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A Critical Analysis on The Front Page
by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur
The theatrical production The Front Page, written in 1927 by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, is a melodrama that depicts the constant tensions between the newspapers and city officials in Chicago during the 1920s. This rendition of The Front
The Front
The Front
Throughout the characters, all of the actions in the Press Room reinforce the authors aim in displaying the constant drama that made Chicago in the 1920s a good place to be a news reporter. The director is careful in ensuring that he carries out the characters in such a way that their mannerisms, actions, and speech reflect the time period established by the authors. The main character of The Front Page, Hildy Johnson, is captivated by the audience whenever in the set. Hildy is torn between the two loves of his life, his “girl” Peggy, as he refers to her, as well as his undying love for the newspaper. His energy and high spirits make him the center of attention and his indecisiveness keeps the audience guessing throughout the play, providing both humor and drama.
Hildys boss, and the editor of the newspaper, Walter Burns, supplies suspense to the melodrama through his manipulation of Hildy. Walter is involved in a secret fight with Peggy to win over Hildy in his internal tear between his girlfriend and the newspaper. Walter mirrors a greedy, money lover in the 1920s. He is always willing to pay somebody for a good news story and his reason for living is to beat the other papers to the top story. For example, when Hildy captures the escaped inmate, Earl Williams, Walter demands Hildy to keep the inmate hidden until he gets to the Press Room so that they can claim the reward money together and write a front page story.
The sheriff and the mayor provide an interpretation of the political shenanigans prevalent in the 1920s and also portray the balance between the press and the government