It Happened One Night (1934)

 It Happened One Night (1934)


Frank Capra’s It Happened One Night is the little engine that could. It was a smallish romantic comedy produced on a modest budget from a minor studio. It would be a film, despite starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert, that would vanish as time progressed, right? Guess again! The movie happened to be the table-setter for a new kind of film, and it is a movie that resonates well with people, even to today’s modern audience. Personally, I found much to enjoy. Despite my misgivings on the screwball genre, Capra gets it right. The situations are zany, fast, and witty. The performances are excellent, and Capra is on the top of his game following his usually formula in the world of comedy.

 

The making of the film could have been its own film. This picture was produced by Columbia, which was seen as a minor picture at the time. Frank Capra lacked two major stars to appear. He previously worked with Claudette Colbert, but their experience together was negative, and she vowed never to work with him again. I guess a salary that is doubled would change minds. Because of how the studio system worked in the 1930’s, actors were “owned” by individual studios. In Clark Gable’s case, he worked for MGM. Rumor has it that he was punished by the studio and allowed Columbia to borrow him. Gable was apprehensive about the project and even showed up on the first day of set very drunk.

 

The opening sequence sets the picture off with a bang. Ellie Andrews (Colbert) is a wealthy socialite who secretly married this aviator, Wesley. Her father, believing what is best for her, annulled her marriage. In anger, she jumps off the boat and goes ashore. Her father, Alexander (Walter Connolly) sends a private detective agency to find her. Ellie manages to stay one step ahead when she purchases a bus ticket. She sits next to a cynical journalist, Peter Warne (Gable). Warne manages to annoy her and ends up blackmailing her in order to force her to travel with him. Despite her original feelings, they begin to fall in love. But Ellie has reason to believe that Peter may be more into her father’s $10,000 reward than her?

 

It is well-known what an accidental pairing the teaming of Colbert and Gable was…but it worked in such a grand fashion. They both were fantastic as a whole and individually. Being such great actors, should we truly be surprised? The most famous scene in the movie is where Colbert shows off her leg to attract drivers. She was very hesitant at first, but she decided to do it anyway after she learned what Capra was going to do for Plan B. Gable really owned the role as the cynical reporter and he really elevated everything to another level in the film’s end. Just watch and you shall see.

 

It Happened One Night is the first picture to win the grand slam at the Academy Awards. It took home Best Picture, Director, Actor, and Actress. Colbert actually thought she wasn’t going to win, so she did not attend the ceremony. The studio’s head, Harry Cohn had to send someone to “drag her off the train” for her vacation. The film revolutionized the screwball genre, and it is the best film from the genre in my own humble opinion. Capra allowed his film to succeed on a quick, zany screenplay and wonderful, breezy performances. People back in the day were enamored with Gable’s shirtless figure. Soon after the film was released, the Hays Code would come in effect which would not allow this. Anyhow, a funny, enjoyable picture with Frank Capra at the top of his game.

 

My Grade: A-

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