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Strange Interlude (1932) Costarring: Gable
is Dr. Ned Darrell, who has fallen in love with Nina Leeds (Shearer), a
free-spirited young woman who is mourning the loss of her love in World War
I. Also in love with her are family friend Charlie (Morgan) and Sam
(Kirkland), a friend of her deceased boyfriend. Sam proposes to Nina and
even though she is still heartbroken, she accepts and decides to move on
with her life. Right after their marriage, Sam's mother (May Robson) tells
Nina that she and Sam must never have a child because insanity runs rampant
in Sam's father's side of the family. She recommends that Nina give Sam a
child fathered by another man to keep him happy and never let him know the
truth. Devastated by the news, Nina turns to Ned for advice and Ned agrees
that she must give Sam a child to make him happy. Ned volunteers to sire the
child and soon they are in a passionate affair behind Sam's back. A boy is
born to Nina and Sam never suspects that the child is not his. Jealous
Charlie watches this all unfold, pining for Nina all the while. Years pass
and Nina and Ned constantly struggle with their love for each other and
whether or not to tell Sam the truth.
"I couldn't share a woman--even with a ghost." "You must admit that these triangular scenes are to say the least humiliating." "You're simply letting your romantic imagination run away with you." "I couldn't forget you. Other women only made me love you more. It was always you in my arms." "To kill happiness is a worse murder than taking life." "You can't experiment or meddle with human lives. But if you do, you have to have the courage to follow through." "See here, son, there are things a man of honor doesn't tell anyone. Not even his mother and father." "Both our lives have been pretty futile, Nina." "Goodbye, Nina." last line
MGM studio head Irving Thalberg (also Shearer's husband) personally supervised the production of this film. Gable felt uneasy having Thalberg on the set--especially while he was filming love scenes with Shearer, who never wore any underwear. This is the first Gable film to feature him with a mustache, although it was a fake one applied by the makeup department to make him look older.
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