Similarities Between It Happened One Night And His Girl Friday

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Popular during the Great Depression, screwball comedies are characterized by their fare and physical comedy, underlying tones of poverty and financial success, romantic plotlines, and noticeably the intelligent, independent, strong willed leading ladies such as Ellen Andrews from "It Happened One Night", Hildegard "Hildy" Johnson in "His Girl Friday", and Gerry Jeffers in the "The Palm Beach Story". While these leading women all have different aspirations during the course of the film, relationships with money and initial relationships with their male counterparts, they share many similarities and comparisons such as changing their aspirations during the film, fulfillment with their life-changing decisions, and successful pursue of their male …show more content…

For example, in the film "It Happened One Night", leading lady Ellen Allen strives to return to her new husband in New York City after spending time in Florida with her disapproving father who strives to convince her to annul her new marriage because of Ellen's new husband greed. In retaliation for Ellen's successful escape, her well meaning father hires private detectives to keep Ellen away from her new husband, which spurs stubborn Ellen to journey back to New York City incognito. During Ellen's travels to New York City, she meets Peter, a recently fired newspaper reporter, who helps helpless Ellen in her frantic pursuit to return to her new husband but later falls in love with him. Due to her new found love for Peter, Ellen changes her aspirations from returning to her husband to wanting to start a relationship with Peter. Unlike to Ellen Allen, Hildegard "Hildy" Johnson in "His Girl Friday" strives and aspires to put her past behind her as a newspaper reporter and cut ties with her recent ex husband, Walter Burns. Hildy's aspirations to remarry and lead a quiet life with her new fiance gradually fades as she realizes that a quiet life with a new husband is not for her. During the course of the film, Hildy's desires for a fresh start is quickly overturned with her pursuit to return to old newspaper reporter job and her ex husband. Similar to Ellen Andrews and Hildy Johnson, Gerry Jeffers in "In Palm Beach Story" aspires and desires to start a new life after leaving her unsuccessful husband. Driven to find a easy life with a rich man, Gerry pursues a new relationship with John D. Hackensacker III, one of the richest men in the world. While wooing John, Gerry's husband tries to rekindle their relationship with Gerry, believing that their love with keep them together. While originally driven by with her love for money, Gerry

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