No Man of Her Own (1932) User Reviews

Enjoyable in its own right

[Igenlode Wordsmith · 8/10 · 28 July 2005]

Oh, that was fun! No screwball action here but a lovable little romantic comedy, starring a ridiculously young and baby-faced Clark Gable as card-sharp 'Babe' Stewart, and a pre-stardom Carole Lombard as Connie Randall, the girl he marries on the flip of a coin: "Heads we... do it, tails--" "Tails we get married", Connie puts in, in a cheerful pre-Code gamble of her virtue, and tails it is. Babe the lifelong gambler gracefully pays up, and the challenge is on: judging by the post-coital scene in the sleeper car, he hasn't got such a bad bargain... but how long can he keep his new wife in happy ignorance of the crooked nature of the card-parties she helps to host?

The film's title bears no particular relation to its plot, and the plot itself takes a couple of abrupt and apparently arbitrary turns to attain each scheduled set-up; but any degree of implausibility can be forgiven for the sake of the resulting comic situations, in particular the library scenes, where Babe tries to get Connie into bed with him on their first meeting, the 'getting-up' scene where Connie innocently ensures her husband is up and dressed in time for the fictional day job he has invented, and the finale where he launches into a vivid description of his supposed voyage from South America... in blissful ignorance that the truth is already out! There are relatively few laugh-out-loud moments, but the film has a sweetness of tone rarely found in later screwball comedies, with equal emphasis on the humour and the romance; it's clearly fond of its characters, and there were few moments when I wasn't either grinning with affection or amusement on their behalf.

Gable and Lombard may have gone on individually to greater things, but "No Man of Her Own" remains a thoroughly enjoyable piece of fluff, worth watching for more than just the one-off pairing of its stars. Forget all logic and likelihood, ignore the occasional unevenness, and just sit down and enjoy.

Decent film with some good performances

[km_dickson · 7/10 · 30 September 2005]

Good little film. Clark Gable once again plays the likable scoundrel role he does so well. This time he is Babe Stewart, a card shark who meets a small town girl (Carole Lombard), marries her on the flip of a coin, then realizes he'll have to change his ways if he wants to keep her. The script is well written, avoiding the melodramatic speeches and sappy dialogue that could have so easily been thrown into this kind of film. It also helps that the actors were able to play the characters naturally without hamming it up. Emotion is so much more believable when it's realistic. The supporting cast gives good performance as well, adding a bit of flavor to the film. A good script, good cast, and interesting enough storyline make this one worth watching.

If The Hollywood Moguls Had Only Known

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 26 September 2005]

No Man of Her Own is a pleasant film, nothing terribly bad or terribly good about it. It is remembered today as the only pairing of that star-crossed couple Clark Gable and Carole Lombard. At the time this was made Gable and Lombard were not an item. They became one about four or five years after No Man of Her Own was filmed. It's not on the top 10 list of either star.

Gable is a gambler/con artist who's forced by circumstance to beat it out of New York and he flees for a small suburb where he meets librarian Carole Lombard and marries her. That's as far as I'm going with the telling of the plot.

Lombard was with Paramount at the time this was made and Gable was on loan out from MGM. There's none of the Lombard we knew and loved in such classics as Twentieth Century or My Man Godfrey here. She's a pleasant enough screen heroine though. Gable does well in his part, but doesn't set the world on fire.

If someone had only predicted that Gable and Lombard and their marriage would be come legendary. I'm sure they would have been given a much better film property. I always felt that if Lombard had not been killed in that plane crash in 1942 she would have eventually signed with MGM and L.B. Mayer would have paired her with Gable in the way Katharine Hepburn signed with MGM after the success of Woman of the Year with Spencer Tracy. You might have had a few films to remember Gable and Lombard by.

It was not what I was expecting...

[AlsExGal · 6/10 · 27 August 2023]

... and I could definitely feel the chemistry between Lombard and Gable, even if they could not at this point. But it is a rather understated affair, even dragging at times.

It starts out lively and with promise, as a group of four card sharps make a killing against a mark and divide their loot. But afterwards a cop, Collins, comes up to speak to the ringleader, Jerry Stewart (Clark Gable), and lets him know he's on to what he's doing and is watching him. Also that same night, Jerry breaks up with one of his fellow card sharps, Kay (Dorothy Mackail), and she threatens to go to the DA about their activities in retaliation. Jerry decides to leave town for awhile until the immediate heat is off and travels to the tiny hamlet of Glendale. There he meets somebody who is as bored with the place as he is, town librarian Connie Randall (Carole Lombard). Things heat up quickly between them and they impulsively marry. Jerry never told Connie what he really does for a living, letting her believe he is a stockbroker. But being a gambler is all he knows, so what now, once they are back in New York? Complications ensue.

