Hello all! Summer is here and I hope none of you are sweltering from the heat! However if we must be hot and bothered why don’t we do it while watching a nice pre-code!
1932 was certainly the height of pre-code films and what better way to celebrate than by blogging about it! My entry for this blogathon is No Man of Her Own starring Clark Gable and Carole Lombard in their only on screen collaboration together.
I must say, I always get a little sentimental when watching this movie, as it gives us a little glimpse of what Clark and Carole’s real life relationship may have been like- and then I get sad when I think about how she was tragically taken from him.
In this movie, Clark plays a card sharp Jerry ‘Babe’ Stewart- who has an eye for the ladies. And Carole plays a librarian assistant. Clark gets himself into a tizzy when things go bad after a hand, so he skips town to clear his thoughts- and while doing so be has a run in with the gorgeous Constance (Connie)- Carole. And even though Babe is a ladies man- something changes when it comes to Connie (looking back, is this art imitating life or what?)
He suddenly focuses all of his energy on pursuing her and forgets all about the card shenanigans- for a bit that is- and on the flip of a coin toss, they decide to marry. (While a coin toss meant a happy occasion in the movie, too bad a coin toss in real life meant bad news for Carole).
Babe then returns to his old ways once he returns with Constance back home- but does he really want to continue his dishonest ways if it means losing the girl?
It should be said Clark and Carole’s relationship during filming was strictly business and they didn’t it off until 1936. The paring of the two was coincidental, as Paramount traded Bing Crosby for Clark Gable. Gable had to receive top billing in any picture, something his initial co-star Miriam Hopkins wouldn’t accept, and thus Carole Lombard took over. A glorious turn of events that resulted in a legendary pairing for one of Hollywood’s most famous couples.
So everyone settle down for an ice cold drink and turn on a/c- you’re about to become hot and bothered!
Picture credit- Wikipedia , Amazon, TCM
The Flapper Dame 
I love love love this movie. “No Man Of Her Own” is one of my favorite movies of all time, and Carole is my second favorite actress. Great article on it. You’ve just urged me to watch it again. I wrote about it last year for a Pre-Code theme.
I also invite you to check out my article for the blogathon
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I need to see this one! It sounds like a good movie and who doesn’t want to watch Clark Gable and Carole Lombard together? Great piece and I look forward to seeing this one!
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Reblogged this on hoarding hollywood and commented:
I’ve always wanted to see this film, and Flapper Dame will give you a brief intro to whet your appetite to put it on your pre-code viewing list!
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I’ve always wanted to see this film—as I have seen most of Gable’s body of work, and a lot of Lombard’s. No need to struggle to find a copy—it can be found inexpensively on amazon.com for under $10, and on the 2007 edition, TCM’s Robert Osborne provides some introductory comments!
Thank you Emily for giving us enough information to pique our interest in seeing it for ourselves. I love the pre-code era, and it’s always fun to add another one to the “must-watch” repertoire! I live in Los Angeles, and you would be intrigued that Cinefamily (which screens films at the old Silent Movie Theater) has a 7 deadly sins of pre-code series every Sunday for 7 weeks! This sunday is the last one in the series. It covers the deadly sin of “sloth” (!), and it’s the excellent “Ladies of Leisure” starring Barbara Stanwyck! 🙂
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😥 I usually prefer movies from 1934 on but this one was wonderful! Much better than Sinners in the Sun that I wrote about which was basically just Lombard in gorgeous clothes!
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