I have seen a few Frank Capra movies in my day, and I must say that this is my favorite of his films. Every modern romantic comedy, from "The Graduate" to "When Harry Met Sally" to "Sleepless in Seattle", owes a serious debt to the film that all but spawned the genre, "It Happened One Night".
It can be argued that film was lucky to even get off the ground. This film was produced at several different locations on a shoestring budget (with Claudette Colbert receiving a large chunk of that budget as pay), yet the chemistry between Colbert and Clark Gable was among the best ever caught on film. Also, Capra's efficient directing style, which became a necessity for this project, paid off in spades.
"It Happened One Night" caused a sensation from the word "go". T-shirt sales dropped because Clark Gable didn't wear one in the film. The phrase "Walls of Jericho" became a part of the American lexicon. It showed that women could indeed get just about anything they wanted, just by showing a little leg. And it has been acknowledged in several circles that "It Happened One Night" was the inspiration behind the creation of one of most-loved cartoon characters ever, Bugs Bunny.
It would be hard to pick just one reason to watch this film, but if I had to choose, it would be the scene in which Peter (Gable) and Ellie (Colbert) pretend to be a married blue-collar couple when private detectives hired by Ellie's father encounter them at a motor lodge. This scene alone demonstrates Gable's and Colbert's chemistry with each other (I know I've mentioned it before. Trust me -- It's that good!).
The first film to win Oscars for Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, and Screenplay, "It Happened One Night" is a heartwarming, charming, hilarious movie that I would recommend for any couple (young or old) to see. This is the first truly great romantic comedy, which still holds up pretty well (Okay, so taking the bus isn't very romantic anymore).
By the way, I showed selected scenes of this film to my son when he was 16, and he liked what he saw. If that isn't a ringing endorsement, I don't know what is!
It can be argued that film was lucky to even get off the ground. This film was produced at several different locations on a shoestring budget (with Claudette Colbert receiving a large chunk of that budget as pay), yet the chemistry between Colbert and Clark Gable was among the best ever caught on film. Also, Capra's efficient directing style, which became a necessity for this project, paid off in spades.
"It Happened One Night" caused a sensation from the word "go". T-shirt sales dropped because Clark Gable didn't wear one in the film. The phrase "Walls of Jericho" became a part of the American lexicon. It showed that women could indeed get just about anything they wanted, just by showing a little leg. And it has been acknowledged in several circles that "It Happened One Night" was the inspiration behind the creation of one of most-loved cartoon characters ever, Bugs Bunny.
It would be hard to pick just one reason to watch this film, but if I had to choose, it would be the scene in which Peter (Gable) and Ellie (Colbert) pretend to be a married blue-collar couple when private detectives hired by Ellie's father encounter them at a motor lodge. This scene alone demonstrates Gable's and Colbert's chemistry with each other (I know I've mentioned it before. Trust me -- It's that good!).
The first film to win Oscars for Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, and Screenplay, "It Happened One Night" is a heartwarming, charming, hilarious movie that I would recommend for any couple (young or old) to see. This is the first truly great romantic comedy, which still holds up pretty well (Okay, so taking the bus isn't very romantic anymore).
By the way, I showed selected scenes of this film to my son when he was 16, and he liked what he saw. If that isn't a ringing endorsement, I don't know what is!