This is not a screwball comedy with Lombard doing her trademark screwball comedienne act. Lombard is a dramatic actress at this point, and doesn't really begin to hone her comedic chops until "Twentieth Century" in 1934. Gable is the one mainly carrying any comedic weight in this film, which is something he always did well.

I'd mildly recommend it mainly to see the only screen pairing of Lombard and Gable, years before they had any romantic interest in one another.

Gable and Lombard before they were Gable and Lombard

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 8 December 2008]

Clark Gable and his great love, Carole Lombard, only made one film together - this one, "No Man of Her Own" - and they weren't even a couple. At the time of "No Man of Her Own," Lombard was married to William Powell, and Gable to a socialite named Maria Franklin. When he fell for Lombard a few years after this movie was made, it was some time before Franklin would give him a divorce.

A mustacheless Gable plays a cheating card shark who, while on the lam, meets a librarian (Lombard) and marries her. He's not planning that it be permanent; along the way, they fall in love.

Both stars are very good and have great chemistry. She's beautiful, and he's just one sexy devil with that smile and the way he looked at a woman. Pretty devastating, with or without the mustache. A great screen presence.

Someone commented that had Lombard not died, she would have signed with MGM and been paired with Gable in more films. It would be wonderful to have them together more than once. In 1937, in fact, when Jean Harlow died during the making of "Saratoga," Gable recommended that she be replaced with Lombard. Lest anyone think that was insensitive - the situation of a star dying in the middle of a film was new to everyone, no one knew how it would be handled, and poor Gable thought he was helping. People back then didn't think in terms of leaving a legacy and last films.

So we're stuck with the pre-code "No Man of Her Own." Not bad, not great, of interest because of its two stars.

Lombard Owns It

[jem132 · 6/10 · 22 November 2006]

This is a middling 1932 Paramount film with attractive stars Clark Gable and Carole Lombard. The main problem with 'No Man of Her Own' is that it can't work out whether it is meant to be drama, screwball comedy or light romance. It seems strangely stuck in the middle of a number of genres, ultimately making it come off flat.

There are some sharply written, fun scenes and banter between Gable and Lombard, who were still a few years away from being Hollywood's real-life golden couple. They have good chemistry, and look good together. Lombard's knack for sexy, hair brained comedy (even at this early stage in her career)leaves Gable seeming mighty uncomfortable in front of the screen at times. There is a marvelous encounter between the pair in a library, and it's Pre-Code status allows for a few naughty moments with Carole being shown in her underwear and a suggestive train scene being the highlights.

The film's other problem lies in it's silly plot and 'too cute' ending. Gable voluntarily spending time in jail in order to wash his sins from his conscience and fix himself for a family life for Lombard? Yeah, OK.

Clark and Carole are good together, and Carole gives a great performance to lift the entire picture.

formulaic Gable film with not much new to offer

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 7 January 2006]

Although this film is from relatively early in his career, this film doesn't feel particularly original. Already by 1932, Gable was starting to fall into a pattern where he plays the slick guy looking to earn a dishonest buck and by the end of the film he shows that he really has a heart of gold. He went on to do this in perhaps a couple dozen films--even in his most famous role of Rhett Butler.

Apart from being the one and only pairing with his future sweetie, Carole Lombard, it is a pretty ordinary and forgettable film. Now, this is NOT to say it is bad--it's a time-passer and a good film for fans of Gable to see--this is pure Gable--even without his later trademark mustache. Now as far as Lombard goes, this film is a little more disappointing. Instead of her usual feisty character, she is a bit saccharine and one-dimensional. This film could have been better.

About the only thing that distinguishes this film is that it was obviously made before the production code was tightened--with more sexual innuendo and skin that later Hollywood offerings.

Filmdom's early pairing of famous screen couple

[lora64 · 10/10 · 24 December 2001]

This is a pleasant kind of tale, easygoing and amusing. Clark Gable as the gambler Babe Stewart, meets quiet (i.e. repressed) librarian Connie Randall, played by Carole Lombard. At the library, when he corners her amongst the bookshelves, she asks, "Do you like Shakespeare?" and I like Gable's reply, "Oh Shakespeare's alright but sometimes you just don't feel like Shakespeare" says he gazing deep into her eyes. Just an amusing moment.

