1934: It Happened One Night

Columbia Pictures' 1934 production of "It Happened One Night" was the seventh film to win the Best Oscar prize.  It was also the first film to win the "Big 5," winning Best Director (Frank Capra), Best Actor (Clark Gable), Best Actress (Claudette Colbert), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Robert Riskin).  This would not be accomplished again until "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" in 1975.

Unlike most Best Picture winners, "It Happened One Night" is not epic in scale, it address no social issues, nor does it really examine the human condition.  But it's a thoroughly entertaining, funny, and charming romantic-comedy.

Ellen Andrews (Claudette Colbert) has eloped with King Westley (Jameson Thomas), a pilot of whom Ellen's father (Walter Connolly) does not approve.  Attempting to get her to agree to an annulment of the marriage, he holding Ellen against her will on his yacht.  Desperate to get to New York to re-unite with her husband, Ellen jumps overboard, and swims ashore to Miami.

In Miami, she boards a Greyhound bus to New York, and on-board meets Peter Warne (Clark Gable), a recently unemployed newspaper writer.  Initially put-off by Ellen's spoiled demeanor (though of course also a bit intrigued by her), Peter sees Ellen's picture in the paper and agrees to help her get to New York without being discovered by her father's detectives is she will grant him exclusive rights to her story.

Let the mis-adventures begin.  When fellow passenger Oscar Shapeley (Roscoe Karns) recognizes Ellen and makes a plan to collect the reward her father has offered for information about her whereabouts, Peter and Ellen leave the bus.  Continuing on by foot, by hitchhiking, and by a car stolen by Peter, the two get into all sorts of shenanigans along the way, and - of course - begin to fall in love.

Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert

The night before they plan on arriving back in New York, Ellen confesses her love for Peter.  Peter sneaks off in the middle of the night and drives the rest of the way to New York to get money to marry her, but when she wakes up before he gets back, she thinks he has left her.   She contacts her father - who has since agreed to let her stay married to King - and returns to New York.  When Peter gets back to the Motel, he thinks she has left  him, and he heads back to New York feeling betrayed.

On the day of the big wedding (Ellen's father has insisted on a proper marriage ceremony), Ellen confesses to her father that she really loves Peter.  Peter had recently written to Mr. Andrews about a financial situation concerning his daughter.  When Peter shows up at the mansion and asks only for re-imbursement for his expenses during the time he was helping Ellen (a paltry $39.60), rather than the $10,000 reward, Mr. Edwards realized Peter is a good guy.  When pressed, Peter admits that he loves Ellen.

As Ellen and her father are marching down the aisle, he fills her in on all these details.  It's not until the moment that Ellen is expected to say "I do" that she makes a mad dash for it, and drives off to find Peter.

Ellen and King's marriage is annulled, Peter and Ellen get married, and everyone lives happily ever after.  As I say, not a "deep" movie, but absolutely delightful.  Gable and Colbert have great chemistry, the writing is clever, and the story is engaging.  Glad Oscar finally rewarded a comedy!