It Happened One Night (1934)

User Rating:

8.3/10   

Director:

Frank Capra

Writers:

Samuel Hopkins Adams (story)
Robert Riskin (screenplay)

Release Date:

9 April 1934 (Brazil)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

Two great lovers of the screen in the grandest of romantic comedies !

Plot:

A spoiled heiress, running away from her family, is helped by a man who's actually a reporter looking for a story. But then he falls for her...

Plot Keywords:

Reporter | Yacht | Bus | Newspaper | Heiress

Awards:

Won 5 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 1 nomination

US Showtimes:

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Cast

Clark Gable	...	Peter Warne
Claudette Colbert	...	Ellen 'Ellie' Andrews
Walter Connolly	...	Alexander Andrews
Roscoe Karns	...	Oscar Shapeley
Jameson Thomas	...	King Westley
Alan Hale	...	Danker
Arthur Hoyt	...	Zeke
Blanche Friderici	...	Zeke's wife
Charles C. Wilson	...	Joe Gordon

Also Known As:

Night Bus (USA) (working title)
Es geschah in einer Nacht (Austria) (Germany) [de]
Accadde una notte (Italy) [it]
Aconteceu Naquela Noite (Brazil) [pt]
Bir gecede oldu (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Det hände en natt (Sweden) [sv]
Det hændte en nat (Denmark) [da]
Ez történt egy éjszaka (Hungary) [hu]
Ich noce (Poland) [pl]
Lo que sucedió aquella noche (Argentina) [es]
Nea Yorki - Miami (Greece) [el]
New York - Miami (France) [fr]
Succeí una nit (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
Sucedió una noche (Spain) [es]
Synevi mia nyhta (Greece) (reissue title) [el]
Tapahtuipa eräänä yönä (Finland) [fi]
Uma Noite Aconteceu (Portugal) [pt]
Ze Kara Lyla Ehad (Israel: Hebrew title) [iw]

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Certification:

Canada:G (Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Iceland:L | Portugal:M/12 | Norway:16 (1934) | Brazil:Livre | Argentina:Atp | Germany:o.Al. | Sweden:15 | UK:U | South Korea:15 (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Busch Gardens - S. Grove Avenue, Pasadena, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Myrna Loy turned down the role of Ellie Andrews because a recent film set on a bus had failed, and she didn't think that this one would succeed.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Peter is making breakfast for Ellen, as the table is first set, there are six doughnuts on the plate in the lower left corner of the screen, but when they sit and begin eating and discussing what there is to eat, there are only two.

Quotes:

Oscar Shapeley: What's a matter sister? You ain't sayin' much.
Ellie Andrews: It seems to me you're doing excellently without any assistance.

Movie Connections:

Featured in 100 Years of Comedy (1997) (V)

Soundtrack:

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf

A Pleasant, Funny Classic

This is a pleasant, funny classic that shows it age only slightly, and that has a lot of scenes you can look forward to each time that you see it. Gable and Colbert each get roles that are nicely suited to them, and are well-remembered for their performances. The supporting cast also rounds out the picture with some good character acting.

The cross-country trip on the bus and via other assorted methods is fun to watch, with several nice vignettes that complement the main story line. (The atmosphere on the long bus trip is done especially well.) The plot is of course not meant to be taken too seriously in itself, but it comes in very handy for setting up good characters and comedy.

It all comes across as effortlessly entertaining romantic comedy, with some classic scenes and characters you learn to care for in spite of their mistakes.