Susan Lenox (Her Fall and Rise)

film by Leonard [1931]

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June 17, 2026

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The 1931 film Susan Lenox (Her Fall and Rise), directed by Robert Z. Leonard, is notable for being the only film to pair Greta Garbo and Clark Gable. Leonard was a prominent director at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for three decades, known for his musicals and dramas. Garbo, a Swedish American actress, was a major star of the 1920s and 1930s, celebrated for her enigmatic portrayals of strong-willed heroines.12

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Robert Z. Leonard
From silent to sound
The 1931 melodrama Susan Lenox (Her Fall and Rise) was notable for being the first and only pairing of Greta Garbo and rising star Clark Gable, who returned (along with Shearer) for Strange Interlude (1932), a flawed adaptation of Eugene O’Neill’s nine-hour Pulitzer Prize-winning play.
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The 1931 melodrama Susan Lenox (Her Fall and Rise) was notable for being the first and only pairing of Greta Garbo and rising star Clark Gable, who returned (along with Shearer) for Strange Interlude (1932), a flawed adaptation of Eugene O’Neill’s nine-hour Pulitzer Prize-winning play.
Read More