March 11, 1970

A Free Soul (1931) ***

Norma Shearer gives the greatest performance of her career as frivolous playgirl who falls for a charming gangster (Clark Gable in an equally impressive performance that made him a star). But ironically, it was Lionel Barrymore who actually won an Oscar for his fine (but in this film, only third-best) performance as Shearer's father and Gable's lawyer.