Der Mann mit dem Kuckuck

Personal Property was the last completed film of Jean Harlow and the only one she was teamed with Robert Taylor. She's an American married to an Englishman who died and left nothing to her, but debts. She's got bill collectors beating down her door.

She figures an upper class accent is a guarantee of security, but tain't so Jean. She's set to marry Reginald Owen, who's family has a title, but little else. Their business has suffered some reversals and they need some quick capital themselves.

Before this double calamity takes place, along comes Robert Taylor who is a black sheep in Reginald Owen's family as his younger brother. Through an incredible comedy of errors he winds up Harlow's bill collector and later butler.

It's not a bad film, Harlow is great, she was sparkling and delightful and no trace of the illness that would claim her life while filming her last picture Saratoga.

Taylor is oddly miscast though. I'm sure this was a part that was originally intended for Franchot Tone and he would have had just the right upper class touch. Taylor handles the comedy well, but Tone or Cary Grant would have made the film a classic.

In fact Taylor's part and some of the film premise you can also find in My Man Godfrey with William Powell without the social commentary.

Film buffs should see it for a once in a lifetime pairing.

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.

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.

Back during the golden age of Hollywood, things were not always so golden when it came to casting folks in films. Since almost all the actors were contract players essentially belonging to one studio, the studios often tried to fit the actors into films instead of finding the best actor or actress for the part. So, when MGM wanted to do a film about China, they cast Walter Huston and Katharine Hepburn in it! And, the same sort of wacky casting happened somewhat regularly. While not nearly as goofy, some knucklehead at MGM thought 'Robert Taylor isn't busy with a film and he IS very popular...so let's have him star in "Personal Property"'...even though the role calls for him to be English!! He sounds about as English as Greta Garbo...and this is the same guy who starred as a brash American in "A Yank at Oxford"! Now I am not saying this is a bad film....just a badly cast film. Jean Harlow (in her last completed movie) is just fine because she plays an American fortune- hunter. And, Reginald Owen is just fine as her upper-class English fiancé...though you are expected to believe he and Taylor are brothers!

When the film begins, Raymond Dabney (Taylor) has just gotten out of jail for something...though they don't say what. His brother, Claude (Owen) is upset because the sudden appearance of Raymond might scare away the fiancée, Crystal (Harlow). By a complete act of chance, Raymond sees Crystal at the opera and INSTANTLY falls head over heels for her. In 1930s films, this is kind of cute as he constantly follows her. When seen today, he seems much more like a creepy stalker!

It turns out that Crystal AND Claude are both interested in marrying each other because they think the other one is rich! Claude is far from rich...and Crystal is so broke that practically everything she owns is being repossessed! So how's all this going to work out and how is Raymond going to figure into all this? See the film...find out for yourself.

Overall, it's a decent film....enjoyable but also slight and easy to forget. The only outstanding portion was the dinner party sequence, as I thought it was rather funny seeing the British actors exaggerating their stuffy upper-class patter. They were so incredibly dull and awful...but funny.

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.