It Happened One Night
Original movie poster
Directed by	Frank Capra
Produced by	Frank Capra Harry Cohn
Written by	Samuel Hopkins Adams (story) Robert Riskin (screenplay)
Starring	Clark Gable Claudette Colbert Walter Connolly
Music by	Howard Jackson Louis Silvers
Cinematography	Joseph Walker
Editing by	Gene Havlick
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)	February 22, 1934
Running time	105 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$325,000 (est.)
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

It Happened One Night is a 1934 Screwball comedy directed by Frank Capra, in which a pampered socialite (Claudette Colbert) tries to get out from under her father's thumb, and falls in love with a roguish reporter (Clark Gable). The plot was based on the story Night Bus by Samuel Hopkins Adams, which provided the shooting title. It Happened One Night was one of the last film romantic comedies created before the MPAA began enforcing the 1930 production code in 1934. The final title is an oddity, as the movie takes place over several nights and none is particularly key to the plot. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... For other persons named Frank Capra, see Frank Capra (disambiguation). ... Harry Cohn (July 23, 1891–February 27, 1958), sometimes nicknamed King Cohn, was president and production director of Columbia Pictures. ... Samuel Hopkins Adams (1871–1958) was an American writer, best known for his investigative journalism. ... Robert Riskin (March 30, 1897–September 20, 1955) was an American screenwriter and playwright, best known for his collaborations with director-producer Frank Capra. ... William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901 – November 16, 1960) was an Academy Award-winning American film actor. ... Claudette Colbert (September 13, 1903 – July 30, 1996) was an Academy Award-winning French-born American actress. ... Walter Connolly (born April 8, 1887 - died May 28, 1940) was an American actor who made almost fifty films between 1914 and 1939. ... Howard E. Jackson was a noted American kickboxer, point Karate fighter, and professional boxer. ... Louis Silvers was a movie composer, whose work has been used in more then 250 movies. ... Joseph Walker or Joe Walker can refer to more than one person of note, including: Joseph A. Walker, a United States military aviator Joseph A. Walker, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright (The River Niger) J. E. Walker, former president of the Universal Life Insurance Company. ... The Columbia Pictures logo from 1993 to the present Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. ... is the 53rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... See also: 1933 in film 1934 1935 in film 1930s in film years in film film // Events January 26 - Samuel Goldwyn (of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) finally purchased the film rights to The Wizard of Oz from Frank J. Baum for $40,000. ... The screwball comedy is a subgenre of the comedy film genre. ... For other persons named Frank Capra, see Frank Capra (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Claudette Colbert (September 13, 1903 – July 30, 1996) was an Academy Award-winning French-born American actress. ... William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901 – November 16, 1960) was an Academy Award-winning American film actor. ... Samuel Hopkins Adams (1871–1958) was an American writer, best known for his investigative journalism. ... Romantic comedy films, colloquially known as romcom, are movies with light-hearted, humorous plotlines, centered around romantic ideals such as a true love able to surmount most obstacles. ... MPAA redirects here. ... The Production Code (also known as the Hays Code) was a set of industry guidelines governing the production of American motion pictures. ...

The film was the first to win all five major Academy Awards (Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, and Screenplay), a feat that would not be matched until One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) and later by The Silence of the Lambs (1991). In 1993, It Happened One Night was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest is a 1975 film directed by Miloš Forman. ... The Silence of the Lambs is a 1991 Academy Award-winning film directed by Jonathan Demme and starring Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins. ... The National Film Registry is the registry of films selected by the United States National Film Preservation Board for preservation in the Library of Congress. ... Construction of the Thomas Jefferson Building, from July 8, 1888 to May 15, 1894. ...

It was remade as a 1956 musical comedy, You Can't Run Away from It, starring Jack Lemmon and June Allyson. The year 1956 in film involved some significant events. ... The musical film is a film genre in which several songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative. ... Comedy film is genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humor. ... // This musical remake of the 1937 film It Happened One Night stars June Allyson and Jack Lemmon. ... John Uhler Lemmon III (February 8, 1925 – June 27, 2001), better known as Jack Lemmon, was a two-time Academy Award and Cannes Award-winning American actor and comedian. ... June Allyson (October 7, 1917 – July 8, 2006) was an American film and television actress, popular in the 1940s and 1950s. ...