After a hesitant start they inevitably fall in love and impulsively decide to wed, and thereafter the plot unfolds. Gable resumes his dishonest card sniping activities (i.e. racket), however this clashes with the wifey on the domestic front. In time he plans to reform his ways, "Things gotta be different from now on," he tells the police, but there are complications ahead.

It's very interesting to see a younger Clark Gable who even at this stage was well established in his screen presence. And Carole Lombard couldn't be more beautiful! Great viewing for the fans of Gable and Lombard.

Quite a delight

[Incalculacable · 6/10 · 19 January 2006]

I mainly got this out because I wanted to see some eye candy: Clark Gable and the wonderful Carole Lombard (plus all the wonderful '30s fashions). It's a good screwball comedy, but a little boring until Carole Lombard comes into the picture. I found some scenes unnecessary and a little boring, but there are some genuinely good scenes with Lombard in it - she really is the queen of screwball comedies. Her comic timing is wonderful. I was very much impressed. Clark is as usual very handsome and sexy. I'm not familiar with the pre Hollywood code but I guess this would be fairly risqué as Carole is shown in her underwear. A good movie, nothing special, but fun to watch.

Pleasant-enough screwball comedy, with plenty of perks.

[Ben_Cheshire · 5/10 · 23 February 2004]

The perks of this movie are many: a fun screwball comedy set-up involving card-sharking, two beautiful stars looking young and fantastic (you'll see why women first fell in love with Clarke Gable, and found him ideal to play Rhett Butler), the only on screen pairing of said stars, who were to become husband and wife. He would love her long after she died in a tragic plane accident on a mission to sell war bonds (i think it was). Another perk is the pre-production code raunchiness. You may notice that any movie made between 1930-1934 seems a lot racier than movies made before or after then. This is because in this short period there was no censorship of movie content, and no rules to say what you could and could not show on screen. This was left to the filmmaker's discretion. So you'll find shots of Gable in the shower, and Lombard also, though she is much less exposed. Not actual nudity, of course, but open sexiness banished from movies from 1934 till whenever the Hayes code ended - such as Gable asking Lombard the librarian to fetch him a book from the top shelf so she has to climb up the ladder and he can look at her legs.

If you've never seen a screwball comedy, you might be pleasantly surprised. They're all pretty fun. Bringing up Baby with Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn is probably the best one. They were all the rage in the 30's, and Carole Lombard was the ideal screwball heroine. To be recommended.

Nothing "Screwball" About This Interesting Movie

[writerasfilmcritic · 8/10 · 9 July 2006]

I think other reviewers heard that this was supposed to be "a screwball comedy" and ran with that idea because they didn't know what else to say. I didn't see anything light and fluffy or "screwball" about it. Perhaps "offbeat" might be a more apt characterization. Gable's interpretation of the New York gambler was interesting because something in his usual sort of charming yet manly approach was notably lacking. He possessed the irreverent and utterly confident attitude we have come to associate with his other performances, but a number of his youthful facial expressions were of a more complex and unfamiliar sort. The reserved yet knowing way he nodded howdy-do upon introduction to Lombard's mother and then her father was especially amusing, I thought. There were also the many intriguing interactions with the actress, herself, particularly with regard to the touchy subjects of marriage and stability. The oft-subtle writing in this flick made for several interesting moments and both actors were fully up to the challenge of a sensitive and intelligent interpretation of the script. It is also interesting that there was allegedly no actual romantic attachment between these two because the chemistry was already quite evident. It must have miffed a number of the more glamorous Hollywood starlets when Lombard won Gable's heart in real life. Although beautiful, she wasn't glamorous, nor was she pretentious and affected, but more like the girl next door. I read that the library scene (where Gable sent her up a ladder as an excuse to examine her legs) single-handedly started some sort of decency league in the motion picture industry. The bluenoses are always with us, aren't they, shoving their childish attitudes down the throats of the adults. Much more risqué was the scene in which Lombard's predecessor, Kay, appeared on screen in a see-through nightgown that revealed critical aspects of her anatomy, both front and back. The thirties obviously were a much less prudish time because her gentlemen friends didn't even pay much attention, at least not overtly, and scenes such as that would not appear in movies again until the sixties. We've noted a similar sensuality in other movies from that era. As a society, we keep coming back to the cultural doldrums, where they are pushing wealth or war or something else that always seems to further the interests of those in control. Unconventional times like the thirties and the sixties are few and far between. It showed in this movie.

