by Universal Studios
Sales Rank: 60194
Price: $14.98
Charles MacArthur and Ben Hecht's classic newspaper comedy--about a conniving editor who talks his star reporter out of getting married long enough to cover a big story--has survived lesser adaptations than this one. (Ever see <i>Switching Channels</i>?) But few have been more disappointing. Billy Wilder teamed Walter Matthau (as the unscrupulous editor) and Jack Lemmon (as the fast-talking reporter), who try to get the scoop on everyone else in the story of a convicted killer who escapes on his way to the electric chair. But Matthau and Lemmon, as good as they are, succumb to the temptation to do shtick--and Carol Burnett shows up in a florid, unfunny performance as a hooker. An attempt to bottle the same lightning that struck with <i>The Sting</i>--but Wilder, Lemmon, and Matthau just can't do it. <i>--Marshall Fine</i>
Viewer Reviews This a classic, from the Ben Hecht, James McArthur play of the same name.
With Jack Lemmon as Hildy Jhonson and and Walter Mathau as his editor
