How did Hands Across the Table establish a pattern for Mitchell Leisen's romantic comedies?

The 1935 film Hands Across the Table established a recurring template for Mitchell Leisen’s romantic comedies by focusing on a strong, independent woman who finds herself unable to resist falling in love with a man who is undeniably charming but otherwise lacks substance or resources.1

In this film, Carole Lombard portrayed a manicurist who abandons her fortune-hunting ambitions after becoming smitten with a penniless playboy played by Fred MacMurray. This dynamic reflects Leisen’s broader reputation as a "woman's director," whose films were typically centered on powerful female leads who were rarely matched by male co-stars of equal stature or presence.12