She Asked for It (1937)

Dwight Stanford and his wife, Penny, are a pair of spendthrifts who can't hold on to money, dependent for support on Dwight's rich uncle, who sends them a monthly allowance. Conrad Norris, Dwight's cousin, disapproves of Dwight and Penny, and resents his uncle's generosity. The uncle is the victim of a hit-and-run accident and, there being no will, Conrad, as next of kin, inherits. Switch, the uncle's lawyer, tells Dwight he is shutout with no hope of appeal. Dwight starts writing mystery novels about a fictional detective named Steven Knight, which become instant hits and the money pours in. After 15 novels, Dwight refuses to write another line, defies his wife and his agent, and goes on a fishing trip. Penny is so upset that she goes to Reno for a divorce. On the way back from Reno with another divorcée, Celia Stettin, Penny reads in the papers that the great Steven Knight has returned from Africa. Photographs show that "Knight" is really Dwight, who has conceived the idea of posing as him in order to go into the detective business to get new story ideas. Celia, already enamored with the fictional detective, goes to Dwight to find out who is sending threatening letters to her brother, Randolph. She takes him to her home to investigate, where Penny, is also staying. Dwight has a good time playing Celia against Penny, who is already sorry for her hasty actions in Reno. Randolph's rich uncle dies from a fall from a balcony, and Dwight suspects foul play. His investigation uncovers a gang of "accident specialists" who kill wealthy old people and split the inheritance with the heirs. After three attempts on his life, Dwight finally tricks a confession from Conrad, Randolph and Lawyer Switch, who were responsible for his uncle's death and old man Settin. He and Penny reconcile as he prepares to hire three more beautiful secretaries to put Steven Knight back on paper.