Charm Over Chuckles in ‘It Happened One Night’ 1934

Clark Gable & Claudette Colbert on the road to romance: "It Happened One Night."

A year after its release, 1934’s It Happened One Night swept the Oscars on February 27, 1935—Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, and Writer—a feat seldom duplicated. As of January 1, 2025, at age 65, I had never seen this classic, except for clips. I then watched Night twice and these are my takeaways.

The big surprise for me was that I thought It Happened One Night was a straight up comedy, but it's really a humorous but heartfelt slice of life during America’s Depression era. The runaway bride is a screwball comedy staple, for sure. Yet it’s more about the rich girl, Ellie Andrews, rubbing elbows with everyday people, like fired reporter Peter Warne. Night then becomes a romantic “road” movie, as well.

"It Happened One Night" was made on a modest budget but became a popular hit.

There are some famous comedic moments: The society girl jumping off the family yacht, the motel blanket “walls of Jericho,” the girl hitching her skirt to hitch a ride, and the bride bolting from the altar. But there really aren't any hilarious lines and the scenes that I just mentioned brought a smile to my face, but no outright chuckles—and I have a good sense of humor.

The walls of Jericho provide a blanket of privacy in 1934's "It Happened One Night."

Considered one of the big screwball comedies, It Happened One Night was directed by Frank Capra, who directed a few, like You Can’t Take It with You and Arsenic and Old Lace. Frankly, I don’t find It Happened One Night a “screwball” type comedy—not like the antic My Man Godfrey or Bringing Up Baby. There are elements, but they’re pretty mild, not wild. Also, for a comedy of this era, it’s a bit leisurely at an hour and forty five minutes. Twentieth Century, My Man Godfrey, and Nothing Sacred all clocked in at around 90 minutes.

Many have noted that It Happened One Night may be the first rom-com, where the leads are at odds, while also attracted to one another. What’s typical is that nearly a century later it’s still almost always the woman who’s the flake or a spoiled brat who needs to be taken down a notch or two, and the strong man who just softens up with love. One of the few times that the roles were reversed was Cher and Nicolas Cage in Moonstruck—though I’m sure there have been others.

Director Frank Capra with stars Clark Gable & Claudette Colbert.

Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert were in their first flush of stardom by 1934. Both proved adept at comedic acting here, and already played romantic and serious roles. It Happened One Night was by turns a comedy, a romance, and with some dramatic moments. Clark and Claudette were triple threats in this classic.

Claudette Colbert as the bride about to bolt, with father Walter Connolly,
in 1934's "It Happened One Night."

Claudette Colbert, with her crescent moon eyebrows and Betty Boop makeup, is the perfect comedic doll, balanced by her natural intelligence and class. Colbert’s large, expressive eyes, especially when she realizes she’s in love with the hard-nosed reporter, are well-utilized by the star. Clark Gable was still a lean young movie star in Night. While Gable’s not so skilled in his comic drunk scenes, he’s naturalistic in his dramatic as well as comedic scenes. The two stars play in a modern style that still makes this movie watchable today.

Clark Gable at his youthful peak, in 1934's "It Happened One Night."

This is really a two character film, Gable’s reporter and Colbert’s rich girl. There are some great character actors who show up for one scene—Alan Hale, Sr., Ward Bond, etc. Colbert has her irascible millionaire father (Walter Connolly), Gable has his ornery editor (Charles C. Wilson). But they are all window dressing for the two leads on the road to romance.

Audiences made this movie a hit with word of mouth, perhaps because they saw themselves and their lives depicted realistically on the screen. Also, It Happened One Night was considered risqué back in the day, and was released before the July 1934 clamp down of the enforced censorship code for films.

Claudette Colbert's rich girl shows know-it-all reporter Clark Gable how to get a lift,
in 1934's "It Happened One Night."

I think this movie was a refreshing change of pace for its time and it’s why It Happened One Night swept the Oscars that year. It's interesting that Gable beat William Powell's first time as Nick Charles in The Thin Man, which led to a long-running movie series. Or that Myrna Loy wasn't even nominated as Nora Charles! And that Bette Davis was a write-in for her career changer, Of Human Bondage. 

How was it that Claudette Colbert thought she wouldn’t win the Oscar? Her only official competition was MGM’s perennial nominee Norma Shearer and opera singer Grace Moore. It Happened One Night was released with little fanfare in February 1934, to mixed-to-good notices. But by Oscar night a year later, the sleeper comedy had become a huge hit with the public. Colbert still departed by train for a long-overdue vacation only to be brought back when she won, accepting her Oscar in a Travis Banton traveling suit.

Shirley Temple gives Claudette Colbert her Best Actress Oscar.

The cinematography by Joseph Walker is beautiful, this artist worked on nearly all of Capra's films. The outdoor night scenes or the rain sparkling on the bus and motel windows, are just exquisite. The script by Robert Riskin is bright and clever, depicting people of all variety. And Frank Capra’s direction is warm and character-driven, Capra at his best.

It Happened One Night has a lasting charm, with characters that feel quite real, quite an accomplishment for a movie that happened nearly one century ago!

The walls of Jericho, about to come down, in 1934's "It Happened One Night."

Here’s Clark Gable, a quarter of a century later, playing another rough around the edges reporter, out to get a story and the leading lady, this time Doris Day, in Teacher’s Pet. My take here: https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2022/04/teachers-pet-1958.html

 

Here's Clark Gable a quarter of a century later, in 1958's "Teacher's Pet."