Editing His Girl Friday (section)

== Reception ==
[[File:His-Girl-Friday-Grant-Russell.jpg|right|thumb|Cary Grant with Rosalind Russell; Russell wears a costume designed by [[Robert Kalloch]]]]
Contemporary reviews from critics were very positive. Critics were particularly impressed by the gender change of the reporter.{{sfn|McCarthy|1997|p=286}} [[Frank Nugent|Frank S. Nugent]] of ''The New York Times'' wrote "Except to add that we've seen ''The Front Page'' under its own name and others so often before we've grown a little tired of it, we don't mind conceding ''His Girl Friday'' is a bold-faced reprint of what was once—and still remains—the maddest newspaper comedy of our times."<ref name="NYT">{{cite news |last1=Nugent |first1=Frank S. |title=THE SCREEN IN REVIEW; Frenzied's the Word for 'His Girl Friday,' a Distaff Edition of 'The Front Page,' at the Music Hall--'The Man Who Wouldn't Talk' Opens at the Palace |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1940/01/12/archives/the-screen-in-review-frenzieds-the-word-for-his-girl-friday-a.html |access-date=October 29, 2018 |work=The New York Times  |date=January 12, 1940}}</ref> The ''Variety'' reviewer wrote "The trappings are different—even to the extent of making reporter Hildy Johnson a femme—but it is still ''Front Page'' and Columbia need not regret it. Charles Leder (sic) has done an excellent screenwriting job on it and producer-director Howard Hawks has made a film that can stand alone almost anywhere and grab healthy grosses."<ref>{{cite magazine |date=January 10, 1940 |title=His Girl Friday (review)|url=https://archive.org/details/variety137-1940-01/page/n177/mode/1up |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |location=New York |publisher=Variety, Inc. |page=14 }}</ref> ''[[Harrison's Reports]]'' wrote "Even though the story and its development will be familiar to those who saw the first version of ''The Front Page'', they will be entertained just the same, for the action is so exciting that it holds one in tense suspense throughout."<ref>{{cite journal |date=January 6, 1940 |title='His Girl Friday' with Cary Grant, Rosalind Russell and Ralph Bellamy |journal=[[Harrison's Reports]] |page=3 }}</ref> ''[[Film Daily]]'' wrote "Given a snappy pace, a top flight cast, good production and able direction, the film has all the necessary qualities for first-rate entertainment for any type of audience."<ref>{{cite journal |date=January 5, 1940 |title=Reviews of the New Films |journal=[[Film Daily]] |page=5 }}</ref> [[John Mosher (writer)|John Mosher]] of ''The New Yorker'' wrote that after years of "feeble, wispy, sad imitations" of ''The Front Page'', he found this authentic adaptation of the original to be "as fresh and undated and bright a film as you could want".<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Mosher |first=John |author-link=John Mosher (writer) |date=January 13, 1940 |title=The Current Cinema |magazine=[[The New Yorker]] |location=New York |publisher=F-R Publishing Corp. |page=59 }}</ref> Louis Marcorelles called ''His Girl Friday'' "le film américain par excellence".{{sfn|Bordwell|1985|p=188}}

On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film holds an approval rating of 99% based on 100 reviews, with an average rating of 9.00/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Anchored by stellar performances from Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell, ''His Girl Friday'' is possibly the definitive screwball romantic comedy."<ref>{{Cite web |title=His Girl Friday (1940) |url= https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/his_girl_friday |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date=February 4, 2022}}</ref>

In the 2012 ''Sight & Sound'' poll of the greatest films of all time, ''His Girl Friday'' appeared on several lists, including those of critic [[David Thomson (film critic)|David Thomson]]<ref>{{Cite news |title=David Thomson |work=[[Sight & Sound]] |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/sightandsoundpoll2012/voter/667|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818140915/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/sightandsoundpoll2012/voter/667|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 18, 2016}}</ref> and director [[Quentin Tarantino]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=Quentin Tarantino |work=[[Sight & Sound]] |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/sightandsoundpoll2012/voter/1134|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160212204753/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/sightandsoundpoll2012/voter/1134|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 12, 2016}}</ref>