It Happened One Night
Year: 1934

Dir: Frank Capra

Cast: Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert

Is it really possible to make an all-time classic with a struggling movie-house; a lead couple of two grumpy stars on a loan from other studios; a supposedly flop-theme and a short shooting- span of 4 weeks? Yes, it is. That’s what happened with ‘It happened one night’ and it happened a long time ago- in 1934!

Director Frank Capra’s and screen-play writer Robert Riskin’s take on Samuel Adams’s short-story Night Bus turned out to be a delightfully funny film which practically started a new film-genre- Screwball comedy. From numerous Hollywood adaptations and variations to Bollywood- copies like Chori Chori and Dil Hai Ki Maanta Hai then tried to ape its formula but they could never ever beat the charm of the original.

The plot goes like this. After an argument, a hot-tempered young heiress jumps off her millionaire father’s yacht. Dodging the tailing detectives, she boards a bus to New York and starts her long journey to meet and marry her lover- an aviator and a notorious playboy. Instead she bumps into a discredited, out-of-work newspaper- reporter, who sees through the girl’s façade and offers her assistance in return for permission to write the account of the her daring flight. Posing as husband and wife, this bickering couple goes through a series of misadventures and in due course, falls in love. Then a misunderstanding throws this budding romance into disarray. Wearing bridal dress as the heroine walks onto the wedding altar, what happens next?

Clark Gable- playing the cynical, sharp-witted reporter and Claudette Colbert-playing the spoilt rich girl had a great chemistry on screen but off screen, both were none-too-optimistic about this on-bus themed film. But Capra’s directorial vision conjured up classic cinematic moments like Gable’s craftily humorous and macho ‘male undressing’ scene (without a hint of lewd sexuality!), Claudette’s skirt-lifting hitchhiking scene and the wonderfully chaotic and heartwarming climax.

After finishing the film, the haughty heroine Colbert had mentioned to her friend-“I have just finished working for the worst movie in my career”! It turned out to be her only Oscar-winning performance!

By becoming the first film to win the Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Screenplay Oscars, this film made history. Not only did it revive the sagging fortunes of Columbia Pictures, but it also made Clark Gable a superstar, whose carrot-chewing habit in this film is said to have inspired the creation of the cartoon character Bugs Bunny!