Hottoceame The Age of Commercialism

Raetsonwe Redundant and unnecessary.

GrimPrecise I'll tell you why so serious

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

mark.waltz In a role which seems to have been inspired by Mae West, Jean Harlow is a good time gal down on her luck, hard on the men who pass through her doors, but ultimately searching for love to guide her. When con-man Clark Gable bursts through her doors (finding her in the tub!) after a scheme that has him in danger of being caught, she immediately falls underneath his spell, although denying it from the start. She does everything she can to suppress her real feelings, even giving rival Dorothy Burgess a response to a slap across the face (two in fact!) that Burgess will never forget and will have you in stitches. The first half of the film is a comic delight, filled with many great lines, such as one where Harlow snarls at Burgess, "You know you wouldn't be a bad looking dame if it wasn't for your face", but turns dramatic as Harlow faces time in a reformatory while carrying Gable's child.A gem of a supporting cast includes Stuart Erwin, Elizabeth Patterson, Vera Lewis, and Louise Beavers in a bit role. There's a sensitive storyline involving a black inmate and her preacher father which treats them with dignity and absolutely no stereotype, an important plot point in the last reel. Harlow gets to wear some outrageous outfits, including one that looks like an orchid on steroids.

Michael_Elliott Hold Your Man (1933) *** (out of 4) MGM tearjerker has a couple con artists (Jean Harlow, Clark Gable) falling in love but after an accidental murder they're separated. Gable takes off and Harlow ends up in a reform school where she learns she's pregnant but fears that she'll never see her man again. I really wasn't sure where this thing was going as it blends a strange mix of comedy with drama but in the end I found it quite touching. The first half plays as a comedy and gets a lot of laughs including a hilarious scene where Gable tries hiding from the police by getting in a tub and putting soap all over himself. There are plenty of pre-code moments mixed in with most of them coming from Harlow showing off various limbs. Gable is as good as always but it's Harlow who really steals the show. This is the first time I've seen her take on a dramatic role and she nails it perfectly. She's given several emotional scenes and she comes off very well. The ending is very dramatic and contains a beautiful message that comes across very well. It's also worth noting that there's a black preacher in the film and I think this is the nicest role I've seen a black actor play in this era of Hollywood. The stereotypes we normally see in this type of film are thrown out the window and this must have been one of the earliest films to show a black man in such a nice form.

Poseidon-3 Two of MGM's most memorable stars enjoy some snazzy scenes together in this somewhat uneven, but mostly entertaining, romantic film. Gable, a con man, has to hot-foot it from the police after a scam gone wrong and winds up in the apartment of Harlow, who's no slouch in the pilfering business herself, though she gets her dough from an array of men in her life. After an uneasy start, they become close and embark on a relationship, one that isn't above the odd con job, but, when one goes horribly wrong, Gable is on the lam again and Harlow is sent off to a reformatory for women! Here things get a little sticky as Harlow pines for Gable and he risks everything in order to see her. A gaggle of fellow inmates work overtime in order to reunite the couple as the police close in. Gable looks positively adorable here. He delivers his lines with confidence and panache, but also reveals many different shades as his character begins to regard Harlow as more than just another floozy. His big emotional scene is, perhaps, a bit beyond his range, but most of the time he's in fine form and shares sparkling chemistry with his leading lady. Harlow is equally fine. She has a boatload of one-liners and wisecracks and delivers them all with her wonderfully common and knowing persona. She doesn't skimp on the emotional aspects of her character, though. It's a strong performance with a lot of variety to it. She is filmed, however, with some astonishingly heavy soft focus for someone who was only 22 or 23! Erwin appears as one of Harlow's devoted suitors and Burgess (the real-life niece of Fay Bainter) is one of Gable's cast-offs. She and Harlow have some terrifically bitchy exchanges in the film along with some physicality. Notable for its time is the fairly prominent presence of Harris as a black inmate at the reformatory. Though she is depicted as rooming in a different area, she spends much time in Harlow's room and has a substantial role with no mention made of race. Her father in the film, played by Reed, also has a critical role, though that is one of the more saccharine bits of the storyline. A good example of how busy MGM's stable of supporting players were is Friderici as the head matron. She appeared in 15 films the year before this one and 10 this year before dying in December (and appearing in two previously-filmed 1934 films after that!) The vast difference between the lighthearted first half and the more soapy second half may disappoint some viewers, but fans of the stars will surely enjoy seeing them go through their paces regardless. It's not an overly long film and has many captivating facets to it. The quasi-happy ending would likely not be possible just a year later when the Production Code was fully functioning.

jaykay-10 Characters are believable when they are consistent, or when a circumstance arises that will justify change. The authors appear to have forgotten these basics. What begins as a very entertaining slam-bang wisecracking streetsmarts drama, with Gable and especially Harlow playing their roles to the hilt, goes soft after he abandons her and she finds herself in prison and pregnant. The toughness and grit that made the characters so appealing are nowhere in evidence once she finds herself dewy-eyed in love with him, and once his pangs of conscience drive him into the snare he is so determined to avoid. In real life (sic) she would have known dozens of guys like him, making certain not to get serious about any of them; for his part, she wouldn't have been the first girl he left in the lurch without giving it a second thought. Enjoy the first half of the picture, but then be ready for a letdown.