Which film was the first to win the 'Big Five' Oscars (Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, Screenplay)?

It Happened One Night was the first film to win all five “Big Five” Oscars: Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, and Screenplay.

The feat occurred at the 7th Academy Awards, honoring films released in 1934. Frank Capra won Best Director, Clark Gable won Best Actor, Claudette Colbert won Best Actress, and Robert Riskin won Best Adapted Screenplay. The film also took Best Picture, completing the sweep with only five nominations and five wins.

The “Big Five” label refers specifically to those five top awards, not every major Oscar category. It Happened One Night remains notable because its victory was achieved by a romantic comedy—a genre that has not often dominated the Academy Awards. Its fast-talking, mismatched-couple story also helped establish conventions later associated with screwball comedy.

Only two other films have matched the sweep: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest at the 48th Academy Awards and The Silence of the Lambs at the 64th. Marty was not a Big Five winner, while the latter two options are later films that accomplished the same feat but did not do it first.