The 1934 Oscar-winning film It Happened One Night changed the rom-com genre forever, with most films having roots back to the story, tropes, and its profound impact. In the over 100 years of cinema, the romantic comedy genre has consistently drawn in audiences. The films offer a sense of escapism while highlighting the changing atтιтudes about love. The best romantic comedies can all thank one film for their success – It Happened One Night.

The film, directed by Frank Capra, was the first to sweep the Oscars, winning all five big categories against all odds. In 1993, the Library of Congress selected the film for preservation by the US National Film Registry. This decision makes sense when looking at its influence on the romantic comedy genre as a whole. Although the formulas and messages of romantic comedies have changed over time, It Happened One Night possesses many of the best tropes and narrative elements that still appear in rom-coms today.

10

It Happened One Night Popularized The Enemies-To-Lovers Trope

Enemies-To-Lovers One Of The Most Popular Tropes In Romantic Comedies

Enemies-to-lovers rom-coms have become some of the most beloved films in the genre, and It Happened One Night helped popularize the trope onscreen. Although they eventually fall in love, Peter and Ellie start out loathing one another. Ellie finds him rude and opportunistic, while he finds her spoiled and vapid. This leads to heated but flirty banter back and forth, which is heightened by the chemistry of Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert.

Although enemies-to-lovers existed before It Happened One Night, the movie reached ordinary audiences thanks to its commentary on class, and it became even more well-known after sweeping the big five Oscars. The number of films including this trope increased exponentially after It Happened One Night. Since then, enemies-to-lovers has become such a prominent trope that it’s often considered a subgenre of romantic comedies. Some of the best enemies-to-lovers rom-coms include When Harry Met Sally and The Hating Game.

9

Peter Warne Started The Trend Of Reporters Trying To Find A Scoop In Rom-Coms

Romantic Comedies Have Romanticized The Journalism Profession

The male protagonist in It Happened One Night had an important role in establishing a popular archetype in the rom-com genre – the eager reporter. In It Happened One Night, Peter Warne is an out-of-work newspaper reporter who comes across socialite Ellie Andrews on a Greyhound Bus, and he immediately thinks he can get the scoop on Ellie to get his job back. Peter gives her an ultimatum: let him write an exclusive story about her and get his help reaching her husband, or he’ll tell Ellie’s father where she is.

Although reporters seeking a scoop existed in previous pre-Code films like Front Page (1931) and Blessed Event (1932), It Happened One Night was the most prominent example of the trope appearing in romantic comedy films. Peter Warne became the blueprint for characters like Amber in A Christmas Prince and Josie Geller in Never Been Kissed.

8

Ellie & Peter One-Upping Each Other Became A Template For Later Rom-Com Couples

Romantic Comedy Couples Have The Same Compeтιтiveness As Peter & Ellie

The dynamic of Ellie and Peter in It Happened One Night is glorious for fans of romantic comedies. Rather than simply having banter, the characters overtly try to one-up each other, which is best exemplified in the iconic hitchhiking scene. Peter wants to show off to Ellie, so he tries to teach her how to flag down a car. He starts out using his thumb. However, he soon shifts to waiving his hat and making a silly face at the cars. However, she shows him up by stopping a car by lifting her skirt up to her upper thigh.

The battle of the Sєxes dynamic of trying to outdo each other has become commonplace in romantic comedies. For example, Andie and Ben go back and forth trying to win an argument while singing “You’re So Vain” in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, and Barbara and Catcher try to prove they’re right about whether women want love in Down With Love.

7

It Happened One Night Proved Low Budget Indie Rom-Coms Can Impact The Genre

Indie Rom-Coms Helped Revitalize The Genre In The 2010s

Although it’s considered a classic film with high accolades, It Happened One Night was never expected to be a successful movie. Besides Clarke Gable and Claudette Colbert having little faith in the film, the rom-com was an indie film with a relatively low budget. It Happened One Night had a budget of $325,000, which is $7,712,152.26 adjusted for inflation, compared to the 1933 average film production budget of $439,000, which is $10,417,337.97 adjusted for inflation.

Additionally, Columbia Pictures was a small, independent, not respected production company at the time of It Happened One Night, with the 1934 rom-com getting credit for putting the company on the map. Against all odds, the film became the fourth highest-grossing film of 1934 and swept the big five awards at the Oscars. This helped boost the genre and proved that a low-budget indie rom-com could succeed against big-budget films from major production companies and influence the genre.

6

Rom-Coms Started Including Musical Moments After It Happened One Night

Musical Numbers In Romantic Comedies Have Become Commonplace

Some of the most endearing scenes in the romantic comedy genre are musical moments. Like many other rom-com elements, this roots back to It Happened One Night. In the film, three of the pᴀssengers are a musical trio. At the request of another pᴀssenger, the violinist, guitarist, and vocalist start the song “The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze.” Everyone joins in for the chorus. Then, a sailor takes over singing in the second verse and a business person in the third. Ultimately, the song ends when the driver gets distracted and crashes the bus.

Memorable examples of musical scenes in modern rom-coms include the entire restaurant singing “Say A Little Prayer” in My Best Friend’s Wedding, Heath Ledger singing and dancing across the bleachers to “Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You” in 10 Things I Hate About You, and Percy playing “Maneater” on the piano in No Strings Attached. Although they require a suspension of disbelief, these scenes add a magical and sometimes silly quality to rom-com films.

