Cary and Irene (THE AWFUL TRUTH)

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

It Happened One Night (1934)



It Happened One Night (1934) screwball comedy directed by Frank Capra. Cast: Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert.
Spoiled heiress Ellie Andrews, runs away from her millionaire father Alexander's yacht, when he takes her against her will after he learns she eloped with King Westley, a playboy pilot whom Andrews believes to be a gold digger. She jumps on the first bus headed for New York where she meets Peter Warne, a reporter who just lost his job. Ellie's suitcase is stolen and Peter, tries to catch the thief. Ellie misses the bus after getting off for a minute to freshen up, when she returns, she finds Peter standing there waiting to show her a newspaper article about her missing. To save money Peter and Ellie spend the night in a run down cabin where they pretend to be married . Peter blackmails her into giving him her story, and that if she does not cooperate, he will call her father. Peter strings a rope between their beds and hangs up a blanket, which he calls "The Walls of Jericho." The next morning, when the wake up they hear her father's detectives searching the other cabins. My favorite part of the movie is when they trick the detectives by putting on an hilarious act of a quarreling married couple. Soon Peter and Ellie are back on the bus. they soon learn, Andrews has offered a $10,000 reward for any information on his daughter. Oscar Shapeley, a shady looking passenger on the bus, also reads about the reward and recognizes Ellie. He then offers to split the reward with Peter, but changes his mind and threatens to go to Ellie's father himself. Peter comes up with a plan to convince Shapeley that he is a gangster who has kidnapped Ellie, which scares Oscar and he quickly runs off. Worried that Shapeley has gone to the police. Peter and Ellie leave the bus on a hilarious adventure back home....
Will Peter get his job back?
Will Ellie reunite with her new husband ?

FUN FACT:
Friz Freleng's said that this was one of his favorite films, and that it had at least three things which the "Bugs Bunny" character was based. The way Peter Warne (Clark Gable) was eating carrots and talking quickly. An imaginary character mentioned to frighten Oscar Shapely named "Bugs Dooley." Other mentions of "Looney Tunes" characters in the film Alexander Andrews (Walter Connolly) and King Westley (Jameson Thomas) being the inspirations for Yosemite Sam and Pepé LePew.
Click to view movie trailer.

2 comments:

monty said...

Great post Dawn. I loved this movie. Me and my wife need good news and stuff to make us smile. We both had accidents on the interstate trying to coming home the other day. We're both ok, but our cars are damaged, hers more so than mine. But classic movies have been getting us through the frustration of waiting on our insurance and the severe weather. So we're still here in West Virgina and I've been reading your posts on all the sites. Thanks for continuing to do so. Hope to be home by Wednesday. Talk to ya later.

Dawn said...

Monty, ohmygosh!! Sorry to hear of your bad news! I'm so glad to hear that you both are OK.. I'm working on another post for the Screwball page..I will try and get it posted by Wed. Please take care..