“Even ten minutes is a long time to be away from you.”
Why it's great
It turns ten ordinary minutes into a measure of how much he wants to stay.
Register
Neutral
Use it yourself
Even one night away from the kids feels long.
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Hildy Tells Walter She's Remarrying, Explained
His Girl Friday · 1940
Chapter 1 of 18 · 5'02"
Walter is mid-crisis over a death-row reprieve, but Hildy has come to say she's quitting the paper and marrying Bruce. Their talk keeps sliding back to the marriage neither has let go of. "We've got something between us nothing can change," Walter insists, while Hildy answers that she only asked for the divorce because she remembered the proposal too well.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 3:47–4:50
❝ Monologue · 4 lines Hildy and Walter Rehash the Divorce
63s
Hildy Tells Walter She's Remarrying, explained
What happens
Hildy Johnson returns to the Morning Post newsroom, where her ex-husband Walter Burns is running the paper and a political fight over Earl Williams's reprieve at the same time. She has brought her new fiancé, Bruce, and means to tell Walter she's leaving for good. Walter, as ever, is already scheming to keep her.
What's really going on
On the surface this is a catch-up between old colleagues, but the newsroom's fast-talking comedy is doing two jobs. One is the political deal Walter is cutting over a condemned man's reprieve, which tells us what kind of operator he is. The other is the real subject: Hildy can say she is done with the paper and with him, yet the whole scene undercuts it. "I jumped out of that window a long time ago, Walter," she says, and then spends the rest of the visit refighting their marriage. Walter works the same angle, needling her about the divorce and admitting he tried to delay it: the man who claims he is just being a husband plays the conversation like a front page.
Key lines & what they mean
- “Even ten minutes is a long time to be away from you.”
- Bruce's sweet, earnest line to Hildy as she leaves him waiting — the kind of sincere compliment this fast-talking world will spend the rest of the scene undercutting.
- “If I didn't remember it, I wouldn't have divorced you.”
- Hildy turns a romantic memory into a reason for leaving: she remembered the proposal so well that she knew she had to get out. It stings and flirts at once.
- “We've got something between us nothing can change.”
- Walter's claim that their bond survives the divorce. He says it as a grand romantic truth, but it is also his excuse for refusing to let her go.
- “I often wish you weren't such a stinker.”
- A backhanded confession of affection: she is fond of him, and she also finds him infuriating. 'Stinker' keeps it teasing rather than cruel.
- “After we get the reprieve, we'll be Democratic again.”
- Walter's cynical punchline about the paper's politics: endorse whoever delivers the reprieve first, then switch back to being a Democratic paper once the favor is done.
Theme
- Marriage — Hildy came to end things, yet she and Walter trade the old intimacy like a habit, arguing over a divorce neither of them has really accepted.
- Power — Walter runs the room, the paper and the governor's reprieve the same way — by steering people, and he turns that skill on Hildy to keep her.
What this chapter teaches
Teaching points
Review right after watchingMy level2/5
A1–C2 is the CEFR scale. Cards above the level you pick fade, and playback will not auto-pause on them.
Language points
Click a card to jump to its moment in the videoGolden lines
A great line in its own right — why and how to use it“If I didn't remember it, I wouldn't have divorced you.”
Why it's great
The denial works backwards: it is exactly because she remembers that the divorce happened.
Register
Neutral
Use it yourself
If I didn't care, I wouldn't have called you.
“We've got something between us nothing can change.”
Why it's great
It names a bond without explaining it, which is why it sounds certain and a little sad.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
We've got something between us that time can't touch.
“I often wish you weren't such a stinker.”
Why it's great
It wraps an insult in affection, scolding the person you still love.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
I often wish you weren't such a terrible driver.
“After we get the reprieve, we'll be Democratic again.”
Why it's great
It jokes that a paper's politics are just a coat it puts on when useful.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
After the contract is signed, he'll be our best friend again.
Monologue
One character carrying the scene — shadow the whole passage❝ Walter on divorce
Nonsense, you've got an old-fashioned idea divorces last forever. "Till death do us part". Divorce doesn't mean anything nowadays. Just a few words mumbled over you by a judge. We've got something between us nothing can change.
He talks divorce down to a few mumbled words, then lands a line about a bond that cannot change.
His Girl Friday: your progress
Chapter 1 of 18 · about 79 min to go
Up next · 02hard feelingsThe scene: Hildy Quits the PostTakeaways
What you walk away with- A newsroom joke can carry the whole plot's pressure.
- The old marriage is replayed as banter, not argument.
- Walter's charm works by dodging every straight question.
- Bruce waits outside while the past walks back in.
People also search
Questions, then the linesWhy does Hildy visit Walter if she's quitting?
She wants to say it face to face and get it over with. Bringing Bruce and telling Walter directly is her way of closing the door — even though the visit does the opposite.
Why did Walter gum up Hildy's divorce?
He admits he never really wanted to let her go. He stalled the divorce, even hiring a plane to write a message in the sky, so the marriage didn't end on paper.
Is Walter still in love with Hildy?
He clearly doesn't want to lose her, but he shows it mostly through needling and scheming. Whether that counts as love or just not wanting to be beaten is left for the audience.
What does Walter mean by double-crossing the governor?
He has promised the paper's support one way, then plans to trade it for a reprieve — switching his political backing on a dime to get the story he wants.
Why is the paper's party loyalty treated so lightly?
Because Walter treats politics as a bargaining chip, not a principle. 'After we get the reprieve, we'll be Democratic again' makes the point that his loyalty lasts exactly as long as it's useful.