It Happened One Night is a 1934 romantic comedy in which an elite socialite (Claudette Colbert) tries to get out from under her father's thumb, and falls in with a rogue reporter (Clark Gable). As in most Frank Capra films, everything turns out all right in the end; the film fit very well with the upbeat view of the world that Frank Capra repeatedly tried to portray. One IMDb user even made the following observation about the movie: "There is a scene in which the two of them are forced to hitchhike, and their 'breakfast' is only a handful of carrots plucked from a garden they were lucky to find. As Gable stands at the edge of the road and Colbert is perched atop a wooden fence, his wisecracking posture is said to be the inspiration for the beloved cartoon character Bugs Bunny."

Legend has it that Gable had a profound effect on men's fashion, thanks to a scene in this movie. As he is undressing for bed, he takes off his shirt to reveal that he is bare-chested. Sales of men's undershirts across the country allegedly suffered a noticeable decline for a period following this movie.

It Happened One Night is considered to be the first of the great "screwball comedies" of the 1930s, which usually centered around a couple getting into hapless situations, and falling in love as a result.

This film was nominated for five Oscars (all the major ones) and won all five. This feat would not be repeated again until One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

• Best Picture - Harry Cohn, producer
• Best Actor in a Leading Role - Clark Gable
• Best Actress in a Leading Role - Claudette Colbert
• Best Director - Frank Capra
• Best Writing, Adaptation - Robert Riskin

The film has also been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.