7
ON THE SCREEN
WHAT TO WATCH WHEN
YOU’RE STAYING HOME
FEBRUARY 9�16, 2022
Cupid’s arrow strikes on a bus ride
By Cheryl Hoefl er
GO! Magazine
L
ooking for a romantic movie
this Valentine’s Day?
“It Happened One Night”
(1934) is one that’s sure to
please both guys and gals.
Newspaper reporter Peter Warne
(Clark Gable) is a man’s man, a
typical guy many men would like
to be and many women would
like to be with. Likewise, socialite
Ellie Andrews (Claudette Colbert)
is a free-spirited gal who has a
sassy, independent attitude that
appeals to both sexes.
Andrews has secretly mar-
ried wealthy mogul King Westley
against her father’s wishes. Not
happy with her choice of spouse,
her father strives to hide her
away while he gets the marriage
annulled. She runs off (actually,
she dives off a boat in Florida)
determined to get to New York to
enjoy a lavish ceremony with her
betrothed. Wow, what a girl.
Meanwhile, Warne has just
been fi red by his editor and is
busy spewing a slew of grand
(and drunken) words at his old
boss — to the cheers of fellows
listening outside the phone
booth. Warne, declaring a “take
www.imdb.com
this job and shove it” stance, is
already a “hero” to the audience.
The pair cross paths on a bus
headed for New York. Her odd
behavior alerts him that there’s
something fi shy (and intriguing)
about this girl. He soon learns who
she is and smells a hot scoop —
plus a potential reward from her
father and redemption with his
boss. He proposes a deal to de-
liver her to Westley if she, in turn,
will grant him an exclusive story.
And so northward on the
bus they travel, eluding her
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father’s clutches, with a riot of
adventures ensuing — and an
unexpected budding romance.
Spoiler alert: Ellie Andrews is the
original “runaway bride.”
“It Happened One Night,”
the fi rst major work by director
Frank Capra, is based on “Night
Bus,” a short story by Samuel
Hopkins Adams. It was released
in February 1934, just before
enforcement of the Hays Code
(1934-1968), which established
guidelines to prohibit sexually
explicit or suggestive material,
profanity, violence and religious
ridicule. Previously, just about
anything was fair game in the
young silver screen days.
The racy subject matter in
“It Happened One Night” might
seem lame by today’s standards.
But what makes it hilarious is
knowing just how close to the
edge the movie pushed the
limits of the times. In the clas-
sic scene where Andrews hikes
up her skirt to hail a ride from a
passing car, it’s Warne’s reac-
tion at seeing her exposed leg (in
public!) that’s priceless.
The motel room scene
stretches for six minutes. Capra
allows the audience to really get
absorbed into the implications
of an unmarried couple sharing
a room, undressing and sleeping
together — with barely a hung
blanket (“The Walls of Jericho”)
between them. The suggestion of
a suggestion is a powerful thing.
As with most classic fl icks,
we get snapshots of days gone
by — phone booths, “auto camp”
rooms for $2 and hitchhiking as
a safe means of travel (with or
without your skirt hiked up).
Initially, expectations were not
high for the movie’s success.
Gable and Colbert were not the
fi rst choices for the lead roles.
Colbert reportedly told a friend
soon afterward that she had
just made the worst movie ever.
Columbia was just a small, young
studio at the time; there wasn’t
a lot of promotion and response
was mild at fi rst.
However, the second release
resulted in a box-offi ce smash.
The movie snagged all fi ve major
Oscar awards that year — Best
Picture, Best Director, Best Actor,
Best Actress and Best Screenplay.
Only two others have accom-
plished that feat: “One Flew Over
the Cuckoo’s Nest” (1975) and
“Silence of the Lambs” (1991). “It
Happened One Night” often ranks
high on popular movie lists.
With that kind of backing,
you can’t lose! So, curl up in a
blanket and grab some snacks.
If you have donuts and coff ee
handy, Gable will teach you how
to dunk properly.
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