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Director David Rose hasn’t thought of anything new to say with the 1928 Ben Hecht/Charles MacArthur newspaper comedy, but then who could? It’s a comedy that’s enjoyed for its old-fashioned values - its lovable cynicism, its steadily accelerating farcical rhythms - and Rose and company have mastered the style and brought home most of the laughs. Tall, almost - gangly Robert Stoeckle, plays Hildy Johnson, the ace reporter who thinks he’s about to forsake the newspaper for his would-be bride. He has a snazzy moment of physical comedy when he keeps typing away even though his beleaguered fiancee (Denise Dillard) has just snatched his trusty typewriter from the table and tries to hold it aloft, out of his reach. William Dennis Hunt, familiar for his appearances on L.A.’s more experimental stages, is a knockout as bull-headed Walter Burns, the editor who aims to keep Hildy on the job. His eyes crackle with glee over his schemes to scoop the competition on the story of the Death Row escapee Earl Williams (wimpy - looking Beans Morocco in a sterling example of casting against type). Among the denizens of the
courthouse press room, Jim Brochu stands out with his distinctive twang,
and Don Woodruff makes a fine fussbudget. A couple of minor characters’
lines were swallowed, with no great loss. Visually, everything is of the
period, from the well - trodden room designed by Susan Gratch to Ted C.
Giammona’s outfits.
Copyright Los Angeles
Times
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Review by Don Shirley, Times Staff Reporter