A lot is made about how this is the film that wasn't supposed to get made, that nobody wanted to get made, etc. Clark Gable was loaned out by MGM to Columbia as a punishment because he had refused to take on a role at MGM. Seven actresses had turned down the role of Ellie, and Claudette Colbert only took on the role if she could finish it in four weeks with double her usual salary. And the interesting bit made here is that Colbert was quite displeased throughout the film, while Gable ended up enjoying himself. This explains a lot about the chemistry between them. Throughout most of the film, Gable can be seen laid-back and just having a laugh at Colbert, while she is just fussy and annoyed. But forasmuch as it's been said that Colbert didn't enjoy making the film, she hid it well in the scenes that mattered.
Somewhere I read that the actresses who turned down the role all said that the script they had read was not the film that ended up on the screen. Capra Jr. here talks a bit about some changes made to the characters before filming took place. At first Ellie was a cranky heiress, so she was changed to a bored heiress. This logic fits because the audience could and would want to relate better to someone being bored rather than cranky. The leading man role had been changed to a newspaper reporter from what I read somewhere was a scientist originally. These changes to more accessible and familiar jobs or traits made them more appealing and likable, and it turned out to be a wise move.
One of the things, though, that was pointed out was how much this birth of a new genre turned out to be a happy mistake if you will. It wasn't made setting itself out to be a classic film, it was just something they were doing because it had a good story, a good premise, but nothing more than what it turned out to be. And part of the charm, part of the things that helped establish the screwball comedy came as a result of the time constraints due to Colbert's terms upon agreeing to do the film. The fact that the film had to be done in four weeks set the tone while making the film from the get-go. It's hurried pace soon became a staple in all screwball comedies. Capra Jr. also noted how his father in past films had noticed his films to seem really slow even though that wasn't what appeared to him while shooting the film. For this film, Capra directed his actors to say their lines quickly and what resulted on screen added to the pacing of the film. I agree with this simply because when a scene has no dialogue, it is quite noticeable how much slower the scene goes.
Another point made in the commentary was the ad-libbing that went on in the film. Capra allowed his actors to ad-lib and this is most true in the bus scenes. The night time scene in the bus with the passengers singing along to The Man on the Flying Trapeze is one which had originally been planned to be sung by the musicians alone. Because the extras had gotten comfortable with one another and started humming along during the song, Capra decided to film the scene with multiple cameras and asked the cast to sing along if so inclined, this went for Colbert and Gable as well. What turned out was a long scene that has actually grown on me over the recent repeated viewings. A couple of the extras took on different verses and everyone seemed to, genuinely, enjoy themselves.
There have been a couple of things I've read about the Walls of Jericho scene. It wasn't originally in the script but Colbert refused to undress on screen. I've read that Capra wrote the scene on the spot, but on the commentary Colbert is the one given the credit for coming up with the idea because she didn't want to undress. It turned out to be symbolic throughout the film and funny. It's one of those classic scenes in a film that is so original you almost wish you would've thought of it first. And this scene set a standard for future films to create visual tropes, especially as films entered the Hays Code era. Part of the charm and brilliance of this scene comes from knowing that it was made up on the go. To think that if Colbert hadn't minded to undress in front of the camera we would never have seen the Walls of Jericho. All of these little details gleaned from the commentary show a mixture of happy coincidences that made a gem of a film.
Not much that was revealed in the commentary to It Happened One Night turned out to be new, but even still I think sitting down and gathering my thoughts here have shown me that this film wouldn't have been the film it was if any other actors had been in it. Colbert's stipulation of shooting for four weeks set the pace of the film from the start and helped form a new genre, although I wouldn't say it was the birth of the screwball comedy. It's interesting to note that had Colbert not been in this film, it may not have turned out to be the film everyone loves today. The general plot would've been there, but perhaps some of the details that stick out about it may not have made it. But to think of what might have been is irrelevant. What this films shows is that circumstances and improvisations help to make a terrific screwball comedy.
