jack Lemmon.  While the character of Hildy Johnson is the lead in the story, colorful cad Walter Burns has always been the coveted comic role in the play.  However, in Lemmon’s capable hands, it is impossible to take your eyes off Hildy.  Whether putting a unique spin on a line reading or incorporating a little physical comic business into a silent moment, Lemmon delivers a master class in comic acting.  As good as Matthau is (and he’s very good indeed), Lemmon walks away with the movie.

Beyond the leads, the film is packed with a rogue’s gallery of “that guy” character actors, including Vincent Gardenia (who’s especially good), Allen Garfield, David Wayne, Charles Durning, Austin Pendleton, Herb Edelman, Harold Gould, Cliff Osmond, Dick O’Neill, and Paul Benedict.  They do exactly what they’re paid to do.  They add considerable color to the proceedings.  Only Carol Burnett hits a false note, miscast in the straight role of hooker Mollie Malloy.  On a scale of one to ten, the character of Mollie Malloy was written at an eleven in the original play.  Unfortunately, Burnett plays it at a twelve.

It should also be noted that the film looks beautiful.  Perhaps because of his tremendous talent as a writer, Billy Wilder is underrated as a visual craftsman.  His composition of the Panavision widescreen frame was masterful; and he does a wonderful job of “opening up” the play (which was written to be staged on a single set) to let it breathe as a real film.  Cutting between multiple locations helps build the reality of 1920s Chicago and enlivens the first half of the movie.  However, the final act of the play is filled with whip-crack dialogue that plays most energetically in a single, claustrophobic space.  Opening up these scenes and cutting away occasionally does water down the final act slightly, when compared with the 1931 and 1940 film adaptations.

The Front Page isn’t as good as His Girl Friday (1940) and it isn’t top-tier Wilder, but it is much better than its reputation.  It certainly isn’t the work of a director in decline.  If you are a fan of Billy Wilder, Jack Lemmon, or both, I think you’ll want to add the new Blu-ray to your collection.

US/C-105m./Dir: Billy Wilder/Wr: Billy Wilder and I. A. L. Diamond (based on the play by Ben Hecht & Charles MacArthur)/Cast: Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Vincent Gardenia, Susan Sarandon, Allen Garfield, David Wayne, Charles Durning, Austin Pendleton, Carol Burnett, Herb Edelman, Martin Gabel, Harold Gould, Cliff Osmond, Dick O’Neill, Jon Korkes, Lou Frizzell, Paul Benedict, Doro Merande, Noam Pitlik, Joshua Shelley 

For Fans of: If you enjoyed Lemmon and Matthau’s byplay in The Fortune Cookie (1966) and The Odd Couple (1968), you should check out this underrated teaming as well.

Video: Kino Lorber Studio Classics has released a very nice Blu-ray of The Front Page (1974). The dual-layered transfer is near-perfect.  The Panavision widescreen image is sharp, colorful, and free of scratches or debris.  In addition, the 2.0 DTS-HD sound mix supports the dialogue and punchy Billy May soundtrack beautifully.

Special features include:

• A new audio commentary by film historians Michael Schlesinger and Mark Evanier, which greatly enhances enjoyment of the film.  The duo discuss behind-the-scenes details of the production, their appreciation of the sly acting choices of Lemmon and Matthau, Carol Burnett’s miscasting, and even the 2016 stage revival of the play.  It is a relaxed, conversational track that is well worth a listen.
• An interview with First Assistant Director, Howard G. Kazanjian, and Assistant to Billy Wilder, Rex McGee, who reveal a lot about Wilder’s working methods.
• An interview with actor Austin Pendleton, who relays his reminiscences of the shoot.
• The original theatrical trailer
• Additional trailers for Billy Wilder’s A Foreign Affair (1948), Witness for the Prosecution (1957), One, Two, Three (1961), Irma La Douce (1963), The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970), and Avanti (1972)

Streaming: At the time of this review, The Front Page (1974) was not streaming through any of the major subscription services.

More to Explore: Of course, if you haven’t seen His Girl Friday (1940), the best film adaptation of The Front Page, correct that situation as soon as possible.   In addition, the classic adventure film Gunga Din (1939) shares with The Front Page the basic plot element of someone trying to trick a coworker out of quitting their job.  It’s no coincidence that Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur provided the stories for both films.

Trivia: The telegraph operator at the end of the film is played by character actor Alan Jenkins in his final film role.  Jenkins played the part of Endicott, one of the Press Room reporters, in the original 1928 Broadway production of The Front Page.

For More Info: There are many fine books on the life and work of Billy Wilder, but my favorite is the interview book, Conversations with Wilder by fellow film director Cameron Crowe.