Reckless (1935)

Director:

Victor Fleming

Writers:

P.J. Wolfson (screen play)
David O. Selznick (from a story by)
(more)

Release Date:

19 April 1935 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Musical | Comedy

Tagline:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Mammoth Musical Melodrama

Plot:

Wealthy Bob Harrison buys all the seats in the theatre to watch Mona Leslie's musical by himself. He loves her...

Plot Keywords:

Love | Playboy | Singer | Melodrama | Millionaire

Cast

Nat Pendleton	...	Blossom
Ted Healy	...	Smiley
Man Mountain Dean	...	Wrestler (as Man-Mountain Dean)
May Robson	...	Granny
William Powell	...	Ned Riley
Mickey Rooney	...	Eddie
Jean Harlow	...	Mona
Franchot Tone	...	Bob Harrison
Rosalind Russell	...	Jo
Allan Jones	...	Allan
Henry Stephenson	...	Harrison
Robert Light	...	Paul Mercer
Louise Henry	...	Louise
James Ellison	...	Dale Every
Carl Randall	...	Carl Randall
Nina Mae McKinney	...	Singer
Leon Ames	...	Ralph Watson (as Leon Waycoff)
Allen 'Farina' Hoskins	...	Gold Dust (as Farina)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Eadie Adams	...	Chorine (uncredited)
Robert Andrews	...	Mona's Baby (uncredited)
Hooper Atchley	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Margaret Bert	...	Nurse (uncredited)
Wade Boteler	...	Policeman Re-arresting Mona (uncredited)
Don Brodie	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Stuart Casey	...	Mr. John Gaylord (uncredited)
James Conaty	...	Wedding Guest (uncredited)
Theresa Maxwell Conover	...	Woman with Smiley at Racetrack (uncredited)
Nick Copeland	...	Reporter (uncredited)
John Davidson	...	Sid - Mona's Lawyer (uncredited)
Jan Duggan	...	Chairwoman (uncredited)
Margaret Dumont	...	Woman in Audience Yelling 'Get Off the Stage' (uncredited)
Dick Elliott	...	Man Near Drums (uncredited)
Paul Ellis	...	Shipboard Gigolo in 'Reckless' Number (uncredited)
Paul Fix	...	Man on Mechanical Horse (uncredited)
Sam Flint	...	Jo Mercer's Father (uncredited)
John Gallaudet	...	Doorman at Poker Game (uncredited)
Jean Gunn	...	Little Girl Singer (uncredited)
Ernie Haynes	...	Wrestler (uncredited)
Earlene Heath	...	Chorine (uncredited)
Harold Huber	...	Nick Londos (uncredited)
Isabelle Keith	...	Woman in Audience who throws Purse (uncredited)
Henry Kolker	...	Mr. Gearhart (uncredited)
Rosina Lawrence	...	Chorine (uncredited)
Billie Lee	...	Chorine (uncredited)
Edward LeSaint	...	Member of Coroner's Jury (uncredited)
Theodore Lorch	...	Member of Coroner's Jury (uncredited)
Lorna Low	...	Chorine (uncredited)
Mae Madison	...	Chorine (uncredited)
Mary Jo Mathews	...	Chorine (uncredited)
Charles Middleton	...	District Attorney (uncredited)
Charles R. Moore	...	Train Porter (uncredited)
Bert Moorhouse	...	Racetrack Spectator / Wedding Guest (uncredited)
Jack Mulhall	...	Paul's Restrainer in Bar (uncredited)
Franklin Parker	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Edward Peil Sr.	...	Man Raising Stage Curtain (uncredited)
Lee Phelps	...	Hotel Desk Clerk (uncredited)
Donna Mae Roberts	...	Chorine (uncredited)
Frances Robinson	...	Chorine (uncredited)
Fred Santley	...	Hotel Desk Clerk (uncredited)
Larry Steers	...	Paul's Restrainer in Bar (uncredited)
Rafael Storm	...	Mona's First Dance Partner in 'Reckless' Number (uncredited)
Kay Sutton	...	Woman with Paul in Audience (uncredited)
Akim Tamiroff	...	Chef at Wedding (uncredited)
Albert Taylor	...	Racetrack Spectator / Wedding Guest (uncredited)
Libby Taylor	...	Bertha - Mona's and Granny's Maid (uncredited)
Irene Thompson	...	Chorine (uncredited)
David Thursby	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Jim Toney	...	Man in Hallway (uncredited)
Edna Waldron	...	Chorine (uncredited)
Alice Weaver	...	Chorine (uncredited)
Lloyd Whitlock	...	Racetrack Spectator / Wedding Guest (uncredited)
Charles C. Wilson	...	Newspaper Editor (uncredited)
Barbara Worth	...	Chorine (uncredited)
William Worthington	...	Wedding Guest (uncredited)