A legendary Hollywood couple shine in their only film together.

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 1 March 2013]

Long before they were an off-screen couple, Carole Lombard and Clark Gable were paired on screen. Once, it turns out, and that pairing (which should have lead to others) is one of the greatest in film history. Gable plays a gambler who gets rid of a mistress (Dorothy Mackaill) and takes a trip out of New York to put some distance between them. Staying in a small town, Gable meets pretty librarian Carole Lombard, romances her and on a whim, marries her. He's already told Mackaill he's not the marrying kind, so when the newlywed couple get back to New York, there is lots of confusion among Gable's crowd who are shocked by his impetuous decision. Gable's involved in crooked gambling schemes, and the pressures of his new life force Gable to decide to take drastic measures to change. Mackaill pops back up to offer her replacement a piece of advice and spill some beans of her own.

Before Clark Gable put on his mustache, he was quite a dashing looking young man, and in this film, he is even better than he was in many of his MGM films. It is ironic that away from his home studio, he lightened up a bit, the other time being his Oscar Winning performance in Columbia's "It Happened One Night". The truly likable Carole Lombard is beautiful without being a threat, a young lady filled with humor, charm and spunk, truly natural in her acting style and a heroine you genuinely route for. Many young actresses over the decades have tried to emulate her without success.

Gable and Lombard show playful spunk in a scene in the small town library where Lombard works. Elizabeth Patterson is delightful as Lombard's imperious mother, with Grant Mitchell in fine support as Gable's associate. Mackail, once a pre-code star of shady lady dramas, gives her all to the seemingly hard character who can't help but be won over when she sees the truth about who Lombard really is. Real life couples don't often work together well on-screen (most of Taylor & Burton's films) but that is not the case here. Maybe that's the charm that couldn't be repeated in further pairings, so we're lucky we have the one.

See You In Church As Lombard's Mantra

[[e-mail] · 5/10 · 16 August 2007]

Recently my favorite video store acquired this movie on DVD, and I was very hopeful in renting it. As I am a huge fan of William Powell and Carole Lombard in "My Man Godfrey," I was astonished to hear the line "See you in church," dropped casually by Lombard in the middle of this film. That line, of course, appears early on in "My Man Godfrey."

I had always thought that this was a comic device, used for that particular film, but apparently it was something of comic parlance in the 1930s. After all, there is a four year spread between this film and "My Man Godfrey". If it still has resonance now, it must have been doubly meaningful to audiences then.

The plot itself is really thin, with Gable's character "Babe" deciding to marry Lombard's "Connie" on the flip of a coin. I don't know whether that was supposed to be THE COMIC DEVICE of the film or whether it was a throw-away notion coming from the screenwriters. It really doesn't matter much because it ruined the whole notion of the film, which is that Gable's "Babe" doesn't want any attachments of any kind to interfere with his life as a card sharp and cheat.

In the social history context, it is very interesting to see a film which shows men of wealth and status in New York City -- in the third year of the great Depression ( counting 1930, '31, and '32 as the epicenter of that disastrous time ) -- casually gambling away sums of money that would easily have sustained a family of four over an entire year !!

Lombard is an intriguing personality in the history of the American cinema and every one of her performances in the '30s speaks volumes about the genius she had contained within herself. She is so wistfully beautiful and her comic timing is usually impeccable. In this film she plays a woman who thinks she is wasting away in her small town, bored with her "unsteady" boyfriend and bored with her job as a librarian. The point is, however, that she was a young woman with a job in the depths of a depression that savaged the whole of the U.S. economy.

For audiences of that era, her character's decision to toss that safety and security for an "instant marriage" to the rogue "Babe" would have been both scandalous and highly romantic. The fact that Gable's very nefarious alternative lifestyle -- as a card sharp and con man -- nets him a plush apartment and plenty of ready money, doubles the scandalous nature of the plot. The fact that he and his confederates fleece the social class known as "New York Swells" accounts for some of the film's popularity in that time and in that era.

But Gable's "Babe" is not some Robin Hood type in a tuxedo. He and his partners cheat the rich and keep the money for themselves.

They are not progressives, they are not "reformers," they are crooks.

