I’m excited and honored to be hosting this Carole Lombard Blogathon in honor of her birthday anniversary on October 6th! Thank you to everyone who joined in. I’m excited to read your entries! I’m going to be examining No Man of Her Own.
Even though Carole and Clark Gable didn’t fall in love during the filming of their only movie together, I still find it really interesting to see their first meeting—in a rare performance of Clark sans mustache—as love interests on screen before their real-life romance started off-screen in 1936.
At the time, they were both married. Carole to William Powell, and Clark to his second wife, Maria. He would later divorce her and marry Carole a mere few weeks later in 1939, although he and Carole got together three years earlier. I find it interesting that his two marriages before Carole were to women MUCH older than he was. His first wife was more of a mentor and helped him with his look, and the second had similar benefits. He lost both his mother and stepmother at young ages, so it makes sense that he would seek out more mature women, I suppose. But there was undeniably something special about Carole, who was his match. She seemed to balance him out and support him. His reputation for sleeping with co-stars was notorious in Hollywood, but he and Carole had something that overpowered this inclination.
Rumor has it that they didn’t have an immediate attraction while making this film, even going so far as to say they were indifferent toward each other at the time (IMDB). I find that hard to believe, given that their affinity for gag gifts comes out and has its start here, but more on that later!
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Synopsis
We open at a seemingly innocent card game between Babe (Gable), Babe’s lover (or at least she thinks she is), his friend Charlie, and some other men. We soon find out that Babe is a card shark and the games are rigged. When a cop pays him a visit and lets him know that he’s just waiting for a reason to bust him when he slips up, Babe escapes from New York to the small town of Glendale, immediately getting distracted by the lovely Connie (Lombard) and following her to her job at the library.
As she helps him find a book, they flirt, and he gets super close. It may come off as a bit too much on anyone else, but for me, since I know that they later fall in love in real life, I found it interesting to watch their chemistry in this scene. Despite their supposed indifference of each other, they certainly sell these characters. Anyway, Babe’s stalking isn’t over there as he then meets up with her in church (though she did tell him she’d see him there technically), then is invited to her house for cake where he learns she’s headed up to a cabin with some friends.. then he follows her there too.
This last encounter turns into them getting married on the whim of a coin toss. After which, she heads back to New York with him, to his friend Charlie’s surprise. We get some shots of each of them in the shower, more on that later, as they wash away the train grime and get ready for their new life. It’s not really new, but Babe leads her to believe that he’s a salesman and not at all a card cheat like he really is. So what’s he to do? He finds someone to put him up as his employee to continue the ruse.
But his new wife is no pushover. She figures out what’s going on when she notices him slip an extra deck of cards into the card table, ready for a night of slight-of-hand cheating. Rather than say anything, she decides to prove her theory by secretly shuffling the cards, so Babe and Charlie end up losing a lot of money.
He’s pretty miffed at first, but then they make up when he realizes he does want all those things she does-marriage with kids. Under the guise of going to South America for three months, he instead turns himself in to serve a three-month jail sentence to get the police off him before coming back to her.
The Players
Clark Gable and Carole Lombard
Even though they did not have a romantic relationship while filming, their chemistry is evident in this film. They play off each other well and you can really see what gifted actors they were. I would argue there was something there in the way they look at each other even if neither of them pursued anything further. In fact, according to Screwball by Larry Swindell, “Throughout the filming they got along swimmingly.” This feels a bit more positive than saying that they were indifferent, which has a more negative connotation.
Grant Mitchell and Elizabeth Patterson
I wanted to give honorable mentions to these two supporting actors. I recognized both of them, although I had to look them up to figure out why! Elizabeth Patterson was in Pal Joey as the landlady where Kim Novak and Frank Sinatra stay, and Grant Mitchell was Reverand Harper (“Yes, and I put Mr. Hoskins in the window seat, because Reverand Harper was coming!”) in Arsenic and Old Lace!
Ooh lala Precode…
Not having seen a ton of pre-code films (yet.. that’s something I plan to rectify soon..), I was particularly shocked about her cut of dress in the first picture below and where she’s basically in her underwear.
Then you have the scenes of each of them in the shower while the other talks to them from the door.
Background Trivia
Gifts
In true Lombard and Gable fashion, they gave each other gag gifts after production wrapped up. This would later become a tradition when either of them was away and returned home (sadly, Clark never got to give her that last gift). After filming was completed here, Clark gave her a pair of ballet slippers with a note that said, “To a True Primadonna” and in return, Carole gave him a ham with his face on it.
Coin Toss Parallel
So in this movie, they get married because she wins the coin toss, unfortunately in real life, she would perish due to winning a coin toss.
What if…?
Marion Davies hadn’t wanted Bing Crosby so badly for Going Hollywood?
Since Marion wanted Bing Crosby for Going Hollywood at MGM, Paramount agreed to swap him for Clark for this film. If that hadn’t been the case, Clark probably wouldn’t have done this one as studios had such control over their stars and what they did. Would that have prevented Clark and Carole getting together later, or would they have still hit it off when they met at that point? I’m not sure, but we wouldn’t have had the chance to see them on film like this had this swap not taken place…and it could have prevented their legendary love story without the foundation of meeting for this film.
Would Carole have still went on the WWII tour if they hadn’t gotten together, probably…but maybe she wouldn’t have rushed back and died in the plane crash. Or something else could have taken her anyway. It’s impossible to know.
Miriam Hopkins hadn’t refused to be second billing under Clark Gable?
Miriam was originally slotted to star in this film, but balked at the idea that she would have second billing under Clark. Being a large star at the time, she refused and left the film, clearing the way for Carole. Again, if this hadn’t happened. If Miriam had swallowed her pride, Carole and Clark would not have worked together here, which could have had far-reaching repercussions for both of their lives. I wonder how much one of these casting changes would have affected Carole and Clark’s lives.
It had been kept No Bed of Her Own
This was the original title for the film, which seems a bit scandalous. It was during pre-code era though, so maybe it wouldn’t have been as dramatic.
Be sure to check out all of the blogathon entries here!
Alternative History/Classic Film Era Novels
If you like alternative history or biographical/historical fiction, I write that as well under the pen name Dottie Fray and historical paranormal romance under Elvira Fray. With two books planned for next year, one biographical fiction entitled Planes and Promises and a paranormal romance to follow up Fang Me Tender called No Angel of His Own (official cover coming), I wanted to share about these.
If you choose to buy this film, I may earn a commission as an Amazon affiliate. Grab it here on DVD!