Mae Clarke in Frankenstein
If you think a grapefruit in the face is bad, how about this: you're engaged to a scientist. Okay, so he's got some money, but he's also got an obsession with his latest project up in the lab. His name is Henry Frankenstein. Sound familiar? While everyone remembers Mae Clarke, James Cagney and the grapefruit, surprisingly few people remember that Mae was the co-star of the original Frankenstein in 1931. She played Elizabeth, long-suffering fiancee and eventually wife of Dr. Frankenstein. Very blonde and very elegant, Mae portrayed Elizabeth as a strong and determined woman who stood by her man through it all (and "all" was a hell of a lot.) Unfortunately she did not resume the role in the sequel, Bride of Frankenstein, but she was the one who made Henry come to his senses in the first place. It takes a great woman to play a great woman in a movie based on a novel written by a great woman. You go girl.
Frankenstein is occasionally aired on American Movie Classics, and available on video and DVD.