1934 Best Picture:
It Happened One Night

Competition: The Barrets of Wimple Street, Cleopatra, Flirtation Walk, The Gay Divorcee, Here Comes the Navy, Imitation of Love, The Thin Man, The White Parade

Other Winners:

Best Actor: Clark Gable, It Happened One Night
Best Actress:  Claudette Colbert, It Happened One Night
Best Director: Frank Capra, It Happened One Night

 

Cast: Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert, Walter Connelly, Roscoe Karns, Jameson Thomas, Alan Hale

Storyline: A wealthy heiress runs away from home to avoid an impending marriage.  On her travels she hooks up with a shifty reporter who sees her as his ticket to a great story. 

Did it deserve to win: Why, yes!  It Happened One Night was the blue print for screwball comedies, which were wildly popular during the depression era. The premise always seemed  to revolve around a rich girl, an adventurous guy, and a sticky little romance.  

The Thin Man was another example, nominated that same year, and today, fondly remembered.  It was a big year for Colbert, who was also in the popular, Cleopatra.   And One Night of Love, starring famed opera star, Grace Moore, who was previously fired by MGM for being too fat,  was the box office hit of the year

It Happened One Night became an instant legend, because of the fact that its script kicked around for a long time, before Capra became attached, and before he could borrow Gable and Colbert from their studios.  Its underdog appeal made it the one that theatre goers and critics fell in love with.  

Critique: It Happened One Night, by today's standards and from my vantage point, seems to be the one where Hollywood film making stepped up a notch, by demonstrating a smart, little script, that transcends the generation.  As Pauline Kael once said, "It's the Annie Hall of its day."

Gable and Colbert are at their very best, particularly Gable, who really shows his acting chops here, and where he is not overshadowed by stronger actors.  It's interesting to note that Gable was forced into this role by his studio bosses at MGM, for his constant refusal to accept scripts.

Best Scene:  The limb is mightier than the thumb!  Colbert plays one of Hollywood's classic scenes, by demonstrating to Clark, the feminine mystique's guide to hitchhiking.   

Behind the Scenes: It Happened One Night started as a story in Cosmopolitan magazine.  A short story called Night Bus was read by Frank Capra while getting his hair cut.  He convinced Columbia Pictures to purchase the film rights, which didn't cost that much, and the project was shelved for several months.  

Capra had difficulty casting the picture, as prospective stars didn't feel up to riding in a bus.  He orignally thought of Robert Montgomery, but MGM wouldn't loan him out.  Instead, they suggested rising star, Clark Gable who was essentially pushed  into the project for disciplinary reasons, when MGM became fed up with him turning down so many scripts.  Gable was so disgusted with the part that he showed up drunk for his first meeting with Capra.  

The search for the actress to play the lead was even more daunting.  Myna Loy was among the many actresses who turned it down, fearing that a role that required one to be on a bus for so long would not be successful.  Myna Loy went on to make her mark that year in another hit, The Thin Man, opposite William Powell.  Claudette Colbert had already turned down the project, but finally relented when the studio offered her $50 000 for six weeks work.  Being that it was double her going rate, she jumped at the chance.

Bette Davis turned down the script in favor of a more controversial project, Of Human Bondage.  Her performance was praised by critics and audiences, and it was a huge shock that she failed to garner a nomination for Best Actress.  Only three actresses made the short list that year.  Along side Colbert was Grace Moore for One Night of Love, and Norma Shearer for The Barretts of Wimpole Street.

The film didn't seem like anything original, but word of mouth after its release made it a huge hit.  It also became Capra's signature piece, and many of his later efforts followed the same recipe of combining rich and poor.  As Capra said, "The only rule of filmmaking is that there are no rules, and the only prediction is that all predictions are by guess and by God until the film plays in theaters."

It Happened One Night was the first 'clean sweep' in the history of the awards, winning Best Picture, Actor, Actress and Director.  It happened later for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) and Silence of the Lambs. (1991)  Colbert was due to catch a train when she was announced the winner, and immediately after accepting, she rushed off to catch it.  She was at the ceremony for all of six minutes. 

Bugs Bunny's persona was inspired by the scene where Gable munches on a carrot.

The biggest box office star that year was six year old, Shirley Temple.  She was honored that year with her only Oscar, a miniature statuette.  Later in life, she  expressed regret over not having a real Oscar, and the Academy responded, by providing her with one.

In the hotel room, Gable demonstrates that he isn't wearing a t-shirt.  This scene caused undershirt sales to plummet.

BEFORE THEY PEAKED!  Delores Fuller plays a bit part, sticking her tongue out at Colbert, who is forced to wait in line for a shower.

Also in 1934:

February 6: Riots in Paris streets kill 17 people. 

March 31: Dillinger,  one of the country's most notorious outlaws,  shoots his way out of a police trap.

August 19: Adolf Hitler becomes the most powerful man in Germany, as the President, Paul von Hindenberg, dies.