Bette Davis was given her first starring role in Ex-Lady, an unjustly neglected picture. Her performance as a free-thinking advertising artist is spirited and engaging; the script is underlined by a proto-Women's Lib intelligence, and Florey's direction makes use of visual witticisms à la Lubitsch. The film observes several stages in an experimental relationship between a free-lance designer (Davis) and the director of a small ad agency (Gene Raymond). In an early scene, her parents catch their daughter in an act of frightful immorality-getting out of bed with her boyfriend, who has just spent the night! Neither parents nor lover can convince her to marry, at least not until it's on her own terms. When they do marry, they discover that living apart and extramarital affairs are a good way to spice up their sex life. Behind all the domestic action in Ex-Lady is the quest for a free and animated sexual relationship. The critics deplored it, Davis repudiated it; only the public showed an interest in Ex-Lady.