This enjoyable film earns a 5 from me for the supporting cast of actors and from Lombard's extraordinary ease of performance. The plot itself is so near to being utter nonsense that only her luminous and magnetic beauty saves the day for the entire ensemble. Clark Gable was the "good guy" with heartburn in "It Happened One Night," which is a far, far superior film. Here, he is just flat out all criminal with heartburn and no better than the bankers of that day, who foreclosed on homes and farms with nary a thought to the long-term consequences to their customers, to society, or to the health of the country which made them so prosperous to begin with. Seventy-five years later, these nuances are probably lost on people who don't know a lot about our true American history. The formulaic "happy ending" tells me that the producers ran out of story before the actors ran out of charisma or talent.

Don't Bet on Blondes

[lugonian · 6/10 · 18 November 2012]

NO MAN OF HER OWN (Paramount, 1932), directed by Wesley Ruggles, is a notable film mostly for its pairing of Clark Gable (on loan from MGM) and Carole Lombard, if not much else. Though they would have made a great team in future film projects, mainly comedies, perhaps, this was to become their only teaming together. The term of "Gable and Lombard" wouldn't become legendary until years later when they officially became a married couple in 1939. As it stands in cinema history, this is where Gable and Lombard actually met.

Following the opening titles where the names and faces of its leading players are cleverly inserted into a deck of cards, the story opens at a luxurious New York City apartment of Kay Everly (Dorothy MacKaill) where of a game of poker is being held. Guests include professional cardsharp, Jerry "Babe" Stewart (Clark Gable), who "never goes back on a coin," his partners in crime, Vargas (Paul Ellis, Charlie Vane (Grant Mitchell); and the wealthy opponent, Mr. Morton (Walter Walker), president of the Riverside Bank. After Morton loses a considerable amount of money, the gentlemen depart, going their separate ways by taxi. Moments later, Babe, Vargas and Charlie return to the apartment where Babe goes over their mistakes. As Babe breaks his engagement with his mistress, Kay, Dick Collins (J. Farrell MacDonald), detective and close friend of Morton, enters the scene. Though he doesn't have enough evidence to place him under arrest, he informs Babe he's going to keep him and his gang under close surveillance. Sensing Collins wise to his racket, and that Kay could possibly betray him to the police, Babe feels it best to leave town until things blow over. At a flip of a coin, Babe takes the next train to the small town of Glendale. Upon registering at the Palace Hotel, he encounters Connie Randall (Carole Lombard), a librarian, bored enough to go away with the next traveling salesman who comes along. Though Babe is no salesman, he does sell himself to Connie, her parents (George Barbier and Elizabeth Patterson) and teenage brother, Willie (Tommy Conlan). After a social gathering at the Randall home, Babe follows Connie to Lake Inspiration where she's spending the weekend with friends. While inside her cabin, at a flip of a coin, Babe and Connie come to terms and get married. Taking up residence in New York, Babe pretends to be working at a Wall Street firm by day while continuing to host poker parties with suckers at night. As Connie notices Babe cheating at cards and learning of his crooked activities, an argument ensues, forcing Babe to take a three month leave for South America while Connie, at Babe's urging, to return home to her family. Awaiting for Babe's return, Connie receives a surprise visit from Kay informing her where Babe's actually been for three months.

Unless pertaining to the Kay Everly character, the title appears to have no bearing to the plot. The original story credited to Edmund Goulding, however, was initially done as a silent movie titled HAPPINESS AHEAD (First National Pictures, 1928) starring Colleen Moore, Edmund Lowe and Lilyan Tashman in the Lombard, Gable and MacKaill roles. As interesting as titles become recycled, HAPPINESS AHEAD (First National) was not only reused for a 1934 Dick Powell musical, but Paramount reused its NO MAN OF HER OWN title (1950) for an entirely different melodrama starring Barbara Stanwyck and John Lund.

Basically a dramatic tale, there are amusing elements performed to classify this as a comedy. The initial opening using a teaser certainly plays like one directed by Ernst Lubitsch. Gable shows his comedic flare through his several attempts gathering attention from the local librarian (Lombard). He also shows himself as a great ladies man when he and librarian clinch before the night is over. Though Lombard's reputation for screwball comedy wouldn't be realized until after her performance in TWENTIETH CENTURY (Columbia, 1934), her comedic talent does turns up occasionally through her sassy one-liners. Had NO MAN OF HER OWN been released a year earlier, Dorothy MacKaill might have assumed Lombard's role. A leading actress for First National Pictures (1925-31), with her most notable performance being the pre-code melodrama, SAFE IN HELL (1931), MacKaill's career by this time has reverted to forgettable projects and/or secondary roles until her retirement in 1937. With all the attention drawn towards Gable and Lombard, MacKaill's limitations during the opening and closing segments, could easily have any film buff forget she's in the movie at all. Though underscoring is sporadic, popular tunes lifted from earlier 1932 Paramount musicals, "Give Her a Kiss" (from THE PHANTOM PRESIDENT) and the title tune from LOVE ME TONIGHT, are used to good advantage for the cabin sequence between Gable and Lombard.

