It Happened One Night (1934)

In Miami, a wealthy heiress (Claudette Colbert) marries a man (Jameson Thomas) that her father (Walter Connolly) does not approve of and he seeks to get the marriage annulled. He attempts to keep her locked up aboard his yacht but she escapes and hiding her identity, she flees to New York aboard a bus. But a down on his luck journalist (Clark Gable) is aboard the bus and recognizes her and offers her his protection in order to get the scoop. Based on the short story NIGHT BUS by Samuel Hopkins Adams and directed by Frank Capra (LOST HORIZON). I'm not a fan of Capra but I concede this is one of the greatest romantic comedies to come out of Hollywood. It was one of the last of the pre-code films and released only months before it went into effect. Gable and Colbert have sensational chemistry and both won Oscars for their roles. Ironic in that both were reluctant to do the film and sensing their hesitancy, Capra found them difficult to work with. However, nothing succeeds like success and in the ensuing years, all three praised each other. But the dialogue (by Robert Riskin) is tart and spirited and the film captured the fancy of movie audiences and turned out to be Columbia's (considered a low end studio) biggest hit. Time has not diminished its charms and it remains a model of sophisticated romantic comedy. With Roscoe Karns and Alan Hale.