this delicate shipboard romance be a popular favorite in it time and it not hard to see why . robert lord grab a well earn oscar for his original story and a fanciful but ingenious doom lover yarn that must have offer solace to depression era audience whose misery could only pale next to those of hard luck lead william powell and kay francis . the elegant pair fall in love on a frisco bound ocean liner and each harbor a terrible secret that curtail their future happiness he a convict murderer return to the gallows and she have a heart ailment and be live on borrowed time . never mind why a die woman be aboard a cruise ship instead of be ensconce in a terminal ward . or why the authority would send thick witted warren hymer of all cop to bring in powell . this be irresistible hoke and and the director tay garnet invest it with wonderfully eccentric touch ( like the burly lesbian among the trio of portly harmonizer in a hong kong bar ) and innovative dream like imagery ( i. e. and the startling camera zoom when powell spot francis at the ship rail ) . he also manage the near impossible feat of keep francis and the lisping clotheshorse and to a minimum of cloy eye roll and with no small help from powell wry and charmingly self efface performance . the heavy sentiment be deftly balance by the sparkle deadpan humor of aline macmahon a the russian countess barrelhaus ( in actuality the brooklyn con artist and barrel house betty ) and who conspire with perpetual drunk frank mchugh ( his grating presence be the film sole detriment ) to assist the lover . the coda and set in a mexican bar on new year eve and be unforgettable .