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Post by Ajax on Jul 16, 2007 21:00:24 GMT -5
All information from www.imdb.comPlot:Ellie Andrews has just tied the knot with society aviator King Westley when she is whisked away to her father's yacht and out of King's clutches. Ellie jumps ship and eventually winds up on a bus headed back to her husband. Reluctantly she must accept the help of out-of- work reporter Peter Warne. Actually, Warne doesn't give her any choice: either she sticks with him until he gets her back to her husband, or he'll blow the whistle on Ellie to her father. Either way, Peter gets what (he thinks!) he wants .... a really juicy newspaper story. Cast:Clark Gable ... Peter Warne Claudette Colbert ... Ellie Andrews Walter Connolly ... Alexander Andrews Roscoe Karns ... Oscar Shapeley Jameson Thomas ... King Westley Alan Hale ... Danker Arthur Hoyt ... Zeke Blanche Friderici ... Zeke's wife Charles C. Wilson ... Joe Gordon
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Post by Ajax on Jul 16, 2007 21:10:05 GMT -5
This is definitely a must see! It's so very cute!
It was made on a very low budget, Claudette's salary taking up the most of it, and I believe Clark Gable was sent to Columbia to make this picture as punishment for something. Anyways, neither one of them wanted to do it and I think it just adds to the chemistry they have on screen.
The story was adapted by Frank Capra and his writer friend (Sorry, forgot his name) from a story they had read in a magazine. Every other picture before this that had to do with buses had failed, for some reason this one just worked.
It's a lovely picture and a lovely story, especially if you LOVE sappy stuff lol
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coopsgirl
The Bees Knees
More than just the 'It girl'
Posts: 584
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Post by coopsgirl on Jul 17, 2007 9:19:00 GMT -5
I do love this movie and am a HUGE Frank Capra fan. I'm in the process of reading his book 'The Name Above the Title' and I can give you lots of info about this one. Like you said it was developed from a short story titled 'Night Bus'. Robert Riskin was the script writer and he and Capra did their best work together. Also like you said there had been a few bus pictures come out and fail before they began making this one and Harry Cohn (head of Columbia) was reticent to make it. Capra convinced him to do it and they changed the name to 'It Happened One Night'. Although there is a shot in the movie of a sign that says Night Bus and I thought that was cute. Capra had worked with Claudette Colbert several years earlier on a film that totally bombed and she was scheduled to go on a vacation when Capra and Riskin went to her house and convinced her to take the part. She was actually packing while they were talking and basically they offered her enough money so she agreed. Clark Gable was indeed being 'punished' by his studio b/c he wanted to renegotiate his contract so they sent him down to poverty row to make this picture. He showed up at Capra's office drunk and quite beligerent and Capra secretly hoped that he wouldn't show up for filming. However he was there bright eyed and bushy tailed and ready to go when they started shooting. Gable and Colbert however did not get along but it doesn't show at all in the film as they are delightful together. They shot this movie in a little over a month I think and it was durng the winter, and with a lot of outdoor scenes it was probably an uncomfortable movie to make. My favorite part of Capra's recollections of this movie is him talking about the scene on the bus where they are singing 'The Man on the Flying Trapeze'. He said it was originally just supposed to be a few passengers playing the song in the background. As they began filming it however something really amazing happened. One by the one the 'passengers' began to jump in and start singing, even Gable and Colbert. They just kept filming and it is a really cute scene and seems like they are really just having a good time. When it was first released in 1934 it did not immediately do well but more people began seeing it and through word of mouth it gained popularity and became a hit. At the Oscars the next year it won for five major categories including Best Actor (Gable), Best Actress (Colbert), Best Director (Capra), Best Screenplay (Riskin), and Best Picture. It was Capra's second nomination (nominated for 1933's Lady for a Day) and his first win. That had been his ultimate goal since he started making movies in the 20's and he also desperately wanted for the studio (Columbia) to get the recognition they deserved and he knew an oscar winning film would do it. It's no exaggeration when I say Frank Capra was the man who pulled that studio out of the gutter and began to make it the major studio it still is today. I think it's the only poverty row studio that was able to rise above that status as well. So for many reasons this is not only a very entertaining movie but also a very important one to the careers of many and to an entire studio.
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Post by Ajax on Jul 17, 2007 14:23:29 GMT -5
Wow, thanks for the information. Most of that is on the special features, but a lot of it wasn't. I noticed the "Night Bus" sign but didn't really think of it as a throwback to the old name, but that they were just on a night bus to New York, and it was just advertising the bus lol.
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