No matter if you're a fan of comedy, or romance, or just plain good movies, It Happened One Night will have plenty for you to like.

Starring much-underrated Claudette Colbert and dashing he-man Clark Gable, both of whom won richly deserved Oscars for their performances, It Happened One Night swept the 1935 Academy Awards with wins in Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay also -- the first film in history to make a clean sweep. In contrast to my usual disagreement with the Academy's picks, in this case I heartily agree with their decision.

Claudette Colbert stars as a spoiled rich kid from New York who wants to marry a rich snob against her father's wishes. Her father foils her by having her kidnapped and taken aboard his yacht. She foils this by jumping overboard and swimming ashore at Miami. There, she meets out-of-work newspaper reporter Clark Gable on the bus. Gable recognizes her and threatens to expose her unless she sticks with him. There follow several hilarious days and nights on their way back to New York.

In between the traveling sequences there are so many comic moments it is impossible to describe them all. For example, one of the bus passengers recognizes Colbert, who has a $10,000 reward posted by her father. Gable impersonates a gangster with a gun in his pocket and scares the guy so much he gets off at a rest stop and never returns to the bus. Again, on the road Gable tries to show Colbert how to hitchhike without success. Colbert tries it once, baring a shapely leg and stops the first car.

On their journey the couple spends several nights at motels, separated by a blanket wall that Gable dubs the "Walls of Jericho." At the end of the film the boy gets the girl and the wall comes tumblin' down, quite risqué for your grandmother's day!

A bit of trivia: Gable's munching on a carrot he scrounged was the inspiration for Warner Bros. Bugs Bunny cartoon character.

Frank Capra directed the film and did a wonderful job with Gable and Colbert, two natural comedians. In one of the motel scenes, Gable removed his shirt revealing that he wore no undershirt, starting a men's fashion that lasted for decades. It is believed that Fruit of the Loom never forgave him.

If you like comedy, and who doesn't see this film. Also recommended are It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, World, B.A.P.S. and The Nutty Professor. Enjoy!


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening