It Happened One Night
Depression-era road comedy
It Happened One Night is a 1934 American romantic comedy film directed by Frank Capra, starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert.
The film became the first to win all five major Academy Awards—Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, and Screenplay.
It established the template for screwball comedy: a runaway heiress, a wisecracking reporter, witty banter masking romantic tension, and class differences dissolved by shared hardship on the road.
Of lasting excellence
- HollywoodAmerican film industry center
- 1930sFourth decade, twentieth century
- CapraWild goat genus
- OscarAcademy's golden award
Colbert · black-and-white · Academy Award · Columbia Pictures · silver screen · talkie · vintage · iconic
Intense fond attachment
- courtshipSeeking another's romantic favor
- chemistryStudy of substances' interactions
- attractionPull toward something
- opposites attractMaxim about complementary pairings
bickering · affection · sweetheart · desire · intimacy · falling in love · passion · flirtation
Work meant to amuse
- romanceLove and its excitement
- banterPlayful, teasing exchange
- witClever, inventive humor
- farceAbsurd, laughable situation
slapstick · gags · repartee · battle of the sexes · pratfall · heiress · reporter · disguise
Large passenger vehicle
- hitchhikingSoliciting free rides
- motelRoadside lodging for drivers
- blanketSoft bed covering
- roadsideAdjacent to pavement
travel · journey · cross-country · adventure · fugitive · runaway · elopement · autocamp
Absence of constraint
- pursuitAct of chasing something
- eludeSkillfully avoid capture
- fatherMale parent
- arranged marriageFamily-selected spousal pairing
rebellion · independence · adventure · chase · evade · hiding · incognito · liberation
classic
Of lasting excellence
Colbert · Oscar · black-and-white · Academy Award · Columbia Pictures · silver screen · talkie · vintage · iconic · motion picture
love
Intense fond attachment
- courtshipSeeking another's romantic favor
- chemistryStudy of substances' interactions
- attractionPull toward something
opposites attract · bickering · affection · sweetheart · desire · intimacy · falling in love · passion · flirtation · relationship
comedy
Work meant to amuse
farce · slapstick · gags · repartee · battle of the sexes · pratfall · heiress · reporter · disguise · madcap
bus
Large passenger vehicle
- hitchhikingSoliciting free rides
- motelRoadside lodging for drivers
- blanketSoft bed covering
roadside · travel · journey · cross-country · adventure · fugitive · runaway · elopement · autocamp · detour
freedom
Absence of constraint
arranged marriage · rebellion · independence · adventure · chase · evade · hiding · incognito · liberation · defiance
- Road MoviesEasy Rider, Thelma and Louise, National Lampoon's Vacation, Rain Man, Dumb and Dumber
- 1930s filmsGone with the Wind, King Kong, Frankenstein, Dracula, Snow White
- Screwball ComediesBringing Up Baby, The Philadelphia Story, Holiday, Twentieth Century, fast-talking
- comedycomedy, jokes, humor, puns, sarcasm
- Sony ProductionsSpider-Man, Men in Black, Ghostbusters, Jumanji, Venom
It Happened One NightSchindler's List
Precious · tragedy · social realism · The Public Enemy · Sophie's Choice
It Happened One NightGone with the Wind
Civil War era epic
The Ten Commandments · Avatar · Lawrence of Arabia · Titanic · Metropolis
It Happened One NightReefer Madness
Notorious anti-marijuana propaganda film
happen, happened, happens, happening, happenings, happenstance, night, nights, nightly