Peter Warne (Clark Gable)’s Timeline and Summary
- When we first meet Peter, he's telling off his boss. He's got a mouth on him, this one.
- Peter's tendency to crack jokes and talk back is confirmed in his first scene on the bus, when he serves serious attitude to the driver and loses his seat to Ellie for doing so.
- Peter's not one to be beaten. He squeezes into the narrow seat right next to Ellie, determined to make her uncomfortable if his ride's uncomfortable.
- Still, don't get the wrong idea: This guy's no creep, and he'd never take advantage of a single woman traveling alone. This is confirmed during many of the misadventures that Peter shares with Ellie.
- When the rich girl's bag gets stolen, for example, Peter's there to help—to no avail, though, since the thief gets away with her purse.
- But Peter more than makes up for this failure to catch the guy later—for instance, when he gives Ellie the ticket that she's left behind on the bus, or when he stays behind with her even though this means missing a bus and waiting for twelve hours for the next one.
- Peter gets even more chivalrous when he meets his foil, Shapely. He puts this guy, a true creep, in his place by telling him that Ellie's his wife.
- And that interaction sets the tone for the scenes that follow: Peter will play the part of Ellie's husband, in fact, until he gets so used to the role that he wants to play it for life.
- At first, when he hears Ellie say that she loves him, Peter's dismissive of her.
- But then—better late than never—Peter realizes that he's in love with her, too.
- Peter races back to his New York office, placates his boss, and borrows the hefty sum of $1,000 because he wants to propose to Ellie with a bit more than a penny to his name.
- At first Peter thinks that his ship has sailed: Because of an eleventh-hour mix-up, Ellie had to return to New York with her father before Peter could return to the cabin they're sharing.
- A wait follows, and it's agonizing: Peter thinks that he's lost Ellie to the obnoxious King Westley forever.
- But Ellie saves the day, and she and Peter are married just as soon as her marriage to the King is annulled. The falling of "the Walls of Jericho" in the end spells the beginning of their life together. No blankets will come between these two lovebirds anymore.