Shapeley (Roscoe Karns)

Character Analysis

The loud-mouthed dirt-bag Shapeley fulfills one main function: Like King Westley, he's a foil for Peter. But he also provides some comic relief during a pretty dark moment in It Happened One Night. First introduced just after Ellie and Peter have boarded the second bus they ride in the film, Shapeley's fast, inappropriately familiar talk contrasts with the silent treatment that the newly acquainted, New York-bound travelers, Ellie and Peter, are giving each other at that moment.

That Shapeley's no match for Peter is shown by how quickly he flees after he's intimidated by the newsman pretending to be a hardened gangster. Still, the fact that Shapeley figures out Ellie's identity means that he represents a real threat—and an obstacle to be overcome on the way to happiness.