Directed by
Victor Fleming

Writing credits
P.J. Wolfson		(screen play)
David O. Selznick		(from a story by) (as Oliver Jeffries)
Norman Krasna		contributing writer (uncredited)
Ted Shane		contributing writer (uncredited)
Donald Ogden Stewart		contributing writer (uncredited)

Produced by
David O. Selznick	....	producer

Original Music by
Jack Virgil		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
George J. Folsey		(photographed by) (as George Folsey)

Film Editing by
Margaret Booth		(film editor)

Art Direction by
Cedric Gibbons

Costume Design by
Adrian		(gowns)

Makeup Department
Jack Dawn	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Charles Dorian	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Merrill Pye	....	associate art director
Edwin B. Willis	....	associate art director

Sound Department
Douglas Shearer	....	recording director
Robert Shirley	....	sound (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Robert J. Bronner	....	second camera operator (uncredited)
Charles Lawton Jr.	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Music Department
Victor Baravalle	....	orchestra conductor
Wayne Allen	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Paul Marquardt	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Herbert Stothart	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)
Virginia Verrill	....	singing voice: Jean Harlow (uncredited)
Jack Virgil	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Edward Ward	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)

Other crew
Chester Hale	....	dances staged by
Carl Randall	....	dances staged by
Betty Halsey	....	dance double: Jean Harlow (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (presents) (controlled by Loew's Incorporated)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1935) (USA) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1935) (UK) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1935) (France) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (2011) (USA) (DVD) (DVD-R)

Other Companies

• Ramon and Dolores  group performers (uncredited)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #736) | Australia:PG | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-PG (TV rating)

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The film was inspired by the life of torch singer Libby Holman, whose husband, tobacco heir Zachary Smith Reynold's suicide caused a scandal (Libby was initially indicted for murder), and she was accused of murder.

Goofs:

Continuity: As Ned, Smiley and Blossom leave a betting parlor with winnings from horse betting, they pass a jewelry shop's window display of wedding rings with a candle on each side. The candle on the right is tilted at a 45 degree angle. Both candles are vertical in the next shot.

Quotes:

Mona Leslie:[Spoken introduction to the song, Reckless] What'll you ever be? What'll you ever do? How will you ever know if you don't take a chance?
Chorus:You have got to gamble with fate.
Mona Leslie:[singing] I wanna live, love, learn a lot. I'll light my candle and I'll burn a lot.
Chorus:You'll have some bad shots, hard knocks!
Mona Leslie:I'm on my own if I bruise.
Chorus:And there'll be smiles here, shouts here!
Mona Leslie:And I can take it on the chin if I lose, because I'm reckless!
Chorus:She's simply reckless!
Mona Leslie:Reckless!
Chorus:She's simply reckless!
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in Harlow: The Blonde Bombshell (1993) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Hear What My Heart Is Saying

not very good

A pretty forgettable movie starring William Powell and Jean Harlow. The plot really doesn't really come together and seems to be just thrown together. There are a few musicals numbers but they are pretty bad and don't compare to The Great Ziegfeld. Harlow looks like she's mouthing the words and her dance scene will only shows her legs and nothing else. The plot has something to do with Powell and Harlow being in love with each other but Franchot Tone comes in and steals Harlow away before Powell makes his move. Rosalind Russell is in love with Tone but she winds up getting married to someone else. The movie just doesn't work and this was directed by the same guy who directed The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind.