Reckless (1935)

Wealthy Bob Harrison buys all the seats in the theatre to watch Mona Leslie's musical by himself. He loves her, her agent Ned Riley loves her. Conflict ensues.

Director:

Victor Fleming

Writers:

P.J. Wolfson (screen play), David O. Selznick (from a story by) (as Oliver Jeffries)

Stars:

Jean Harlow, William Powell, Franchot Tone

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jean Harlow	...	Mona Leslie
William Powell	...	Ned Riley
Franchot Tone	...	Bob Harrison
May Robson	...	Granny
Ted Healy	...	Smiley
Nat Pendleton	...	Blossom
Rosalind Russell	...	Josephine (Jo) Mercer
Mickey Rooney	...	Eddie
Henry Stephenson	...	Col. Harrison
Man Mountain Dean	...	Man Mountain Dean - Wrestler (as Man-Mountain Dean)
Robert Light	...	Paul Mercer
Allan Jones	...	Allan
Carl Randall	...	Carl Randall
Louise Henry	...	Louise
James Ellison	...	Dale Every

Storyline

Wealthy Bob Harrison buys all the seats in the theatre to watch Mona Leslie's musical by himself. He loves her, her agent Ned Riley loves her. Conflict ensues.

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Plot Keywords:

screwball comedy | love | singer | playboy | vacuum cleaner | 

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Taglines:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Mammoth Musical Melodrama

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Genres:

Drama | Musical | Comedy

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 April 1935 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die öffentliche Meinung

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$858,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was inspired by the life of torch singer Libby Holman, whose husband, tobacco heir Zachary Smith Reynolds, committed suicide and caused a scandal--she was initially indicted for murder but was eventually cleared.

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Goofs

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.

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Quotes

Colonel Harrison: I don't think Josephine Mercer laughed very heartily at your joke.
Bob Harrison: Have you seen her?
Colonel Harrison: Yes.
Bob Harrison: How is she?
Colonel Harrison: Well, she's not wearing sack cloth and ashes. She's too well bred for that.

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Connections

Referenced in Hollywood Hist-o-Rama: Jean Harlow (1962)

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Soundtracks

Hear What My Heart Is Saying
(1935)
Music by Burton Lane
Lyrics by Harold Adamson
Sung by Jean Harlow (uncredited) (dubbed by Virginia Verrill (uncredited)) at her comeback show

User Reviews

Harlow, Powell, and Robson are a delight but...

...this movie rapidly descends into maudlin melodrama that is practically unwatchable. The movie starts out with promise with a feisty Granny Lesie (May Robson) pulling a rather hung over Ned Riley (William Powell) out of bed to bail playful star Mona Leslie (Jean Harlow) out of jail. These early scenes would make any fan of these three want to stick around for more, but believe me, you'll regret that decision. Things go downhill rapidly when Mona meets avid fan and drunken playboy Bob Harrison Jr. (Franchot Tone), whose enthusiasm wanes and drunkenness worsens after the two are hastily married. Every indignity you can think of is flung at Harlow's character at a time in Harlow's life when she herself had recently been through a great personal tragedy, and you just get the feeling that MGM is using that tragedy to sell movie tickets. It really is a sad spectacle for any Harlow fan.

The melodrama grows to ridiculous proportions by the end of the film, with Mona Leslie even being booed by fans and her giving a preposterous on stage speech as a result. All of this just crowds out any promise with which the film started. Avoid this one.