Screwball Comedy

It Happened One Night is sometimes called the first screwball comedy. It's credited with starting a trend that lasted throughout Hollywood's 1930s and1940s, and it gave rise to classics like Bringing Up Baby and The Lady Eve.

Screwball comedies were characterized by rapid dialogue, convoluted love stories, and all kinds of absurd antics. All of these qualities can be seen in Capra's films, as can screwball's tendency to touch on serious themes, mixing darkness with light and social commentary with slapstick.

See our "Trivia" section for more on the significance of the screwball label and It Happened One Night's place in this hilarious Hollywood tradition.