Customer Reviews

No Man of Her Own

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

No Man Of Her Own stars the great Clark Gable as Babe Stewart, a card shark and a crook cheating innocent people out of their money in "friendly little card games" with his buddies. Carol Lombard plays Connie Randall, a small town girl bored silly who marries Babe Stewart on the flip of a coin when he is in her small town to avoid "the heat" of the police chasing after him.

Fortunately, the plot gets better! After a somewhat slow start to establish this rather unlikely hasty marriage, Babe Stewart and his new wife Connie finally return to Babe's home town of New York. Eventually Connie gets wise to Babe's card shark ways and then comes "the" confrontation.

Of course, you may think I've said it all--but after Connie confronts Babe the plot has a lot of directions in which to travel. Will Babe reform? Will he kick Connie out of his life or give her "hush money" to keep her from squealing to the police? Will Connie join Babe and his buddies and become a part of the racket? And what about Babe's former girlfriend, the histrionic Kay Everly (Dorothy Mackaill) who threatens to jump off the balcony of Babe's high rise apartment if Babe doesn't return to her? Will Kay try to ruin Connie's affections for Babe? No spoilers here, folks--you'll have to watch the movie to find out the answers!

The choreography works well in the scenes where Connie is pursued in the library by Babe after they first meet; and the cinematography framed things well within the screen, too.

The DVD only has a brief introduction by Robert Osbourne of Turner Classic Movies; we get no deleted scenes or other special extras. Sorry, folks!

Overall, No Man Of Her Own is a much better film than some people will say. It held my attention very well. We get to see a very young Clark Gable working at his very best with his future wife Carol Lombard; and their onscreen chemistry works to enhance the picture.

I highly recommend this film for fans of pre-code drama; and people who are fans of Carol Lombard and Clark Gable will want to see this one, too.

Enjoy!

A comedy this is not.

This is an interesting little film that could not have been made after after the code crackdown. The story line is an amoral one if not down right immoral. Gable plays the hero--a crooked gambler. Lombard plays a had-it-up-to-here small town girl ready to escape at the first offer. Lucky girl, Gable is the first offer. They marry on impulse, he thinking it is for laughs while she sees good in him that no one else can see, espcially those of us watching the film.

He draws her into his crooked gambling schemes then tries to shake her but see won't leave him. I suppose, if we stretch the point, her love for him redeems him some. Can one be a little bit redeemed?

Subject matter, a lack of moral characters, shower and clothes-changing scenes and see thru dresses make this film that was not shown on TV often I am sure. But as the only screen pairing of Gable and Lombard it is worth owning.

This video already has two major league stars to draw attention - the handsome Clark Gable and the gorgeous Carole Lombard, who shared a true life fairy tale romance. The plot of the movie is quite well put together. Clark Gable plays a ruthless gambler, Babe Stewart, who leaves New York and goes to small town Glendale to get away from some financial problems where he meets Connie Randall, played by Carole Lombard, who is the cynical town librarian. Gable is instantly attracted, but not in love, he marries her on the flip of a coin and sees her as prosperous to his social activities. Connie is deeply in love, and does not realise that her husband is only stringing her along. She does not know his true profession and when she does find out, she ruins his chances for big money. Gable's character finally realises at the end that he does love Connie and he is prepared to change his ways for her, such as hand himself over to the ever watchful authorities. Connie goes back to Glendale, she believes her husband is in South America, she does not know he is trying to change his ways for her.... I highly recommend this romantic comedy to all classic movie lovers. The characters were played superbly by Gable and Lombard, whose chemistry highlighted this movie. They were supported by an excellent all star cast.

Strangely, this little flick is the only one in which both Gable and Lombard appeared in together. Clark Gable was such a blazing new star in 1932 that acquiring him for NO MAN OF HER OWN was considered a major coup. It came about when MGM wanted Fredric March to star with Norma Shearer in SMILIN' THROUGH and in exchange was negotiated. Gable's potent magnetism had a responsive foil in Carole Lombard, he as a crooked gambler on the run from detectives, she as a wise, big city gal, hiding out as a small town librarian who falls for his advances and marries him..........When Gable returns to New York for more "easy money", he eventually surrenders to the law because a jealous confederate (Dorothy Mackaill) threatens to expose him. The routine plot caught fire from the Lombard-Gable spark, which also ignited a long (albeit intermittent) off-screen love affair which eventually led to marriage seven years later. Carole Lombard was born Jane Alice Peters in Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1908; she was originally a chubby Mack Sennett bathing beauty in silents. Gable was born William Clark Gable in Cadiz, Ohio on February 1, 1901; he got his start in show business doing theatre work in Portland, Oregon, much to the dismay of his stern German dad, who was never terribly impressed with his son's success in the movies; he thought acting was an inept way for a man to make a living.

