Famous Movie's 75th

February 22, 2009

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Profile America — Sunday, February 22nd. Many movies from the 1930s are all but forgotten, but one that was released 75 years ago today is still enjoyed and rated highly by critics. The movie was “It Happened One Night,” a screwball romantic comedy directed by Frank Capra, starring Claudette Colbert as a runaway heiress and Clark Gable as a cocky reporter on to a good story. The film was the first to sweep the Academy Awards, winning best picture, director, actor, actress and screenplay. One scene, in which Clark Gable leans on a fence while munching a carrot, inspired the creators of Bugs Bunny. In 1934, there were some 11,000 movie theaters across the U.S. Now, that number is nearly 5,000. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at <www.census.gov>.

Sources: Chase's Calendar of Events 2009, p. 139
Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970, p. 855
2002 Economic Census, NAICS 512131
http://www.census.gov/econ/census02/data/industry/E512131.HTM