Distributed to home video in 1986 from Kartes Home Entertainment, and later on MCA/UA video and DVD, NO MAN OF HER OWN, has turned up on cable television's American Movie Classics (1993-94) and Turner Classic Movies (TCM premiere October 13, 2008). Though not the immortal classic one could have hoped for, Gable and Lombard is all that's needed to watch, even at a flip of a coin. (*** decks of cards)

The only pairing of Lombarde and Gable...pretty good

[nomoons11 · 6/10 · 1 February 2013]

You would think that since this is the only film with these 2 big stars it would be a big one...don't expect anything groundbreaking.

A Card Sharp has his way with a lot of suckers in the city but a pesky cop keeps on his tail and he decides it's time to get out of town. He heads to a small town and tries his suave city ways on a bored local girl. She sees right through him but she likes him. They immediately fall in love but she wants marriage. He thinks he'll just have some fun but she won't have it. They flip a coin and she wins. They get married. He gets back to the city thinking he'll keep her around for a few months and send her back home. Only thing is, he doesn't foresee her taking charge and loving him...for real. She finally realizes he's a Card Sharp and tries to convince him to stop...He won't.

Carole Lombard is as beautiful as ever but this early effort doesn't show what she had in store with the screwball comedy antics she had in store for her later films. This one is a fairly ordinary light comedy/drama. Don't expect fireworks considering the 2 leads and you'll be fine.

Clark and Carole as you want them

[TheLittleSongbird · 6/10 · 25 February 2020]

Both Clark Gable and Carole Lombard were such charismatic and likeable presences. Lombard was a joy in so much of her work and her tragic early death was a huge loss, and Gable was suave and versatile as well as difficult to look away from. 'No Man of Her Own' had an attention grabbing title and the premise while unoriginal sounded entertaining. It was also interesting to see Gable and Lombard so early in their careers together before they became a married couple.

'No Man of Her Own' is definitely worth watching, but there are major drawbacks that stop it from being an essential as an overall film. It is though a must if one wants to see Gable and Lombard together pre-marriage and back when they were still in a way finding their styles, or see everything both have done. A curio if you will, though faring better than quite a lot of other curiosities that vary wildly in quality, with 'No Man of Her Own' is somewhere around high-middle of the pack. Has Gable done better? Oh yes, most definitely. Has Lombard? Yes, though her role here suits her perfectly.

Gable and Lombard are the main reasons to see 'No Man of Her Own' too. Gable is attractive, never less than very confident and very charming. It is also difficult to resist Lombard, whose presence is just riveting and so endearing, she has bubbly comic timing and she handles the more serious parts without being too sentimental. They are very at ease together too and gel so well, they could easily pass for a real-life married couple here.

The production values are not lavish but they have class. The offbeat parts of the script sparkle in wit and the dialogue doesn't feel too corny or awkward generally with some genuine fuel. Grant Withers and Elizabeth Patterson are every bit as engaging as Gable and Lombard and enough of the film goes at a swift rate.

Wesley Ruggles' direction though doesn't rise enough above "getting the job done but routine" level, and although the supporting cast are capable only Withers and Patterson stand out as the only memorable supporting characters.

Did find too much of the story stretched too thin, with a few too many all too easy contrivances and some parts are more complicated than needed. The ending also struck a false note, too saccharine and far too pat.

Summing up, above average if not much more than that. See it for Gable and Lombard, who really do rise above their material. 6/10

Depression era card snipe meets his match

[RJBurke1942 · 7/10 · 5 January 2007]

The nineteen-thirties saw a lot of comedies made. And this was one of many comedies made during the height of the Depression.

But, it wasn't the first time for Gable and Lombard to be in comedy, although it was the first and only time that the two were together in a movie (they got married, for real, in 1939).

