It Happened One Night (1934) - watch any time in September

Plus Claudette Colbert's recipe for Scrambled Eggs, New York Style

Are you a natural born piggy-backer? 

Do you know the correct way to dunk a doughnut? 

Have you ever slept on a bed of hay?

This movie starts off quite shouty, but don’t worry, Peter Warne (played by Clark Gable) soon comes along like a tall drink of water and calms everything right down.

It doesn’t matter how many times I watch It Happened One Night, Peter demonstrating his hitchhiking methods never fails to make me laugh out loud. 

In perhaps the cutest breakfast scene ever committed to celluloid, he rustles up some scrambled eggs (one each) for himself and Ellie.  So naturally, it had to be Claudette’s method for scrambling eggs to accompany this movie.

It’s 100% acceptable to roll out of bed, make these eggs and remain in your pyjamas to watch the movie because Claudette spends much of her screen time in PJs. 

To my mind, this would be a perfect Sunday scenario.  Get some ring doughnuts in, too, for dunking, and maybe some carrots for nibbling later on.

For some more movie-suitable food and drink, there will be a video demo of a Clark Gable triple-decker sandwich and a Gable-themed cocktail coming on Friday for paid subscribers. You want one of these, don’t you?!

To Claudette’s recipe!

As Ellie’s father might say, “Ah, the vittels…”

CLAUDETTE’S SIGNATURE DISH

Claudette was famous for rustling up her scrambled eggs alfresco, apparently. How fabulous!

New to scrambling eggs, or want to know more about how I made Claudette’s dish? Skip over to Silver Screen Suppers for the lowdown. Here’s how mine turned out. Yum.

I can find no info online about why the side of mushrooms and ham makes these, “New York style” - any New Yorkers out there who know?

Send me pix of your scramblees!

MINDFUL WATCHING TIPS

Grab your diary and put a date in right now when you will immerse yourself in this classic movie. Ready? Are phones off, chatterboxes banished, salty snacks and beverages within arms reach, a last-minute wee done, pillows plumped? Then relax and enjoy every minute.

EXTRA GLAMOUR

This month’s extra content is a kitchen video demonstration of a triple-decker sandwich Clark Gable style, plus a demo of a Gable-related martini.

Dropping into paid subscriber inboxes on Friday.

Shopping list for the extra treats

For the cocktail

Gin

Sweet Vermouth (the red one)

Ice

For the sandwich

Wholewheat/wholemeal bread

Butter

Tomatoes

Bacon

White meat of chicken

Rare roast beef

OPTIONAL EXTRAS

Lettuce

Watercress

Potato chips/crisps

Green olives

Sliced dill pickles

If you take pix of your eggs, cocktails or triple-decker sandwiches, do copy me in and add hashtags on social media - @silverscreensuppers #silverscreensuppers #dinnerandamovie

YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE FILM AND MOVIE STAR VITTLES?

You can add your thoughts in the comment box of this post or in the app.

Think of our app space as your own private cinema club where you can discuss the movie with other lovely people as you drink ice-cold cocktails in your pyjamas with your hair all mussed up.

We’ll be chatting about important matters such as our favourite lines of dialogue, what makes dames like Ellie so dizzy, and whether we remember the days when it was quite normal to smoke in bed.

WHERE IS THE FILM PLAYING?

In the UK

USA - check on JustWatch

Thanks to Gary Meyer of Eat Drink Films for letting me know about JustWatch.

If you are elsewhere in the world, search for - It Happened One Night streaming - then your country name for the swiftest results.

If you are a DVD watcher, you could try your local library (thanks to VT Dorchester for reminding me about this) or ask around amongst your chums. Charity shops are also a really great source of classic films on DVD.

LINKY-LINKS

Please see this page if you need more info about how the Silver Screen Suppers Club works.

Eighteen years of movie star recipe experiments can be found on the Silver Screen Suppers website.

Here are links to my themed cookbooks featuring the favourite recipes of tonnes of movie stars. If you prefer not to buy from Amazon, all are available to order from bookshops except Cooking with Joan Crawford. This is currently only available via Blurb, but a new, more affordable version, is coming soon.

OUR NEXT MOVIE

Keep your eye on your inbox on Sunday, 1st October, when our next movie will be announced. I hope this is the style in which you’ll be watching it.

I am going to be doing something a little different next month - something LIVE! I haven’t decided exactly what yet, but cocktails and canapés will be involved. Keep your eyes peeled.

Say, where d’ya learn to dunk? Finishing school?