Plot

Spoiled heiress Ellie Andrews (Colbert) marries fortune-hunter "King" Westley (Jameson Thomas) against the wishes of her extremely wealthy father (Walter Connolly). He retrieves his daughter before the marriage can be consummated, but then she runs away, leaping off the side of the family yacht. Walter Connolly (born April 8, 1887 - died May 28, 1940) was an American actor who made almost fifty films between 1914 and 1939. ...

Boarding a bus to New York City, she meets fellow passenger Peter Warne (Gable), an out-of-work newspaper reporter. He recognizes her and gives her a choice: if she will give him an exclusive on her story, he will help her reunite with King, otherwise he will tell her father where she is and collect the reward. She agrees. New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ...

Trailer.

Various adventures follow. When they have to hitchhike, Peter claims to be an expert on the subject. When nothing he tries works, eventually, out of frustration, he ends up thumbing his nose at passing cars. The sheltered Ellie then shows him how it's done. She stops the next car dead in its tracks by lifting up her skirt and showing off a shapely leg (see image below). Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... For other uses, see Hitch hike. ...

One night, when they are nearing the end of their journey, Peter leaves to make some arrangements. The owners of the auto court in which they are staying see that his car is gone and assume he has left without paying. They roust Ellie out of bed and kick her out. Believing Peter has deserted her, Ellie calls her father, who is so relieved to get her back that he agrees to let her have her way. Ellie has fallen in love with Peter, but she thinks he betrayed her for the reward money, so she agrees to have a second, formal wedding with King. Meanwhile, Peter believes he's the one who's been double-crossed.

Peter gets in touch with Ellie's father to settle up. Mr Andrews offers him the large reward promised, but Peter will have none of it. He just wants to be paid $39.60 for the expenses incurred on the trip. Intrigued, the father badgers the reporter until he gets the truth: Peter loves Ellie (though he thinks he's out of his mind to do so). Peter leaves with the check he asked for.

While walking his daughter down the aisle, Andrews tells her what he has found out and encourages her to run off again, telling her there is a car waiting for her out back; at the last moment, she does. Her father pays off Westley, who agrees to have the marriage annulled, enabling Ellie to marry Peter.

Cast

As appearing in screen credits (main roles identified):^[1]

A full cast and production crew list is too lengthy to include, see: IMDb profile. ^[1] William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901 – November 16, 1960) was an Academy Award-winning American film actor. ... Claudette Colbert (September 13, 1903 – July 30, 1996) was an Academy Award-winning French-born American actress. ... Walter Connolly (born April 8, 1887 - died May 28, 1940) was an American actor who made almost fifty films between 1914 and 1939. ... Alan Hale can refer to: Alan Hale, Sr. ... Arthur Hoyt (March 19, 1874-January 4, 1953) was an American film actor. ...

Production

The famous hitchhiking scene

Filming began in a tense atmosphere as Gable and Colbert were dissatisfied with the quality of the script. However, they established a friendly working relationship and found that the script was no worse than those of many of their earlier films. Capra understood that they were unwilling participants and tried to lighten the mood by having Gable play practical jokes on Colbert, who responded with good humor.^[2]

Both Gable and Capra enjoyed making the movie. Colbert however continued to show her displeasure on the set. She also initially balked at pulling up her skirt to entice a passing driver to provide a ride, complaining that it was unladylike. However, upon seeing the chorus girl who was brought in as her body double, an outraged Colbert told the director, "Get her out of here. I'll do it. That's not my leg!"^[3] During the filming, Capra asserted, that Colbert "fretted, pouted and argued... she was a tartar, but a cute one."^[4]. After her acceptance speech at the Oscars ceremony, she went back on stage and thanked Capra for making the film.^[5] Body Double is a 1984 film by directed Brian De Palma. ... Tartar may refer to: Look up Tartar in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

