Der Mann mit dem Kuckuck

I always watch Robert Taylor in memory of my mother; she loved him. This film is a Taylor-Harlow pairing, "Personal Property," a watered-down version of the play, and the first time it was made, it was a precode film, A Man of Possession.

Taylor is Raymond Dabney, the black sheep in a successful family, all of whom are British except for him, evidently, as he sports no accent. He's been released early from prison after selling a car he didn't own. His brother Claude (Reginald Owen) and father (E.E. Clive) aren't happy to see him, unlike his mother, so they offer Raymond 300 pounds to go anywhere he wants, preferably out of the country. Raymond chooses London.

At a cocktail lounge, Raymond meets Crystal Wetherby (Harlow), a widow. Raymond is interested and follows her to the opera Aida, and then he follows her home. At her home, he meets a bailiff who is going to sit in Crystal's house until she pays what she owes.

Crystal is throwing a dinner for her fiancé and future in-laws; Raymond kindly offers to pretend to be her butler. When the future family shows up, a few problems present themselves.

Jean Harlow was always very likable, although here, she's a little more low-key. She wears her engagement ring from William Powell throughout the film; it's sad that her life was cut so short. I thought Taylor was just fine. He had a nice sense of comedy. But I have to agree with some others that the role would have been better suited to Franchot Tone or Cary Grant. Taylor was a beautiful man, and he looked great in evening clothes, but he was a farm boy at heart and didn't have quite the sophistication necessary.

I found this film slow and not very involving, but I loved the two stars.

Stumbled onto this one on TCM the other day and was pleasantly surprised. Not the biggest Harlow fan but liked her and LOVED Robert Taylor in their roles...they definitely had chemistry together.

Director WS VanDyke briskly keeps the pace moving (just like in the "Thin Man" films) and some adorable oddballs "give the joint atmosphere", to paraphrase Nick from "It's A Wonderful Life". There are still some risque moments in this remake...I think in this case it's better that I HADN'T see the pre-Code original first so I could watch this fresh.

I REALLY loved the ending but I also am puzzled how Robert speaks perfect American while all of his family talks the Queen's English...elocution lessons?

Too bad it was Jean's next to last film...I'dve loved to see more of her...and I'll look for more Robert Taylor pics now, too.

It's a "Yes" from me.

PERSONAL PROPERTY (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1937), directed by W.S.Van Dyke, stars Jean Harlow in one of her final screen performances before her untimely death later in the year. In her only comedy, in fact, only movie role opposite then rising leading man, Robert Taylor. It was also a remake of MGM's earlier carnation titled THE MAN OF POSSESSION (1931) starring Robert Montgomery and Irene Purcell in the Taylor and Harlow roles. While each have aired on Turner Classic Movies for comparison, both are forgotten comedies with the latter noteworthy only for the screen presence of Jean Harlow alone.

Taylor plays Raymond Dabney, son of an accomplished British family. Having served a jail sentence for selling a car without having paid for it, and now released early for good behavior, Raymond, greeted by his loving mother (Henrietta Crosman), doesn't get the same reception from his serious minded brother, Claude (Reginald Owen), partners with his father (E.E. Clive) in women's underwear. With both men disowning him as part of the family, Raymond is offered 300 pounds to go far away as possible and start life anew, possibly in Canada or Australia, but he would rather remain in London instead. Later, while at a cocktail lounge, Raymond meets Crystal Wetherby (Jean Harlow), an American widow of a big game hunter. Impressed by her beauty, Raymond, after making a bad impression, follows her to the opera and seats himself beside her during a performance of "Aida." If that's not enough, Raymond follows her home after the performance. Through arrangements by Herbert Jenkins (Forrester Harvey), a bailiff working for the sheriff whose wife is in the hospital expecting a baby, Raymond gets his opportunity by taking his place and legally entering as well as staying in Crystal's mansion as a "man in possession," a custodian of her possessions until the debts of her personal property have been paid. Due to her upcoming dinner plans to entertain her fiancé and future in-laws, Raymond agrees to assist her by acting the role of Ferguson, her butler. All goes well until Raymond meets Crystal's guests, who turn out to be more than familiar faces from his questionable past.

