It Happened One Night

Two people sit outdoors among trees; one wears a suit, tie, and hat while biting a carrot, the other wears a striped dress with a white collar

Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert team up for laughs as mismatched lovers in this early screwball comedy classic from 1934.

Spoiled and spirited Ellie Andrews (Colbert) literally jumps ship to escape from her millionaire father (Walter Connolly), who wants to stop her from marrying a worthless playboy. En route to New York, Ellie meets an out-of-work newsman, Peter Warne (Gable), who is initially frustrated by her pretentiousness and lack of life skills.

When their bus breaks down, the bickering couple set off on a madcap hitchhiking expedition. After recognizing the missing heiress from the newspaper headlines, Peter makes contact with colleagues in the city, hoping to peddle the inside story of their misadventures into a job. But complications fly when the runaway heiress and brash reporter fall in love.

Directed by Frank Capra, It Happened One Night was the first movie to be honored with all five major Oscars®: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Screenplay.

Part of our "Screwball Comedies" series. Courtesy of Columbia Pictures and Swank Motion Pictures.