Character Analysis
Magnate and millionaire Alexander Andrews is a tyrant when it comes to his daughter, Ellie. He won't let her make her own decisions—or mistakes, as in the case of her marriage to King Westley. He turns out to be right in his judgment of the pilot's character, but that doesn't mean that we admire Andrews, even if we do believe by the end of It Happened One Night that he has his daughter's happiness in mind.
When we're introduced to this rich and famous man, he's aboard a ship, holding his daughter hostage after kidnapping her to prevent her from consummating her marriage to King Westley. That pretty much says it all right there: Andrews would stop at nothing to prevent Ellie from marrying a guy he can't stand.
And so we're pleasantly surprised to see that he changes his mind. After Ellie's been on the road for a few days, Andrews realizes that the detectives he's hired aren't going to bring her in successfully, and so he has to make peace with the reality of her marriage to King.
But something still doesn't sit right, and so even after her return home, Andrews keeps questioning his daughter. He's worried about her and suspects that she's in love with someone else. When she spills the beans and says that she is, he's all for her marriage to the no-name Peter Warne.
This is another surprise, and another revelation: Andrews puts up no resistance when he senses that Ellie's heart is really in her choice of Warne. This contrasts with his reaction to her choice of King, whom Andrews labels a "fake."
And so the tyrant shows his true colors: He's not just interested in wielding power. Instead, he wants his little treasure Ellie to be happy and to enjoy a lifetime of love, even if the guy she chooses is basically poor.
Alexander Andrews's Timeline