It Happened One Night (1934) Columbia Pictures Director: Frank Capra Producer: Frank Capra, Harry Cohn Cast: Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert, Walter Connolly, Roscoe Karns, Jameson Thomas. Awards ceremony: -7th Academy Awards: February 27, 1935. Biltmore Hotel, Los Angeles, California. Other films nominated for Outstanding Production this year: -The Barretts Of Wimpole Street. -Cleopatra. -Flirtation Walk. -The Gay Divorcee. -Here Comes The Navy. -The House Of Rothschild. -Imitation Of Life. -One Night Of Love. -The Thin Man. -Viva Villa! -The White Parade. Plot summary: Ellie, an entitled, spoiled woman (CLAUDETTE COLBERT) flees from her overbearing father after he objects to her marrying a wealthy aviator (JAMESON THOMAS). Ellie boards a bus from Florida bound for New York and ends up getting saddled with washed-up reporter Peter Warne (CLARK GABLE). The two bicker and argue along the way until Peter decides that he wants the exclusive story on her movements after her father puts out a $10,000 reward for her return. Peter then latches on to Ellie all the way, looking out for her but also controlling her every movement until they eventually fall in love with each other. When Ellie arrives back in New York she decides to reunite with her husband and has a proper wedding ceremony, whilst Peter comes to simply claim expenses from her father and foregoes claiming the reward he had put up for her safe return. But it does have a happy ending. Standout scene: There are many. Stroppy, sulky and spoilt brat Ellie getting a slap around the face from her father. Peter using scare tactics to talk Mr. Shapeley out of trying to cash in on the reward after the bus crashes. And the scene near the end where Peter and Ellie's father discuss finances where Peter refuses the reward money and instead takes only $39.60 as compensation for his troubles. There are so many standout and memorable moments in the movie but these are but a small few. Facts: -The 7th Academy Awards. -The first of three films starring Clark Gable that won the Best Picture Oscar in the 1930s. (Mutiny On The Bounty in 1935 and Gone With The Wind in 1939 were the other two.) -The film won for 5 Oscars. Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert both won the Academy Awards for Best Actor and Best Actress respectively. -Claudette Colbert didn't want to do the film and flat-out refused to do the scene where she has to show her legs in the hitchhiking scene before finally relenting. Personal opinion: My first impressions were that I hated Clark Gable's character, which ranges somewhere between sympathetic and charming to coercive and controlling. An obnoxious, manipulative bully who means well so long as Ellen (CLAUDETTE COLBERT) does things HIS way. I took an instant disliking to him. During the course of the film Gable practically kidnaps a total stranger, demands that she spend the night with him, calls her a brat, has the audacity to tell people that she is his wife, sexually assaults her when he smacks her bum, physically restrains her and threatens to break her neck when she wants to get out of a car to go into a store, tells her what to eat; and after all that she ends up confessing that she loves him! However, the second time I watched the film (for this project) I mellowed somewhat and understood it much better. He still acts like a dick some of the time, even though he thinks he means well. The opening scene where Claudette Colbert gets a good slap around the face from her father after her hysterical strop did bring about a cheer from me though. A scene with her undressing in the dark exposes her nipple through her underclothing (wasn't expecting that!) Also, Colbert's eyes are too far apart! Well it's a typical "1930s" movie which plays like a modern-day rom-com. If you can look past the irritation that is Clark Gable then it's a really good film. Did it deserve the Oscar? YES. 7½/10

Review date: 08 February 2025