It Happened One Night (1934)

A spoiled heiress running away from her family is helped by a man who is actually a reporter in need of a story. It Happened One Night (1934) might have been a classic but it really doesn't hold that well i'm afraid cause i found myself being really bored by the storyline especially since i have seen it done better in better movies and even tv shows that came decades later. The acting wasn't anything special either and the characters especially the main girl were annoying to say the least. It Happened One Night is a forgettable, boring and just a bad film. (0/10)

I will soon be riding a bus of my own sometime. If Clark Gable as Peter could find a rich young lady who could fall in love with his witty, charming, eccentric and sometimes rough around the edges personality, then maybe I can nab myself a girlfriend by the end of this trip. I just hope my experience lines up more with Peter's than that of Roscoe Karns' Shapely, but I'm not much of a talker like him, so I *should* be in the clear.

A young woman from a wealthy background cracks under the pressure of her demanding lifestyle and runs away. On her way she meets a struggling reporter, who decides to stick with her with a story in mind. Together they experience the joys of life. If this sounds vaguely familiar, it might be because you've seen the 1953 classic, Roman Holiday, the plot of which fits the exact same description. This came first, however.The are also differences. Whereas Roman Holiday is a pretty clear romantic city comedy, this movie can best be described as a road trip movie. It's also a bit more dramatic, or at least not as clearly a comedy. Overall I find Roman Holiday to be the superior film, but that's mainly due to the strength of its main leads. It Happened One Night certainly has star power going for it, with Clark Gable proving himself Gregory Peck's equal in all ways that matter. But if you were to tell me Claudette Colbert was just as good in this as Audrey Hepburn was in Roman Holiday, I'd punch you. Not that Colbert is bad, mind you, but her character is written pretty passive. I blame mostly the era, but the problem still exists.Nevertheless, I do like this film. Frank Capra's light, idealistic world view is evident throughout and it's just such a joy to experience. In his world people still believe is basic goodness and there are no true villains. Or if there are, there are also plenty of people to laugh at them or to thwart their evil schemes. What can I say, they don't make movies like these anymore. An attempt to make a movie such as this nowadays just wouldn't fly. It would be seen as too naive. Its dialogue as too corny, its characters as lacking humane flaws. But in denying ourselves films such as these, we're losing something. Whether its simple honesty or something else. But we're losing it.And that's a shame.

During production, hardly anyone, except director Frank Capra, believed that this film was worth doing. Clark Gable had been loaned from MGM to Columbia to be the male lead. 30ish Claudette Colbert was to play the ingénue. Both were very reluctant to be a part of this film. It was given little promotional attention upon release. Yet, somehow, audiences loved it, as they generally still do. It's certainly one of my favorite romantic comedies, having seen it a number of times over the years. Claudette was so cute and Gable so handsome. They both had great screen comedic talent, and great screen chemistry. Claudette and Gable would reunite 6 years later in "Boom Town". However, this was not a romantic comedy, and was not as well received.Another film from the '30s that somewhat resembles this film is "Desire". If you enjoyed the present film, you will likely also enjoy that film. It stars Gary Cooper and Marlene Dietrich. Like the present film, it's largely a 'road' romantic comedy, with them being mostly antagonistic until they settle down and get to know each other better. However, Marlene wasn't as cute as Claudette, nor as good a comedian. Nonetheless, if you find Marlene fascinating, it's worth seeing.See both these films at YouTube.