Overview
Director Frank Capra and his two stars, Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert, stole hearts and a quintet of Oscars with this sparkling, legendary romantic comedy. IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT is based on the story "Night Bus" by Samuel Hopkins Adams, and it follows a news reporter and a runaway heiress who fall in love while traveling cross country on a bus. But as with any classic, the film is more than the sum of its parts, and special attention should be paid to the fizzy chemistry between the two leads and the witty script from Robert Riskin. This screwball comedy was the first to take home all five major Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor--Clark Gable, Best Actress--Claudette Colbert, and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Awards:
1934 - Academy Awards - Best Picture - Winner
1934 - Academy Awards - Best Actress - Winner
1934 - Academy Awards - Best Actor - Winner
1934 - Academy Awards - Best Director - Winner
1934 - Academy Awards - Best Adapted Screenplay - Winner
Main Cast & Crew:
Frank Capra - Director
Clark Gable
Claudette Colbert
Walter Connolly
Roscoe Karns
Jameson Thomas
Arthur Hoyt
Blanche Friderici
Charles C. Wilson
Eddie Chandler
Wallis Clark
Details
- Format: DVD
- Color Format: B&W
- UPC: 715515122818
- Genre: COMEDIES
- Rating: Not Rated
- Release Date: September 2014
Movie Reviews
Synopsis:
Winner of five Academy Awards, Frank Capra's celebrated romantic comedy stars movie legends Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert.
When Ellie Andrews, 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: 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.
Notes:
IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT was added to the Library of Congress National Film Registry in 1993.
Frank Capra read the story in "Cosmopolitan" magazine and bought the rights for $5,000. Clark Gable didn't initially want the role and Colbert was the fifth choice for the female lead. Budget: $325,000.
Remakes: "You Can't Run Away from It" (Columbia 1934)
"Eve Knew Her Apples" (Columbia 1945)
Reviews:
"...Early screwball....Won [Colbert] an Oscar." -- Rating: A - 08/09/1996 Entertainment Weekly, p.68
"...Capra's much-loved screwball romance remains a prime example of his deft versatility..." - 06/01/2001 Sight and Sound, p.59
"Frank Capra's seminal screwball classic is a charming riff on a now-familiar scenario....The movie is also a landmark road picture..." - 12/01/2003 Premiere, p.4
"[A] still-glorious rom-com..." - 03/01/2004 Total Film, p.9
"If only today’s versions of this perennial possessed a fraction of the original’s verve and charm..." -- Grade: A - 11/19/2014 A.V. Club
"Charming and pretty sexy for its time, Frank Capra's romantic comedy is all about its two fantastic leads..." - 04/08/2021 USA Today
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