It Happened One Night
Short description
Ellie Andrews, a wealthy young woman, defies her father by marrying a celebrated aviator he considers unworthy of her. When her father has her confined aboard his yacht to prevent the match, she escapes and boards a bus for New York to reach her fiancé. On the same bus travels Peter Warne, a reporter who has just lost his job and needs a big story to regain his editor's favor. Recognizing the runaway heiress as his chance, he offers to help her, and the two are thrown together when circumstances strand them on the road.
Frank Capra directed and produced this comedy, released in 1934, working from a screenplay by Robert Riskin and producing alongside Harry Cohn for Columbia Pictures. It followed American Madness (1932) among the feature films Capra directed and came before Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936). Clark Gable plays Peter and Claudette Colbert plays Ellie, with Walter Connolly as her father, Roscoe Karns, Jameson Thomas and Alan Hale among the credited cast of 86.
The film performed strongly on release, with a worldwide box office of around 5 million dollars, a large sum for the period. Audiences today rate it highly: 8.1 out of 10 on IMDb from about 119,000 votes and 7.8 out of 10 on TMDB from roughly 1,458 votes. A film critics' rating of 9.2 out of 10 from 113 reviews places it above both audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert were not under contract with Columbia Pictures. The studio borrowed them from MGM and Paramount Pictures, respectively.
- Claudette Colbert wears only four costumes in the film: a travel suit, a shirt, Peter's pajamas, and a wedding dress.
- In one scene of the film, Gable takes off his shirt and there is no undershirt underneath—only Clark's bare torso. This scene made such a strong impression on audiences that manufacturers of underwear soon surprisingly noticed a sharp decline in demand for undershirts—they simply went out of fashion.
- The role of Ellie was initially offered to Myrna Loy, Constance Bennett, Margaret Sullavan, and Miriam Hopkins. When they all declined, Frank Capra suggested Claudette Colbert for the part. She agreed, on the condition that her fee be doubled and filming last no more than a month.
- Robert Montgomery refused an offer to play Peter Warne, as he found the script terrible.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
