s to romance. From the wealthy, spoiled socialite (Claudette Colbert) and the from-the-other-side-of-the-tracks hard-hitting journalist (Clark Gable) in It Happened One Night to Rock Hudson's unethical playboy jingle writer and Doris Day's innocent and traditional interior decorator in Pillow Talk, love conquers all barriers.
There are distinct elements or genre conventions of a romantic comedy that clearly mark it as belonging in that category. Comedies in this genre adhere to a number of conventions related to the portrayal of the main characters, including their desires, attitude, and situation. Michael Hauge (2008, pp. 1-2) offers the following elements of romantic comedy that distinguish it from other film genres where the hero is concerned:
. The hero must be involved in some sexual or romantic pursuit.
. The hero must pursue some additional visible desire.
. The characters in a romantic comedy never think their situation is humorous.
. Romantic comedies are sexy.
. Romantic comedies almost always involve deception.
. Romantic comedies have happy endings.
We see these elements incorporated into any number of successful Hollywood romantic comedies, from older films like The Miracle of Morgan's Creek and Pillow Talk to modern ones like Coming to America and Mrs. Doubtfire. Humor arises from the way the heroes overreact to their situation, going to extreme lengths like Dustin Hoffman's character in Tootsie or Robin Williams' in Mrs. Doubtfire to get the girl. The humor stems from this overreaction, as well as to the deception that the hero engages in to pursue the relationship. Rock Hudson's womanizing advertising man in Lover Come Back pretends he's the gullible, innocent Texan Bret Stetson to woo Doris Day, a competing advertising executive trying to win over one of Hudson's character's (Brad Allen) accounts...