The sensibilities of the time played a role in some of the key scenes. Riskin specifically wrote scenes where throughout the film, Peter hangs a blanket over a rope between their beds for Ellie to have some privacy, calling it "the Walls of Jericho". The end of the film has a telegram from Peter who has run off with Ellie as they both await news of the annulment with Westley, in part, it says, "the walls of Jericho are starting to topple". The final scene depicts an auto court and the couple who manage it discussing how they wonder if the two people they have just rented a room to are really married, because the young man asked for a rope, a blanket and a trumpet. The husband tells his wife he knows they are married because he saw the license. The scene closes with a trumpet sounding, the "Walls of Jericho" falling and the lights going off in the room in which Peter and Ellie are staying. Due to the strictures of the time, the device was the only plausible one that would be acceptable to a "general" audience. This article is about the city in the West Bank. ...

Casting

Neither Gable nor Colbert were the first choices to play the lead roles. Robert Montgomery and Myrna Loy were originally offered the roles, but each turned the script down, and Loy later noted that the final version bore little resemblance to the script she and Montgomery were offered.^[6] Miriam Hopkins and Margaret Sullavan also each rejected the part.^[7] Constance Bennett was willing to play the role if she could produce the film herself, however Columbia Pictures would not allow this. Then Bette Davis wanted the role,^[8] but was under contract with Warner Brothers and Jack Warner refused to loan her.^[9] Carole Lombard was unable to accept, because the filming schedule conflicted with that of Bolero.^[10] In addition, Loretta Young also turned it down.^[11] Robert Montgomery (May 21, 1904 – September 27, 1981) was an American actor and director. ... Myrna Loy (August 2, 1905 – December 14, 1993) was an American motion picture actress. ... Ellen Miriam Hopkins (October 18, 1902 – October 9, 1972) was an Oscar-nominated American actress. ... Margaret Sullavan Margaret Brooke Sullavan (May 16, 1911 - January 1, 1960) was an American actress. ... Constance Campbell Bennett (October 22, 1904 - July 24, 1965) was a US actress known as much for her elegant persona as for her acting career. ... The Columbia Pictures logo from 1993 to the present Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. ... This article is about the actress. ... Warner Bros. ... This article is about Jack Warner, the head of Warner Brothers. ... Carole Lombard (October 6, 1908 – January 16, 1942) was an American actress. ... Bolero was a 1934 film starring George Raft and Carole Lombard. ... Loretta Young in 1935 Loretta Young (January 6, 1913 – August 12, 2000) was an Academy Award-winning American actress. ...

Harry Cohn suggested Colbert, who initially refused the role.^[12] Colbert's first film, For the Love of Mike (1927), had been directed by Frank Capra and was such a disaster that she vowed to never make another with him. She subsequently agreed to appear in It Happened One Night only when her salary was doubled to $50,000, and on the condition that her part be completed in four weeks so she could take an already planned vacation.^[13] According to legend, Gable was loaned to Columbia Pictures, then considered a minor studio, as punishment for refusing role at his own studio; however, this has been refuted by more recent biographies. MGM did not have a project ready for Gable and was paying him $2,000 per week, under his contract, to do nothing. Louis B. Mayer loaned him to Columbia for $2500 per week, making a $500 per week profit.^[2] Harry Cohn (July 23, 1891–February 27, 1958), sometimes nicknamed King Cohn, was president and production director of Columbia Pictures. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... MGM logo Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer or MGM, is a large media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of cinema and television programs. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Reception

After filming was completed, Colbert complained to her friend, "I just finished the worst picture in the world."^[14][3] In 1935, after her Academy Award nomination, Colbert decided not to attend the presentation and instead, planned to take a cross-country train trip. After she was named the winner, studio chief Harry Cohn sent someone to "drag her off" the train, which had not yet left the station, and take her to the ceremony. Colbert arrived wearing a two-piece traveling suit that she had Paramount Pictures costume designer, Travis Banton, make for her trip.^[15] Harry Cohn (July 23, 1891–February 27, 1958), sometimes nicknamed King Cohn, was president and production director of Columbia Pictures. ... Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and distribution company, based in Hollywood, California. ... Travis Banton (August 18, 1894 - February 2, 1958) was the chief designer at Paramount Pictures. ...

