Ann Harding

Ann Harding was perfect in this role, and had great chemistry not only with Robert Montgomery, but with her other male costars, Edward Everett Horton and Edward Arnold. Harding was beautiful, funny, charismatic, poignant, and charming. Someone like Jean Harlow would have been completely wrong, temperamentally, and too young. Jean Arthur or Claudette Colbert might have done the part successfully, but Harding was exceptionally good.