It Happened One Night revolves around Ellie Andrews (Claudette Colbert), a wealthy, spoiled heiress whose father, Alexander Andrews (Walter Connolly), attempts to annul her marriage to King Westley (Jameson Thomas). Alexander feels as though Westley only wants Ellie for her money, but Ellie is determined to go back to her husband. She runs away and boards a Greyhound bus bound for New York City, hoping to reunite with her husband. But, on the way, she encounters Peter Warne (Clark Gable), a down-on-his-luck reporter who recognizes her and seizes the opportunity to make a name for himself by helping her—under the condition that she will give him an exclusive story about her life. If she refuses, he’ll inform her father of her whereabouts. Cornered, Ellie agrees, and thus begins a tumultuous journey across the American countryside, where Ellie and Peter’s initial antagonism turns into mutual affection.
The film’s plot may sound rather simple, but it also embraces deeper themes not always found in a romantic comedy, such as social class, independence, and romance. Director Frank Capra uses this basic setup to create a sparkling romantic comedy that is propelled forward by the chemistry between its lead actors and its light-hearted but incisive script.
The Birth of the Screwball Comedy
Released in 1934 at the height of the Great Depression, It Happened One Night was a welcome relief to an audience craving escapism. The movie is often considered one of the first – and certainly the most prominent – in the screwball comedy genre, which entailed fast-paced dialogue, quick and clever banter, and subversions of gender roles.
One of these subversions was the leading ladies. You could not claim them to be damsels in distress. Instead, they were strong-willed and yearned for independence. As a heroine, Ellie is the perfect example of this. She starts out as a spoiled young woman but proves she’s more than just a shallow heiress. She refuses to bend to her father’s controlling nature, and she dreams to get away from the stifling societal norms placed upon her by high society. Meanwhile, Peter is a snarky, working-class reporter who views Ellie as nothing more than a juicy story. But as they spend time together, we see their perceptions of each other begin to change. Peter begins to admire Ellie’s feistiness while Ellie is charmed by Peter’s no-nonsense attitude, rather than being turned off by it. Their banter is full of playful digs and sharp one-liners that encapsulate the changing roles of men and women in that particular era.
With Frank Capra behind the camera and Robert Riskin writing the script, It Happened One Night succeeded in its brisk pacing and clever verbal sparring between its two leads. I have always said the chemistry between the two leads can make or break a romantic comedy, and Clark Gable’s and Claudette Colbert’s chemistry remains pitch perfect. It’s a reminder of just how high the bar really is for modern rom-coms.
Love, Class & Societal Expectations
It Happened One Night might be a classic romantic comedy, but it handles deeper themes that we don’t always see reflected in modern rom-coms. One of the key themes is class difference. At the start, Ellie is just a rich heiress living in a bubble of luxury, while Peter is a working-class reporter barely scraping by. As they travel together, staying in no-frills hotels, eating simple meals, and dealing with the struggles of life on the road, the film quietly comments on just how large the gap was between the upper and lower classes during that era. Initially, Ellie is pretty clueless about the world outside of her lavish lifestyle, but when she begins to see things from a different perspective, she begins to learn how to appreciate the small things, and her empathy certainly grows for the people around her.
The film also explores the theme of personal freedom and the desire for independence. When Ellie decides to leave her father, she’s breaking free from his control and all of the restraints placed upon her as a young woman from a life of wealth. She is supposed to do as she is told, to be compliant and well-behaved, but that simply isn’t who she wants to be.
So, as Ellie and Peter’s journey unfolds, we see their love story triumph when they both achieve personal freedom and resist what society expects of them.
Legacy
It Happened One Night had an extraordinary impact on Hollywood filmmaking and is often regarded as one of the most influential films ever made. At the 1935 Academy Awards, it became the first film to win the five major Oscars categories: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor for Gable, Best Actress for Colbert, and Best Adaptation. This clean sweep cemented its status as a landmark film in cinematic history, and since then, only two other films have achieved this: Silence of the Lambs in 1991 and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest in 1975.
The film’s success helped solidify the romantic comedy as a genre to be taken seriously. It also paved the way for many similar films in the following decades. Its formula of comedy, romance, and social themes is still followed by plenty of filmmakers today, though not always as successfully. It Happened One Night feels almost like catching lightning in a bottle, thanks to Capra’s direction, the sizzling chemistry between Gable and Colbert, and a sharply written script. Has it ever been replicated? It’s been ninety-one years, and I’m not entirely sure it has been! In any case, this movie is a classic and is a definite must-see from Hollywood’s golden age.
What It Happened One Night Means to Us
After only having seen one Frank Capra movie before watching this (It’s a Wonderful Life), I didn’t know what to expect from It Happened One Night. I ended up being very pleasantly surprised by this essential romantic comedy, which seems to have influenced virtually every rom-com of the last few decades. Whereas a lot of the plot elements in this genre come across as contrived to me in other films, here the story is urgent and heartfelt, replete with witty dialogue and an endearing friction between its two excellent leads.
What is less surprising about the film, given that it shares this trait in common with Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life, is how timeless it feels. Over 90 years have passed since it was released, yet it still feels so fresh. Sometimes the best kinds of movies are not ones that dazzle you with their originality, but which are so absorbing that it doesn’t matter if you can predict an obvious outcome for this story. You care too much about these characters to allow yourself to expect anything about their future, just as you’re too busy being charmed by their interactions to give much thought to what will befall them. It Happened One Night is a prime example of this.
–Cian McGrath
Do you have any thoughts on It Happened One Night? Please share it in the comments!