Awards

• Best Picture - Columbia Pictures (Harry Cohn, producer)
• Best Actor in a Leading Role - Clark Gable
• Best Actress in a Leading Role - Claudette Colbert
• Best Director - Frank Capra
• Best Writing, Adaptation - Robert Riskin

On December 15, 1996, Clark Gable's Oscar was auctioned off to Steven Spielberg for $607,500; Spielberg promptly donated the statuette to the Motion Picture Academy.^[16] On June 9, the following year, Colbert's Oscar was offered for auction by Christie's. No bids were made for it. ©A.M.P.A.S.® The Academy Award for Best Motion Picture is one of the Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to artists working in the motion picture industry. ... The Columbia Pictures logo from 1993 to the present Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. ... Harry Cohn (July 23, 1891–February 27, 1958), sometimes nicknamed King Cohn, was president and production director of Columbia Pictures. ... Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. ... William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901 – November 16, 1960) was an Academy Award-winning American film actor. ... Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. ... Claudette Colbert (September 13, 1903 – July 30, 1996) was an Academy Award-winning French-born American actress. ... The Academy Award for Directing is one of the awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; the awards are voted on by other people within the industry. ... For other persons named Frank Capra, see Frank Capra (disambiguation). ... // The Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay is one of the Academy Awards, the most prominent film awards in the United States. ... Robert Riskin (March 30, 1897–September 20, 1955) was an American screenwriter and playwright, best known for his collaborations with director-producer Frank Capra. ... is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... Steven Allan Spielberg, (Honorary KBE, born December 18, 1946)[1] is an American film director and producer. ... is the 160th day of the year (161st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Christies auction house in South Kensington, London Christies American branch in Rockefeller Center, New York Christies is a fine art auction house, the largest and by some accounts the oldest in the world. ...

In June 2008, AFI revealed its "Ten top Ten"—the best 10 films in 10 "classic" American film genres — after polling over 1,500 people from the creative community. It Happened One Night was acknowledged as the third-best film in the romantic comedy genre.^[17]

Popular culture

An urban legend has it that Gable had a profound effect on men's fashion, thanks to a scene in this movie. As he is undressing for bed, he takes off his shirt to reveal that he is bare-chested. Sales of men's undershirts across the country may have suffered a noticeable decline for a period following this movie.^[18] For other uses, see Urban legend (disambiguation). ...

The unpublished memoirs of animator Friz Freleng's mention that this was one of his favorite films. It has been claimed that it helped inspire the cartoon character Bugs Bunny. Three things in the film may have coalesced to create Bugs: the personality of a minor character, Oscar Shapely, an imaginary character named "Bugs Dooley" mentioned once to frighten Shapely, and most of all, a scene in which Clark Gable eats carrots while talking quickly with his mouth full, as Bugs does.^[19] Isadore Friz Freleng (August 21, 1906[1]–May 26, 1995) was an animator, cartoonist, director, and producer best known for his work on the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons from Warner Bros. ... Bugs Bunny is an animated rabbit/hare who appears in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of animated films produced by Warner Bros. ...

It was also remade into a Hindi movie called Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin starring Aamir Khan and Puja Bhatt directed by Mahesh Bhatt. ^[20]

In an episode of Neon Genesis Evangelion, Asuka refers to the door between her room and that of Shinji as the "Walls of Jericho," with similar implications. Original run October 4, 1995 – March 27, 1996 No. ... Asuka Langley Soryu ) is a 14 year old[2] fictional character and one of the three primary protagonists from the anime and manga Neon Genesis Evangelion, the movies Evangelion: Death and Rebirth and The End of Evangelion, and the tetralogy of movies Rebuild of Evangelion. ... Shinji Ikari ) is a fictional character and one of the three primary protagonists from the anime and manga series Neon Genesis Evangelion and the movies Evangelion: Death and Rebirth and The End of Evangelion. ...

References

Notes

is the 318th day of the year (319th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 55th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... is the 168th day of the year (169th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 169th day of the year (170th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Era (or Anno Domini), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ...

Bibliography

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

It Happened One Night

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It Happened One Night

• It Happened One Night at the Internet Movie Database
• It Happened One Night on Frank Capra & the Film
• "It Happened One Night" at Filmsite.org
• Review of DVD: It Happened One Night