It Happened One Night (1934)

Editor's Note 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.

	Walter Connolly
	Ward Bond
	Claire McDowell
	Alan Hale
	Claudette Colbert
	Roscoe Karns
	Henry Wadsworth
	Clark Gable
	Robert Riskin - Screenwriter
	Joseph Walker - Director of Photography
	Louis Silvers - Composer
	Gene Havlick - Editor
	Stephen Goosson - Art Director
	Frank Capra - Director

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. Entertainment Weekly
"...Early screwball....Won [Colbert] an Oscar." -- Rating: A 08/09/1996 p.68

Sight and Sound
"...Capra's much-loved screwball romance remains a prime example of his deft versatility..." 06/01/2001 p.59

Premiere
"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 p.4

Total Film
"[A] still-glorious rom-com..." 03/01/2004 p.9