Jesse Hassenger’s article (It Happened One Night at 90: the greatest romantic comedy ever made?, 23 February) refers to “Frank Capra’s It Happened One Night”, when the film is properly “Robert Riskin’s It Happened One Night”. Riskin wrote the many scenes and the style Hassenger writes about. Capra was just along for the ride. I produced and edited the interview session that the American Film Institute held with Capra.
He was famous for playing the egoist, and on this occasion lived up to his reputation: it had all been his work. It wasn’t. Riskin was the brilliant writer. Riskin won the Academy Award for the script. Riskin wrote most of Capra’s best films and established what Capra like to chant endlessly about as “Capra-corn”, including Meet John Doe, You Can’t Take It With You, Lost Horizon and Mr Deeds Goes to Town. And yet Hassenger has a word for the cinematographer in It Happened One Night, but doesn’t mention the man who wrote the movie! Scandalous.
Bruce Henstell
Santa Monica, California, US
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