Her Cardboard Lover 1942

In a sunlit Palm Beach casino, Terry Trindale [Robert Taylor] is a hopeful songwriter who becomes smitten with Consuelo Croyden [Norma Shearer], though she initially brushes off his advances. When a $3,200 gambling debt to Consuelo accumulates, she hires him as her secretary to work off what he owes, and, more importantly, to play the role of her fiancé. This ruse is designed to blunt the persistent attention of her former fiancé, Tony Barling [George Sanders], and to keep Consuelo from succumbing to his charms again.

Tony refuses to believe Consuelo has moved on, and his suspicions grow when he spots Terry at the casino, despite Terry’s affectionate gestures toward Consuelo. Tony manipulates a plan to win Consuelo back by inviting her on a yacht with a friend, but Terry steps in, reminding Consuelo of his responsibilities and shielding her from Tony’s advances. The uneasy balance between duty and desire becomes a constant undercurrent as Terry tries to keep Tony at a distance while remaining by Consuelo’s side.

Four weeks pass, and Consuelo finds herself still entangled with Terry, who has chosen not to accompany his songwriting partner Chappie Champagne [Frank McHugh] to New York City to push their latest tune. Consuelo signals that she no longer wishes to stand in the way of Terry’s career and offers to cancel part of his debt so he can join Chappie on the trip. Terry departs, but soon a call from Tony reaches Consuelo’s household; she invites him over, yet the call is a ruse—Terry arrives in disguise, voice altered, and berates Consuelo for her self-control or lack thereof. When Tony finally appears, he discovers Terry, clad in Consuelo’s satin pajamas, in bed, and a tense confrontation unfolds.

Terry resists admitting the truth about his relationship with Consuelo, and Tony storms off to his hotel, followed by a physical altercation that lands both men under arrest. During the ensuing hearing on charges of disturbing the peace and assaulting a police officer, Chappie arrives with funds from the sale of their song to pay Terry’s fine, and the courtroom atmosphere lightens with the possibility of reconciliation. Tony proposes to Consuelo, yet she realizes she is in love with Terry, despite the earlier deception. The situation escalates when Terry is briefly detained again for grand larceny after arriving at the airport with Chappie, a bogus charge which Consuelo had engineered to prevent his departure. The charge is ultimately dropped, and the story closes on a hopeful note as Terry and Consuelo embrace, having navigated a web of misdirection, loyalty, and evolving love.