The Wiser Sex (1932) Plot Summary Explained

Claire frames David on orders from mobster Harry Evans. When Phil shoots Evans in the arm during their confrontation, Evans kills Phil in the struggle. Evans then instructs Claire to claim Phil killed himself and to frame David as the killer, using her position to mislead the police and the court.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, David warns Phil that Claire belongs to Evans, establishing Evans's control over Claire.

• claire foster
• frame david
• phil long murder
• harry evans orders

Margaret goes undercover as Ruby Kennedy, a blonde gold digger, and takes a room next to Claire's. She befriends Claire with diamonds and liquor, gradually extracting information about the case. She discovers the missing bullet from David's gun is lodged in Evans's arm, proving Evans was the real killer.

Foreshadowing: During the party, Evans's cook Fritz accidentally bumps Evans's arm and Evans reacts strongly, hinting at the hidden wound.

• margaret undercover
• ruby kennedy
• evidence gathering
• clear david

Harry Evans killed Phil Long. Phil went to Claire's hotel with David's revolver to confront her. When Evans entered in a housecoat, Phil shot him in the arm. During the struggle that followed, Evans fatally shot Phil. Claire then helped Evans cover up the truth.

Foreshadowing: David warns Phil that Claire belongs to Evans, setting up the dangerous confrontation.

• phil long death
• harry evans killer
• who killed phil

Margaret adopts the Ruby Kennedy persona to get close to Claire and gather evidence that will exonerate David. By posing as a fellow gold digger, she earns Claire's trust and extracts crucial information about the murder case that the police and defense attorney missed.

Foreshadowing: Margaret comments that a jury of the 'wiser sex' would see through Claire's theatrics, establishing her determination to use her own intelligence against Claire.

• margaret undercover
• ruby kennedy gold digger
• investigation strategy

When Margaret returns for the trial and sees Claire successfully manipulating the all-male jury with her acting, she remarks that a jury of the 'wiser sex', meaning women, would see right through Claire's histrionics. This comment inspires Margaret to take matters into her own hands and go undercover to gather evidence.

• wiser sex jury
• female jury
• margaret comment

When Fritz the cook accidentally bumps Evans's arm at the party, Evans scolds him for calling attention to the wound. This reminds Margaret that Evans was wounded the morning of the murder. Later, Fritz is found dead, and Margaret realizes the missing bullet from David's gun is still lodged in Evans's arm, proving David didn't fire the fatal shot.

Foreshadowing: At the party, Evans's strong reaction to his arm being bumped hints at the hidden bullet wound.

• missing bullet
• evans wound
• fritz death
• evidence

Evans wants David dead because David, as a prosecutor, arrested Benny Morgan, one of Evans's racketeers. This direct attack on Evans's crime operation makes David a target. Evans orders his chauffeur Douglass Dumbrille to kill David, but the assassination attempt fails.

• harry evans
• mobster revenge
• david prosecutor target

Claire turns on Evans out of jealousy. When Evans's chauffeur identifies Margaret as David's fiancée during a rendezvous, Claire sees Evans paying attention to another woman and flies into a rage. In her jealous fury, Claire reveals that Evans is the one who killed Phil, exposing the truth.

Foreshadowing: Margaret and Jimmy host a party where Evans makes several passes at Margaret, planting the seeds of Claire's jealousy.

• claire jealous
• expose evans
• confession jealousy

Fritz, Evans's cook who helped treat Evans's arm wound the morning of the murder, is found dead the day after the party. His death removes the witness who could directly link Evans to the shooting, but his earlier accidental bump on Evans's arm at the party had already triggered Margaret's suspicion.

Foreshadowing: Fritz accidentally bumps Evans's arm during the party, causing Evans to scold him loudly.

• fritz cook death
• evans witness
• party incident

Thanks to Margaret's sleuthing and Claire's revelation in a jealous rage, David is released from custody. The truth about Evans being Phil's murderer comes to light, and David marries Margaret at the courthouse, sealing their happy ending.

• david released
• wedding ending
• happy ending

David warns Phil that Claire belongs to Evans because he knows Claire is a gold-digging moll with ties to the mobster. David also has a past involvement with Claire, making him protective of his naïve young cousin Phil, who is naive about Claire's true nature.

• david warns phil
• claire gold digger
• protect cousin

Margaret leaves on a cruise with Jimmy O'Neill the day after David's arrest, warning David she will not marry a man who values work more than her. Her departure sets up her return as a determined investigator, proving she does care about David despite her initial departure.

• margaret cruise
• jimmy oneill
• departure reason