Strangers May Kiss 1931

Lisbeth Norma Shearer is a proud, glamorous, sexy woman whose core beliefs about love and marriage revolve around freedom. She falls in love with Neil Hamilton as Alan Harlow, a newspaper reporter who agrees that their relationship should stay friendly and physical. Robert Montgomery as Steve, her childhood friend who is deeply in love with her, watches from a distance, hoping she will find happiness even as she moves between men.

Her relationship with Alan soon grows difficult. Lisbeth’s aunt Celia, a strong voice on love and marriage, insists that marriage and love are not enemies, saying, > marriage and love are not enemies. A woman doesn’t know how to be in love until she’s been married ten years. < Celia’s perspective clashes with the reality Lisbeth faces when she discovers that her husband, Hale Hamilton Andrew, has been cheating. Overcome with despair, Celia ends her life by jumping from her apartment window, a tragedy that sends shockwaves through Lisbeth and Alan’s world.

Alan, shocked by what happened, fears Lisbeth will fall into the same trap of sentiment and dependency. He leaves for a month without telling her where he’s going or when he’ll return. Lisbeth tries to move on, but when Alan comes back, she forgives him, and they embark on a vacation to Mexico, where they seem briefly happy together. Yet the peace is short-lived: Alan reveals that he must leave for a new assignment in China and that he did not intend to take her with him, and he adds that he has a wife back home to consider. The blow leaves Lisbeth reeling.

Rather than returning to her old life, Lisbeth heads to Europe for two years to “have fun,” a period during which she becomes quite notorious in Paris for her promiscuity. Steve tracks her down with the intention of marrying her, while on the same day Alan calls to say he has divorced his wife and is coming to see her in person, which briefly brightens her mood. But the revelation of Lisbeth’s past proves to be a barrier once more, and Alan leaves her again, leaving her heartbroken.

Years pass, and Lisbeth eventually returns to New York. One night she runs into Alan at a theater, and he tells her that he has forgiven her. In a final, hopeful turn, Lisbeth walks back toward him, choosing to believe in a reconciliation that might sustain them into the future.