It Happened One Night

Book excerpt: A movie that swept the 1934 Academy Awards and captivatedDepression-era America, It Happened One Night challenged theways Americans imagined marriage, romance, gender, and classdifference. This book examines key scenes and formal features ofIt Happened One Night, and explores its lasting importancein film history and in cultural studies. Consideration of the film’s role in establishing thegenre of the romantic comedy film Investigations into the film’s persistent sexuality andits creativity in avoiding Depression-era censorship Establishment of the cultural, economic, and political contextof a film that directly addresses the Depression and classissues Exploration of how the film invokes and develops the stardom ofClark Gable and Claudette Colbert and how this stardom intersectswith the film’s topics of gender, genre, sexuality, andclass