'Babe' Stewart (Clark Gable) is the boss of a gang of card snipes, working the short con on any suckers they can find – rich ones, that is. After a bungled session, he goes on the lam to upstate New York and stops at Glendale, where he meets the local librarian, Connie Randall (Carole Lombard). He's so impressed with her, he agrees to marry her -- on the toss of a coin, no less – and they return to New York where he spends the next few months trying to keep the secret of his wealth from Connie.

Before things unravel for Babe, he decides to fake a trip to South America while he voluntarily gives himself up to the cop who's been trying to pin a rap on him for years – thereby getting the cops off his back once and for all, and hence able to settle down to genuine married life with Connie whom, he thinks, knows nothing of his criminal life and duplicity.

How wrong can Babe be? See the movie and find out...

I'm a Classic Hollywood fan, of all genres, so I was glad to finally catch this one on DVD. The print was pretty good, so the sound and picture quality were great. And, like many other movies of that era, the settings were very much like stage productions, as though you are sitting in a live theatre: actors crisscrossing in front of the camera, very few reverse angle shots, and none-too-tight framing of the main characters, especially when in a lovers' clinch.

Philosophically, the story raises an interesting aspect about their marriage: at the end, just what is the basis for their bond? Is their love based on mutual love, or mutual lies?

Pre-Hays code makes this one a great movie

[we2 · 10/10 · 27 August 2008]

The Hays code instituted in 1930 didn't go into effect until 34. This 1933 movie profited from no Hays censorship. No Man Of Her Own is a wonderful picture. It's sexy, classy and has a touch of humor that had me rooting for a happy ending. Gable, without mustache, plays well with Lombard who is really beautiful and a first rate actress.

Gable shows all of the suave persona that carried him thru his entire career. It's been written that at this time he and Lombard had no personal relationship which developed years later. They were natural here and it is a shame that this is the only film they made together.

A must see film.

Lean plot buoyed by leads.

[st-shot · 6/10 · 21 June 2021]

Card shark Babe Stewart (Clark Gable) has a sweet set-up shaking down swells in the big city but a dogged detective forces him to head for the hills in a backwater where he meets librarian Connie (Carole Lombard). The bored Connie falls for Babe who sees her as an asset to his card scam and in an impetuous moment marry. Once Connie is up to speed she rejects the game plan but a smittem Babe makes an effort to reform.

No Man of Her Own is the only Gable Lombard feature they ever starred in together ( they appeared as minor players in silent films) and well before they became an item. Yet it adds to the interest in this semi-interesting tale of the conniving Gable and the aggresive librarian Lombard in the converation and clinches that in reality would lead them down the aisle a few years later.

Gable is taking his first steps into superstardom at this point of his career and while the power and charisma of his personality is well in evidence it is Lombard who owns the picture with her clear headed sincerity and level headed altruism.

Small town librarian meets flip of the coin card shark...

[Doylenf · 5/10 · 13 October 2008]

The above heading tells the whole story--and because of the great chemistry between Lombard and Gable, you know how it's going to turn out even when things look bad for their flip of the coin decision to marry. CLARK GABLE and CAROLE LOMBARD are clearly deserving a better script than this, but they manage to keep the whole thing breezy and easy to watch simply because of their magnetism.

Gable without his mustache still has the famous charm that makes his card shark a lovable enough gangster, and Lombard is a vision of loveliness whether wearing daytime clothes or lingerie or satin lounging pajamas. They both look remarkably at ease as romantic co-stars years before they married in real life.

GRANT WITHERS is Gable's friend and has the only supporting role worth mentioning, aside from ELIZABETH PATTERSON as Carole's sweet and fluttery mother. The tale rests entirely on the skillful interplay between the two stars and it's a good thing, because the plot is transparently thin and never really goes anywhere.

Directed by Wesley Ruggles, it's a shame the script didn't give the pair a better opportunity to shine but they do, despite the weaknesses of a so-so story.

Love beats a full house every time

[SimonJack · 8/10 · 20 January 2017]

This light drama and love story is based on a pulp fiction novel by Val Lewton, "No Bed of Her Own." Lewton was a successful producer, screenwriter and writer who died at age 46 from a heart attack. He is most known for his horror films, but he contributed extensively to screenplays for some major films, including "Gone With the Wind."

Clark Gable and Carole Lombard are cast in their only film together – a few years before they would marry. When this movie was made in 1932, they were married to their second and first spouses, respectively.

