Which 1934 film was the first to win all five major Oscars (Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, Screenplay)?

It Happened One Night was the first film to win all five major Oscars. The 1934 romantic comedy took Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay at the 7th Academy Awards.

Directed by Frank Capra, the film stars Clark Gable as newspaper reporter Peter Warne and Claudette Colbert as wealthy runaway Ellie Andrews. Its story follows the mismatched pair as they travel together, creating the model for many later screwball comedies. The film was produced by Columbia Pictures and became a major success despite the studio’s relatively modest status at the time.

The five-award achievement is often called an “Oscar sweep” or the “Big Five.” The film won every category in which it was nominated, with Capra, Gable, Colbert, and screenwriter Robert Riskin receiving the individual honors. Only two later films have matched the feat: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and The Silence of the Lambs.