With the plot being centered more on Robert Taylor's character than Harlow's, both become equally balanced by the midway point. PERSONAL PROPERTY does has some funny scenes. While, Hugh Mills and Ernest Vadja, who scripted this story from the play by H.M. Harwood, make every effort by turning this into an honest effort of hilarious drawing room comedy, the final results are simply average, no more, no less. One truly funny moment occurs with the arrival of mumbling British bore (Barnett Parker) and his confused exchange with Taylor. This great scene was later clipped into a 1964 documentary, MGM'S BIG PARADE OF COMEDY, which indicates others have felt this a highlight as well. Very brief, but good. A pity there weren't enough great scenes like it to make up for some rather weak material. Another problem with PERSONAL PROPERTY is that Taylor acts and looks too American to play the part of a British family. Taylor's butler and Harlow's rich girl gimmick is an obvious attempt to bring forth another MY MAN GODFREY (1936) that served William Powell and Carole Lombard so well, though not on the same level.

Cora Witherspoon, who previously enacted opposite Harlow in the hilarious LIBELED LADY (1936) as Mrs. Burns-Norvell, the gabby mother, assumes similar chores here, this time simply as Mrs. Burns, with Marla Shelton as her flirtatious daughter who has her eyes on the young "butler" (Taylor). Interesting to note the supporting players, consisting those of Una O'Connor (in the role as Harlow's maid); Forrester Harvey and E.E. Clive to be those in memorable support in the James Whale science fiction classic, THE INVISIBLE MAN (Universal, 1933). Even more interesting is both Reginald Owen and Forrester Harvey reprise their roles from the 1931 film. Other British character types as Billy Bevan and Lionel Brahm serve their brief parts well.

Placed on home video in the 1990s, PERSONAL PROPERTY should make an impression on those curious about the careers of both Harlow and Taylor, or lesser known "screwball comedies" from this era. With better roles ahead for Taylor, especially his reported personal favorite being WATERLOO BRIDGE (1940), Harlow next project would be another comedy, SARATOGA, noteworthy mostly as the one she never lived to complete, though her remaining scenes were performed by a stand-in double. For PERSONAL PROPERTY, it's all Harlow. (**1/2)

Personal Property was the last completed film of Jean Harlow and the only one she was teamed with Robert Taylor. She's an American married to an Englishman who died and left nothing to her, but debts. She's got bill collectors beating down her door.

She figures an upper class accent is a guarantee of security, but tain't so Jean. She's set to marry Reginald Owen, who's family has a title, but little else. Their business has suffered some reversals and they need some quick capital themselves.

Before this double calamity takes place, along comes Robert Taylor who is a black sheep in Reginald Owen's family as his younger brother. Through an incredible comedy of errors he winds up Harlow's bill collector and later butler.

It's not a bad film, Harlow is great, she was sparkling and delightful and no trace of the illness that would claim her life while filming her last picture Saratoga.

Taylor is oddly miscast though. I'm sure this was a part that was originally intended for Franchot Tone and he would have had just the right upper class touch. Taylor handles the comedy well, but Tone or Cary Grant would have made the film a classic.

In fact Taylor's part and some of the film premise you can also find in My Man Godfrey with William Powell without the social commentary.

Film buffs should see it for a once in a lifetime pairing.

Too bad the Hays Code prevented this remake of "The Man in Possession" (1931) from being as saucy as the original, especially because there is some nice sexual tension between Jean Harlow and Robert Taylor here. Then, too, this version seems a bit padded, as if the writers or director decided that the film required more characters, more elaborate sets, more dialogue (sometimes funny, sometimes rather unnecessary) and a slightly more convoluted plot. Somehow it just doesn't gel.

Interestingly, two actors who appeared in MGM's 1931 version play their roles again here: Reginald Owen as the gold-digging prospective bridegroom and brother Claude, and Forrester Harvey as the bailiff. I definitely enjoyed the sexiness of the Robert Montgomery-Irene Purcell version much more, however--see that one, if you can.