It Happened One Night is a 1934 American romantic comedy film with elements of screwball comedy directed by Frank Capra. It tells the story of a pampered socialite (Claudette Colbert) who tries to get out from under her father's thumb, and falls in love with a roguish reporter (Clark Gable). The plot was based on the August 1933 short story "Night Bus" by Samuel Hopkins Adams. (Photo by: Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty images).