5

It Happened One Night Popularized The Runaway Bride Trope

Ellie Ran Away From Her Wedding At The End Of It Happened One Night

The idea of a bride running away from her wedding feels like it’s been around for as long as the romantic comedy film genre, and there’s a good reason for that. The rom-com genre wasn’t really defined onscreen until 1924, and the first rom-com with sound came out in 1928. This gives only six years of movies in the genre before It Happened One Night introduced the runaway bride onscreen. Ellie runs away from her wedding after her father tells her that Peter loves her. Since then, romantic comedies have regularly integrated a runaway bride.

While the best-known example is the eponymous 1999 movie starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, many other prominent examples exist. In 1944, Columbia Pictures released the musical romantic comedy Cover Girl, where Rita Hayworth plays two generations of brides who call off their weddings at the last minute. Another classic example can be seen at the end of The Graduate, where Elaine runs away from her wedding with Ben. Ultimately, the trope will undoubtedly persist for as long as rom-com movies do.

4

The Hitchhiking Scene Became The Progenitor For Racy Rom-Com Scenes

Racy Rom-Com Scenes Have Become More Graphic As Societal Atтιтudes Have Changed

The two most notable scenes in It Happened One Night include Ellie lifting her skirt while hitchhiking in order to stop a car and the couple changing clothes and sleeping in the same motel room with just a small piece of cloth between them. It Happened One Night’s Sєxy scenes might not have been notable if it weren’t for multiple factors lining up perfectly. The script maintained the controversial scene where Ellie lifts her skirt while hitchhiking, even though it wasn’t considered ladylike.

The movie was also one of the last films to come out before the Motion ᴀssociation of America started strictly enforcing the Hays Code in June 1934, a policy which was enforced until 1954. After the MPAA started enforcing the code, Sєxual tension had to come solely from dialogue rather than visuals. Additionally, the popularity gained by It Happened One Night made it extremely influential. While racy scenes would have undoubtedly become a part of rom-coms eventually, since Sєx sells, circumstances aligning means It Happened One Night is credited for laying the groundwork for taboo scenes in rom-coms.

3

Fake Relationships In Rom-Coms Are Common Place Thanks To It Happened One Night

Ellie & Peter Pretend They’re A Married Couple To Get Out Of Trouble

Fake romances in the rom-com genre is one of the most popular tropes, alongside enemies-to-lovers. In the past year alone, Anyone But You became a global hit on streaming, focusing on Ben and Bea faking a relationship when they go to a wedding. The trope appeared in many of the most iconic films in the golden era of rom-coms, such as Pretty Woman and Can’t Buy Me Love. Most of Netflix’s biggest rom-coms, including Love Hard and To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, feature two people pretending they’re in a relationship.

Once again, rom-com fans can thank It Happened One Night. Although it doesn’t include a fake relationship throughout the full story, the 1934 movie helped popularize the two main characters pretending to be together. Ellie and Peter pretend to be married so that they can share a room at a motel. The act continues as they fake a fight to throw off two detectives sent by Ellie’s father to find her. These scenes have all the chemistry and comedy of the fake dating trope, so it’s not surprising that other rom-coms copied the couple’s farce.

2

Rom-Coms Copied Ellie & Peter’s “Will They, Won’t They?” Dynamic

Peter & Ellie Don’t Get Together Until The Very End

The “Will They, Won’t They?” romance is a staple of the romantic comedy genre, and much of the credit goes back to Ellie and Peter’s relationship in It Happened One Night. The couple’s enemies-to-lovers path isn’t from point A to point B. They develop a connection, and Ellie professes her love. However, he leaves before she wakes up, making her think that he doesn’t want her. As such, she proceeds with her wedding, not knowing that Peter loves her too. However, Peter confesses to Ellie’s father, who reveals the truth to his daughter. Eventually, they come back together.

There’s zero question that the “Will They, Won’t They?” trope existed long before It Happened One Night. This approach to storytelling appears in classic romance novels, such as Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. However, Frank Capra brought this to the big screen in one of the most popular films of 1934, providing an example of what it could look like onscreen. It’s now commonplace onscreen, appearing in films like La La Land and Red, White, & Royal Blue.

1

It Happened One Night Defined The Screwball Comedy Genre

The Screwball Comedy Became The Most Popular Rom-Com Subgenre For A Couple Decades

The screwball comedy, a subgenre of romantic comedies, became popular between the 1930s and 1950s, depicting zany characters and farcical scenarios. The lead characters are almost always confident, witty, and ᴀssertive women, with their male counterparts learning from them. These films are known for challenging social norms, leading to surprisingly progressive movies in the 1930s and 1940s. They display the struggle between the upper and lower classes and feature a power struggle between the Sєxes. Often, screwball films heavily feature Sєxual tension and marriage.

The first “true” screwball film is debated among scholars, with The Front Page (1931), Platinum Blonde (1931), and Three-Cornered Moon (1933) cited as some of the earliest examples. However, most experts agree that It Happened One Night helped define the genre because of its popularity and the sheer number of movies that replicated its traits. Although the subgenre continued to grow after the 1934 rom-com, many of the best traits trace back to It Happened One Night.