Personal Property

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.

I have been seeing many of Jean Harlow's films thanks to the glorious T.C.M. In the past few months, I have caught The Girl From Missouri, Reckless, Dinner at Eight, Wife Versus Secretary, and Red Headed Woman. My opinion of her as a comedienne has definitely improved after seeing her growth and maturation as an actor. Actually, all the titles I mentioned are better than Personal Property.

As for this movie, Jean is charming as ever, but she does not exhibit the same sparkle as she had in previous films. She looks beautiful as always, but she does show a bit of the extra weight also exhibited in Saratoga. Of course, this was due to her kidneys failing, as her health was in serious and fatal decline.

The movie itself is a bit on the slow side, and I think Robert Taylor, though handsome, wasn't up to her level. I think part of the film fell flat due to his performance.

One thing that totally puzzles me is that in the movie Robert Taylor's family all have British accents except for him. He sounds totally American. What's the deal with that?

A piece of trivia: I noticed that in the film she wore William Powell's star sapphire ring, a sort of engagement ring.

If you are a Jean Harlow fan, this movie should be seen, but she's so much better in Red Headed Woman, The Girl From Missouri, and Bombshell, just to name a few.

It's sad to see that Jean Harlow is largely forgotten by so many in our society today. Read David Stenn's book Bombshell: The Life and Death of Jean Harlow for superb information on her.

What surprised me about PERSONAL PROPERTY is that Robert Taylor had such a good sense of humor that could have been used in more films of this type for him when he was starting out. Usually cast as a rather dour and stern looking type (and later, the heroic villain or bad guy with a gun), it's a pleasure to see him in this mild romantic comedy that passes the time pleasantly enough but is easily forgotten.

Jean Harlow co-stars with Taylor in what would be her last completed role for MGM. She seems a bit sluggish with her comeback remarks and somehow seems lacking the zest she usually showed in her romantic comedies with William Powell or Clark Gable. But she and Taylor make a handsome couple.

The silly story never quite comes off as convincing enough with a strange number of elements in the plotting that has Taylor pretending to be her butler while falling in love with her--although she seems to resist his charms from the start. While the predictable ending is never in doubt, it takes a bit of persuasion to believe his brother could be Reginald Owen.

Summing up: The thin plot moves rather sluggishly despite the brief running time but there are a few chuckles to get out of the whole thing. All in all, it's undistinguished from any viewpoint and a not too subtle jab at the idle rich.

Apparently the only film Jean Harlow and Robert Taylor starred together, this harmless but ultimately forgettable MGM star vehicle is gravely marred by plush MGM studio sets and a drab, unconvincing direction by W.S. Van Dyke, though it has its moments of unintentional humor. But given the stars and the studio, this could have been more entertaining. It is a tedious mélange of romance and comedy that somehow frazzles or drowns when a good or funny scene ends. Harlow plays an impoverished but glamorous American widow named Crystal Wetherby who, at first, has her sights set on a penniless Englishman (Reginald Owen) but soon becomes interested in Robert Taylor. If you are a fan of the stars, "Personal Property" can be eminently watchable, though Dyke's sluggish pacing can be gruelling at times.

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.