For the first time in eight years under contract at Fox, Gaynor was loaned out to another studio (MGM) and attached to this project originally intended as a vehicle for Jean Harlow. Gaynor plays the title part of a sharp young woman stifled by the limits of provincial life. Rich brain surgeon (and charming lush) Robert Taylor sweeps her away to Boston after a quickie marriage, but snobbish urban society is scandalized by the newlyweds' spontaneous union. Based on a serialized novel by Ben Ames Williams, and reputedly doctored by a passel of scriptwriters, Small Town Girl was directed with energy and wit by William A. Wellman. Variety praised the film's “skillful blending of the sentimentality and the giggles,” and noted Gaynor's gift for sophisticated romantic comedy, adding that “it's a smacko assignment for Gaynor and she displays considerable authority in her performance.”