Susan Lenox (Her Fall And Rise) (1931)

After fleeing her abusive Uncle's (Jean Hersholt) house after an attempted rape by a man (Alan Hale) her Uncle was forcing her to marry, a young woman (Greta Garbo) meets a young architect (Clark Gable) and falls in love. But fate has a grim destiny set for her and after the architect abandons her, she drifts from man to man, going from a rich politician's mistress to singing in third world dives. Based on the novel by David Graham Phillips and directed by Robert Z. Leonard (PRIDE AND PREJUDICE). The only pairing of Garbo and Gable (not yet the iconic star he would become in a few years), the sparks may not fly but there's still enough star power to make wading through this pre-code soap opera worthwhile. Alas, the downbeat realistic ending that seems inevitable never comes to pass and instead, we get a real eye roller of a "happy" ending. Still, the public lapped it up and the film was a big hit. With John Miljan and Cecil Cunningham.