Clark Gable and Carole Lombard were one of the greatest Hollywood couples. Briefly married in 1939 (until Lombard's untimely death in 1942), they only ever starred in one movie together. NO MAN OF HER OWN was filmed in 1932 when both were married to different people; their relationship started shortly after the filming wrapped. In the movie we can observe the crackling chemistry which later crossed over into their personal lives.

In NO MAN OF HER OWN, Clark Gable plays Babe Stewart, a professional con man and cardshark who decides to get away from New York to avoid the prying eyes of a vice squad detective. In the small town of Glendale we meet Connie Randall (Carole Lombard), a librarian simply aching to leave the confines of her tight-knit community. On the toss of a coin, Connie and Babe get married, but when they return to New York, how will Babe explain his "profession" to his new bride?

This is a joyful romantic comedy with lots of sass and sparkle. Gable and Lombard will have you transfixed from the very moment they meet in the movie. The reason why they never made another film together was because Gable was contracted with MGM and Lombard spent the bulk of her career at Paramount. Clark Gable was briefly loaned out to Paramount to participate in NO MAN OF HER OWN (in exchange, Bing Crosby would cross over to MGM to star opposite Marion Davies "Going Hollywood"); so it was extremely difficult for Gable and Lombard to be reunited in another movie.

The DVD includes an all-new introduction from Turner Classic Movies host Robert Osborne. (Single-sided, single-layer disc).

I first came across this film at a local video store that carries hundreds of old classic films that you can't find anywhere else. Because of the great characters and great acting, it is one of my favorites. The plot is so unique. I love how Babe wants to become an "honest man" but doesn't want Connie to know. And even more so that when Connie finds out he had been in jail for 90 days, she doesn't tell Babe that she knows. She just lets him tell his stories and loves him even more than she did before. What a fun love story!

This movie is quite funny and both Lombard and Gable are great! I however felt that the relationship between the two characters could have been developed a little more. It was as though their getting to know each other was rushed through. Other than that it is a def. great classic! Just not one of the best. =)

From the first time i had the good fortune to see this movie i knew
why Clark Gable made it big in Hollywood. he makes you feel good whenever
he speaks or smiles. And the love between Lombard and Gable was apparent
even if they did not feel it themselves a great couple a great movie

No Man of Her Own is the story of a glamorous small town girl (Carole Lombard) who longs to break free from her monotonous life as a librarian. She finds her escape when she meets Babe the gambler (Clark Gable) who makes his money by scheming with a few buddies. By the flip of a coin they are married, and they find it hard coping with each other's expectations.

This film is most widely known as the only film to star the famous couple of Lombard and Gable, often thought to be Gable's only real love. The two have great chemistry and are sufficient enough to have garnered further films together; it is strange they did not, especially after their marriage.

This early film utilizes some scandalous images later banned from the screen including Lombard in her underwear and Gable from the waist up in the shower.

The picture is great, and the film makes use of some really beautiful shots, especially those set in the library.

Overall, this is a good, highly entertaining romantic film.

Paramount Pictures presents "NO MAN OF HER OWN" (1932) (82 min/B&W) -- Starring: Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, Dorothy Mackaill, Grant Mitchell, George Barbier, Elizabeth Patterson, J. Farrell MacDonald, Tommy Conlon

Directed by Wesley Ruggles

The plot and story line: -- 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, the rest is up to you!

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.

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.

* Special Footnote: -- Although Carole Lombard and Clark Gable later became one of Hollywood's most famous couples, they were completely indifferent to one another during the making of this film. It was not until several years later that they met again and fell in love.

** Another Footnote: -- After filming was over Carole Lombard presented Clark Gable with a ham featuring his picture on it.

BIOS:
1. Wesley Ruggles (Director)
Date of Birth: 11 June 1889 - Los Angeles, California
Date of Death: 8 January 1972 - Santa Monica, California

2. Clark Gable
Date of birth: 1 February 1901 - Cadiz, Ohio,
Date of death: 16 November 1960 - Los Angeles, California

3. Carole Lombard [aka: Jane Alice Peters]
Date of Birth: 6 October 1908 - Fort Wayne, Indiana
Date of Death: 16 January 1942 - Table Rock Mountain, Nevada (airplane crash)

Mr. Jim's Ratings:
Quality of Picture & Sound: 4 Stars
Performance: 4 Stars
Story & Screenplay: 4 Stars
Overall: 4 Stars [Original Music, Cinematography & Film Editing]

Total Time: 82 min on DVD ~ Paramount Pictures ~ (May 22, 2007)