Personal Property (1937)

As Good As It Gets

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

On the film, "Personal Property," I take exception to the comments of a couple of regular IMDb reviewers whom I especially appreciate and respect. I think Robert Taylor is perfectly cast as Raymond Dabney in this film. And, that "Personal Property" is a wonderful comedy and excellent film for Jean Harlow as Cyrstal Wetherby. The film even gains a notch by a fine supporting cast in some warm and funny roles. Jean Harlow, of course, gets top billing in this film, and she is very good. Just three months after this film's release, Harlow died of blood poisoning caused by kidney failure. But it is Taylor and others in the supporting cast who are the source of most of the great comedy in this film. Notable among the supporters are Reginald Owen as Raymond's brother, Claude Dabney, and Forrester Harvey as Bailiff Herbert Jenkins. Owen was a very talented English actor and well-known character actor of Hollywood. He played a variety of roles. In this comedic venture, he puffs himself up so absurdly that he's a riot. And his character adds much to the fun of the film. Taylor and Harlow have excellent chemistry, and Taylor shows a natural flair for and ease with comedy. It surprised me a great deal, because until seeing this film I wasn't aware that he had made comedies. I was used to the more serious roles of his later career. In some roles, I thought he was serious to the point of being droll (i.e., "Waterloo Bridge" in 1940 and D-Day the Sixth of June" in 1956). Taylor's first comedy/romance was a year earlier before this in "Small Town Girl" with Janet Gaynor. But he had made a name for himself already in some smashing dramatic films, including "Magnificent Obsession" of 1935 and "Camille" of 1936. So, I'm not surprised, as some reviewers are, that Taylor would get the comedy lead in "Personal Property," where it otherwise would seem to be a role made for Franchot Tone. No doubt, Louis B. Mayer was trying his rising leading male actor in different venues to see how high his star might rise. And, it continued to rise with this film. Still, Taylor made only a few comedy films after this. "Lucky Night" in 1939 with Myrna Loy was a drama-comedy. Neither it, nor "Remember?" of that same year scored as well. So MGM may have decided to keep their handsome male lead in dramas, romances, war, mystery and Western films – all of which he did quite well. The only other comedy Taylor would make that would have some success was "Many Rivers to Cross" in 1955 with Eleanor Powell. This film has some hilarious scenes. In a couple, Taylor serves as a sheriff's assistant for a bailiff with a big bill for Mrs. Wetherby. In another couple, he is the Wetherby butler to the dismay of his family who are dumbfounded. He brings out the best (in acting) of his brother, Claude, in this role. Barnett Parker plays a pompous highbrow by the name of Arthur 'Trevy' Trevelyan. His nose is so high in the air, that he just mumbles his name to Raymond who is playing the butler, Ferguson. Ferguson announces him as closely as possible, and everyone knows who he is right away. It's hilarious to see Taylor announce him: "Fooh fu Fo Fon Fu." Crystal and Raymond are romantically on and off toward each other, with some very funny lines. As he's going upstairs to find the butler's uniform, Crystal says, "And while we're on the subject, just what did they send you to jail for?" Raymond, "Murder!" Crystal, "Well, I wish it had been suicide."This is a fine comedy romance that I think the whole family will enjoy. There are just enough antics to amuse young children and keep them interested as well. Of course, we older children can enjoy it for all the comedy, romance, family jousting and many good performances. This is a nice addition to my comedy film library.

Personal Property (1937) ** (out of 4) Robert Taylor gets a job for the sheriff and his first case is babysitting for a rich woman (Jean Harlow) who recently lost her husband. This film is a remake of the 1931 movie The Man in Possession but since I haven't seen that one I can't compare the two. From what I've read this version was watered down due to the Hayes Code and that comes off true watching the film because Harlow's sexuality tries to get displayed but the screenplay keeps it at a distance. Another problem in the screenplay is that it comes off rather lazy and doesn't feature anything very original or funny for that matter. The whole joke in the second half has Taylor acting as the Butler and we get several childish jokes, which just don't work. Harlow sleepwalks through her role but then again she isn't given too much to do. Taylor doesn't come off any better and Una O'Connor is wasted in her role.

If you think this film is funny, you need to see the earlier, 1931 version, Man in Possession, starring Robert Montgomery. Made before the Hays Code, it is full of sexual tension and double entendre.Personal Property, even with its great cast, is a pale imitation. It preserves the characters (and even adds a couple), but most of the innuendo has been written out of the dialog, and a couple of very steamy scenes have been deleted. The earlier version is a spicy, sexy bedroom comedy of errors. This remake, on the other hand, is bland drawing room comedy with slapstick elements.The character, Arthur Trevelyan, transforms Personal Property into a farce - very nearly a "live" cartoon. If even one out of every three words he spoke were intelligible, Trevy might be funny. The fact that not a single word is understandable is bizarre. Even as a caricature of upper-crust British society, he is more puzzling than funny. In the context of the film, surrounded by the other perfectly understandable characters, he seems totally out of place - as if he wandered in from the Merry Melodies cartoon before the feature film!Remaking a 1931 sex comedy in 1937 after the enforcement of the Hays Code results in a completely neutered film. And Trevy is the fire hydrant for this poor dog!

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.