It still keeps happening as this film continues to enthrall and enjoy audiences all over even 70 years after it was made. It has been copied in its entirety in many languages and the theme has been depicted in various forms but the original is unique.
A madcap heiress escapes from the clutches of her domineering father to join her lover a 1000 odd miles away. A down-under newspaper reporter who has just been fired recognizes her and offers to help her reach her destination in exchange for her story exclusively. The fun begins when they board the bus and the hilarious misadventures are side-splittingly funny. The Walls of Jericho is folklore and the scene where the rich heroine is made to wait in queue to attend her toilet was way ahead of its time. The transition of the spoilt rich girl into a likeable pleasnt lady and her falling for the reporter are a treat to watch.
Claudette Colbert was the perfect choice for the heiress and Clark Gable quite different from other roles he palyed. Both of the stars come out excellently. Special mention must be made about Roscoe Karns as a fellow traveller and Walter Connoley as the enraged father who dtests his future son-in-law and chooses Gable.
A winner all the way and one would expect nothing less than this from the incomperable Frank Capra. Undoubtedly his greatest screwball comedy.
Krishna Kumar Menon, Chennai(Madras), India.