This story is something of a morality tale. Gable's Babe Stewart is a card shyster who operates a fixed poker game with partners who fleece an occasional rich man. The law is on his trail, but Detective Dickie Collins (played by J. Farrell MacDonald) can't get the goods on Babe because none of his victims will talk. The patsies taken to the cleaners can all afford to lose the $4,000 or $5,000 in each game. And, the partners run such a smooth operation that their victims never suspect they've been cheated. The only way they find out is when Collins tells them about it on the phone. He stakes out Babe's place and watches who comes and goes, then calls the victims and tells them the routine. But, Babe knows that the rich guys won't file complaints because they don't want the publicity.

After one particular game, the female member of the group, Kay Everly (played by Dorothy Mackaill) is upset because she's no longer Babe's moll. Babe is worried she may go to Collins, so he decides to skip town for a while. He winds up in the town of Glendale. We don't know where that is, but it must be some distance from New York by an overnight train ride. (The only Glendale in NY is in Queens, but the fictitious Glendale of this film would have been at least 600 miles from New York City based on the speed of train travel in the early 1930s.) There he meets the city librarian, Connie Randall (played by Carole Lombard). She's just been itching to leave her small town.

The two fall for each other, but she won't be taken advantage of. On the toss of a coin, he agrees to marry her. They head for New York, and after a time Connie becomes aware of Babe's game. By now the two are deeply in love. When he decides to go to South America with his two buddies, Charlie Vane (Grant Mitchell) and Vargas (Paul Ellis), Connie tells him that she'll be waiting for him. She gives him a pep talk that he's more than a card shark, and that he can be so much more. She loves him and he loves her.

He has an idea from that and his plans change. You'll have to watch the movie to see the rest. It's very worthwhile. This is a nice story of love and redemption. As I watched the end of this film, I thought of how any other woman might have reacted – either going along with the cheating operation, or complaining and scolding Babe. But, Connie bared her soul and love for the guy. And, that led to a change and the end of this movie with a warm and humorous touch.

All of the cast are very good. This is a good film that doesn't celebrate dishonesty and cheating, or elevate the perpetrators. Instead, it shows the effect real love can have in shaping lives. It may not have started out that way – in the minds of the producers, but it's a good morality tale with a happy ending. Justice is served up nicely.

That volume is checked out

[dballtwo · 7/10 · 8 June 2020]

Let me ask you a question. If there was a girl in your town who looked like Carole Lombard, do you think she'd have any trouble getting a date? Me neither, but that's the premise of this picture, whose stars at least must have wondered the same thing, especially Lombard. She plays a rural librarian swept off her feet by card-sharp Gable, and the producers don't even take the trouble to tone down her looks in the first scenes; she's as beautiful as always from start to finish. These two were among Hollywood's most reliable and enjoyable performers, and were paid like it, even for a puzzling effort like this one.

Distinctly Average

[1930s_Time_Machine · 5/10 · 14 November 2022]

It's a nice film - that's about all that can be said about this. Hardly a classic, hardly memorable but nevertheless somehow it's still quite entertaining.

It's a well made, well directed and well acted lightweight romance. It's packed with the usual early thirties escapist tropes: tuxedos, silk evening gowns and champagne but what makes this rise above the predictable inconsequential flotsam of the era is Clarke Gable. This is his film and Clarke Gable does what Clarke Gable does - plays the smooth talking, ridiculously charming scoundrel. Not too sure how good an actor he actually was, but whatever it was he did, he did it brilliantly. Just watching him do whatever he does is all the evidence you need to explain why he was the world's biggest movie star. Carole Lombard on the other hand however is clearly a good actress; her eyes can really say a million words and the on-screen chemistry between her and her future husband is electric.

Originally Marion Davies was to star in this but when Clarke Gable got the part to play opposite her she knew that he, not her would get top billing so opted out. That was a situation she was not prepared to live with (and being the executive producer, she could do that). She knew that nobody could compete his his volcano of charisma. It's that charisma alone which makes this otherwise banal story just about worth watching.

not convincing but...

[Vincentiu · 11 September 2014]

one of films interesting only for cast. the story is a chain of conventions , the dialogs - unrealistic and entire story seems be an improvisation. the good part -the performance of Carole Lombard. the bad part - the end and Clark Gable in a role who uses to much the stereotypes. a movie interesting for the old flavor, for the romance - not remarkable but nice -, for few scenes - parts of the period sensitivity and, sure, for the atmosphere of a kind of fairy tale. far to be bad, it is confuse. its subject is absent, the bad good guy is fake but the desire of team to do a nice comedy is meritorious. against, maybe, the result.