It Happened One Night

It Happened One Night (1934) begins when a rich woman running from her father meets a reporter looking for work on a bus. He recognises her and stays beside her to get the story. They travel to New York together. It holds one of the sturdiest records in Oscar history: the first film to win all five major awards, Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress and Adapted Screenplay. Only two films have matched it, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and The Silence of the Lambs. Neither lead wanted to make it. Claudette Colbert turned it down and only agreed when her salary was doubled to 50,000 dollars and the shoot fixed at four weeks. By Frank Capra's account Clark Gable was a reluctant participant too. Both disliked the original script. Its best known scene is the blanket hung between them. There is also a legend about the scene where Gable takes off his shirt, that sales of men's undershirts fell as a result. The claim is repeated constantly and has never been confirmed. It took a million dollars in rentals in the United States and Canada and 2.5 million worldwide. It runs 105 minutes. Good for: classic romantic comedy, Hollywood of the thirties, and road films. Less good for: the gender roles belong to their period and how he treats her plays badly now. The pace is slow and the second half is weaker than the first.