Hold Your Man

Hold Your Man is a 1933 American pre-Code romantic drama film directed by an uncredited Sam Wood and starring Jean Harlow and Clark Gable, the third of their six films together. The screenplay by Anita Loos and Howard Emmett Rogers was based on a story by Loos.

Small-time con man Eddie Hall hides from his latest victim and a policeman in the first unlocked apartment he can find. It turns out to be occupied by Ruby Adams, a cynical woman with numerous boyfriends. When it is safe to come out, Eddie wants to become better acquainted with his pretty rescuer. Although she resists at first, she ends up falling in love with him.

Eddie's partner Slim comes up with a scheme to catch one of Ruby's married admirers in a compromising position and blackmail him, but Eddie finds at the last moment that he cannot bear to have his girl involved in something that sordid. He breaks into Ruby's apartment and punches the would-be victim, accidentally killing him. Eddie escapes, but Ruby is caught and sentenced to a reformatory for two years. One of her fellow inmates turns out to be Gypsy Angecon, Eddie's previous girlfriend.

When Eddie learns from a released Gypsy that Ruby is pregnant with his child, he visits her; but, as a fugitive, he has to pretend to be there to see another inmate. Even though the authorities become suspicious, Eddie is determined to marry Ruby so his child will not be illegitimate. With the police closing in, instead of escaping he persuades a minister visiting his wayward daughter to marry them.

Afterwards, Eddie is caught and sent to prison. When he gets out, he is welcomed by Ruby and their young son. Ruby announces that Al Simpson, who had wanted to marry her himself, has gotten Eddie a legitimate job.

Uncredited Cast

Hold Your Man – the working titles for which were "Black Orange Blossoms", "He Was Her Man" and "Nora" – was in production from April 16 through May 1933.

Harlow and Gable made six films together, and Hold Your Man was the third, following on the great success of Red Dust (1932). In Hold Your Man, under the tightened reign of the Hays Office, Loos was forced by Louis B. Mayer, the head of MGM, to have Harlow's character be punished for her sins (Premarital sex among them), which is why Ruby spends time in a reformatory, and also why Ruby and Eddie have to get married.