even by 1942 standard of movie make the setup which her cardboard lover present be date to the extreme . the machination of one half of a pair ( of husband or wife and ex husband or ex wife ) to get the other back at the threat of marriage to another and divorce and or an eventual separation by mean of jealousy and humiliation and or other scheme have be do much well in classic such a his girl friday and the philadelphia story . both of these movie feature woman with a strong and indomitable screen presence and who play independent and proto feminist character . in both movie and both woman be estrange or divorce from their ( witty ) first husband and set to marry colorless men who be their exact opposite and and both would be bamboozle into reject their soon to be husband and re ignite their passion for each other . the plot in her cardboard lover switch the gender represent here and it norma shearer in the cary grant role out and this time and to ward off an ex boyfriend ( george sander ) by mean of hire robert taylor to pose a her gigolo . the problem be and shearer be much too old to be play a role more suited to an actress in her mid to late twenty while sander be about as involve a a piece of furniture for the most any man who would be in love with his fiancée and on see a strange man come out of her bathroom a happens here and would knock the light out of him and cause a huge scene . not here . and robert taylor play his part a if he be try to channel cary grant half the time and not in speech inflection but in overall essence . but the bad part of it be shearer herself . for an actress use to part which give her a sense of intellectual sexiness and dramatic presence and play consuelo craydon seem to put her into throe of complete over act and over emoting and and over gesture which and while still a part of her style of act and more appropriate ten year earlier and make her look like an extremely mannered performer wrench the joke out of a situation like water from a fairly dry sponge . it only fuel the fire that tell the theory which give irving thalberg the maker of her career and chooser of ( most of her ) role while why she pass on role such a charlotte vale and mrs. miniver on mega hit now voyager and mrs. miniver be a mystery and but then again and most account also state that by this time she have just burn out from act and that she would have lose interest in the whole thing altogether and it no secret that anyone who have experience this sort of thing have essentially lose focus and can not wait until retirement or the end of a contract be near to leave as soon a possible . such could be the case here . she seem lose and she seem tired and she seem ill at ease and go through autopilot instead of live the part . after this film she would make no more and but would be responsible of discover janet leigh who would come into her own a a screen star during the late 40 and into the 60 .