90th anniversary
This screwball romantic comedy classic teams up Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert as two mismatched travel companions, who can’t stand each other…until sparks start to fly. Spoiled heiress Ellie Andrews (Colbert) runs away from her strict father who doesn’t approve of her relationship with playboy King Westley. On her way to reunite with Westley in New York, she meets fellow Greyhound bus passenger Peter Warne, an out-of-work newspaper reporter. Peter promises to help the sheltered heiress get back to her beau, in return for an exclusive on her story. If not, he’ll snitch on her whereabouts to her dad and collect the reward money. Ellie reluctantly agrees, and – against her better judgment – starts to fall for the brash reporter.
Directed by Frank Capra (It’s a Wonderful Life), this was the first of only three films ever (so far) to win all five major Academy Awards: Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress and Adapted Screenplay (along with One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and The Silence of the Lambs). Its bickering leads and plot twists have inspired countless romantic comedies in the 90 years since its release, and Gable’s character was even reported to have inspired the cartoon character Bugs Bunny. Keep an eye out for the notorious hitchhiking scene, when Colbert set the standard on how to stop traffic.