Name: You Can’t Run Away From It (1956) [Blu-ray review]
Director: Dick Powell

You Can’t Run Away from It is a mid-1950s musical comedy directed by Dick Powell and starring Jack Lemmon and June Allyson. Essentially a remake of the 1934 classic It Happened One Night, this film updates the story with songs and a lighter mid-century flair. While it didn’t eclipse the original’s legendary status, it has its own charm, thanks to the chemistry between Lemmon and Allyson.

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Table of Contents Comparing Road Trip Romance Remakes It’s like Gable singing, but it’s Lemmon and some other people Dick Powell directs now!Jack Lemmon’s Early Career You Can’t Run Away from It is Columbia smooth Does it still have a following?You Can’t Run Away From It is now available for streaming and for purchase at MovieZyng

At its core, You Can’t Run Away from It is both a product of its time and a tribute to an earlier Hollywood masterpiece. Dick Powell, having made his mark as an actor in 1930s musicals, brought a sense of stagey showmanship to the film. The comedic framework of a spoiled heiress on the run, crossing paths with a world-weary journalist, remains intact from It Happened One Night. But the decision to intersperse songs and lean into bright, mid-century Technicolor surfaces sets it apart.

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Comparing Road Trip Romance Remakes

The film’s greatest challenge has always been stepping out of the massive shadow cast by its 1934 inspiration. Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert’s chemistry was legendary. Lemmon and Allyson craft a different dynamic—one fueled by Lemmon’s earnest comedic energy and Allyson’s chirpy musical style. The result is lighter in some ways, absent the subversive edge that Capra’s original had in the midst of the Depression era. Yet, for fans of mid-50s musicals, that lightness is part of the appeal.

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It’s like Gable singing, but it’s Lemmon and some other people

While not an all-out musical extravaganza, the film features several numbers that highlight the banter between Lemmon and Allyson. These scenes generally serve as comedic interludes rather than plot drivers. Some critics felt they disrupted the narrative flow, while others saw them as charming. If you appreciate the lush orchestrations and stylized singing typical of the 1950s, you’ll find these sequences a pleasant diversion.

Dick Powell directs now!

Dick Powell, transitioning from his earlier acting days to a career as a director, took on You Can’t Run Away from It with the goal of recapturing the spark of Frank Capra’s It Happened One Night. The original film had charmed audiences with its screwball wit, so Powell and his team introduced musical numbers and fresh comedic beats to spin it for 1956 sensibilities.

Casting June Allyson as Ellie Andrews brought an established musical-comedy star to the role Claudette Colbert had made iconic decades prior. Jack Lemmon stepped into the Clark Gable role—albeit shaped to fit Lemmon’s unique comedic timing. Filming mostly took place in California, with sets that evoked cross-country bus rides, motel pit stops, and comedic misadventures. The project aimed to balance reverence for the original’s source material with a breezy, mid-century musical style.

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Jack Lemmon’s Early Career

You Can’t Run Away from It falls during the period when Jack Lemmon was transitioning from supporting comedic roles to leading-man status. His signature timing and expressive reactions remain a highlight. You can spot the seeds of his later comedic brilliance in films like Some Like It Hot (1959), though here it’s tempered by a more conventional romantic-comedy structure.

You Can’t Run Away from It is Columbia smooth

Being a Columbia Pictures production, the sets and costumes reflect a polished studio-era approach. The cross-country bus rides and motel stops are rendered in bright hues, showcasing a Technicolor optimism that sets it apart from Capra’s original black-and-white grit. Dick Powell’s direction keeps the pace lively, although the script adheres closely to the blueprint established two decades prior.

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Does it still have a following?

Over time, You Can’t Run Away from It has carved out a small niche. It’s rarely mentioned among the top musicals or top comedies of the 1950s, but it has a comfortable place as a curiosity—an example of Hollywood’s fondness for remakes and musicals. Lemmon completists often seek it out to see how he honed his comedic persona. Meanwhile, fans of June Allyson get another chance to watch her airy charisma on screen.

The Sony Blu-ray elevates this lesser-known gem, inviting a fresh look. In high definition, the film’s color palette pops, revealing set details and costume choices that were easily lost in older transfers. For folks who relish the charms of Golden Age Hollywood—even in second-tier or remake form—this new release is a welcome preservation effort.