It
Happened One Night (1934)
Starring
Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert
Director
Frank Capra
Awards
Academy Awards
Best Actor - Clark Gable
Best Actress - Claudette Colbert
Best Director - Frank Capra
Best Picture
Best Adapted Screenplay - Robert
Riskin
Plot Synopsis
When Ellie Andrews (Claudette Colbert), a millionaire's daughter,
marries a man her father dislikes, the resulting family squabble sends the beautiful
heiress into hiding. She travels across country by bus, a fugitive from high society. En
route, she meets the man of her dreams (Clark Gable): a sexy but brusque news
correspondent who has just lost his job, which unknown to Ellie, he hopes to recover by
selling her story to his former boss. Together, Peter and Ellie have a series of hapless
adventures and comic misunderstandings, leading them to the realization that they were
made for each other.
Film Notes
"Director Frank Capra (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington)
took home every Oscar in the book (well, okay, all the major ones) for this seminal 1934
comedy starring Clark Gable as a hard-bitten reporter who stays close to a runaway heiress
(Claudette Colbert) rather than lose a good story. Funny and sexy, the film is full of
memorable scenes often referred to in other films, such as the "walls of
Jericho" (a mere bedcover hung on a line down the middle of a room so opposite-sex
roommates can get undressed), and Colbert's famous flash of thigh to stop a speeding car
in its tracks. Capra's brisk, urbane brand of wit was a perfect complement to his populist
faith in the common man (in this case, Gable's character), and that inspired combination
makes this film both a spirited entertainment and an uplifting experience." (Tom
Keogh, Amazon.com)
First film to win all five major Oscars (Picture, Actor, Actress,
Director, and Screenplay). Based on Samuel Hopkins Adams' story Night Bus,
originally published in Cosmopolitan. Frank Capra read the story in
"Cosmopolitan" magazine and bought the rights for $5,000. Remade as musicals Eve
Knew Her Apples and You Can't Run Away from It. Clark Gable didn't initially
want the role, and Colbert was the fifth choice for the female lead. Budget: $325,000.
Rated: NR