Throughout the film, Jean Harlow wears the massive 152-carat star sapphire ring (also reported as an "85-carat" gem), a round cabochon, which was given to her by her then boyfriend William Powell, supposedly for their engagement. Star sapphire rings were very popular in Hollywood in that era, and Harlow's was said to be the biggest one owned by any film star. At one point during the film's production, Harlow lost her ring, removing it for a dish-washing scene and handing it to a makeup man. An all night search finally turned up the ring in an ashtray.
Personal Property (1937) was released in March of 1937 just three months before Jean Harlow's death. It was the last film she finished and she died, collapsing on the set before her final movie, Saratoga (1937), could be completed. "Saratoga" had to be finished with a double shot from behind and her voiced dubbed.
This film was a huge success for MGM, creating a profit of $872,000 ($18.4M in 2023 dollars) according to studio records.
Late nights were nothing uncommon on the set of Personal Property (1937). Director Woody "One Take" Van Dyke (W.S. Van Dyke) pushed the production through in less than two weeks. No retakes were allowed to the point that once, when Jean Harlow lapsed into a minor coughing fit, the scene was not re-shot. The cast had a good incentive to finish the film quickly and on time. They'd been invited to President Theodore Roosevelt's birthday party in Washington. Louis B. Mayer, unable to turn down the free publicity, gave his consent for the trip provided Personal Property wrapped in time.
And indeed, as soon as filming was complete, Harlow and Robert Taylor boarded a D.C. bound train, their suitcases full of evening wear from the film. Five gallon bottles of spring water also made the trip, which were used to wash Jean's hair. Unfortunately, Jean fell ill on the return trip, never completely recovering her strength from a bad case of the flu. Photographer George Hurrell Sr. noticed the differences in Harlow following her trip to Washington. "She looked heavier," he noted. "And she faded fast." Sadly, Hurrell was right. Jean died on June 7, 1937, of uremic poisoning due to acute nephritis.
And indeed, as soon as filming was complete, Harlow and Robert Taylor boarded a D.C. bound train, their suitcases full of evening wear from the film. Five gallon bottles of spring water also made the trip, which were used to wash Jean's hair. Unfortunately, Jean fell ill on the return trip, never completely recovering her strength from a bad case of the flu. Photographer George Hurrell Sr. noticed the differences in Harlow following her trip to Washington. "She looked heavier," he noted. "And she faded fast." Sadly, Hurrell was right. Jean died on June 7, 1937, of uremic poisoning due to acute nephritis.
Reginald Owen played "Claude Dabney," and Forrester Harvey, who played the bailiff, "Herbert Jenkins," in both Personal Property (1937) and the 1931 version, The Man in Possession (1931) with Irene Purcell and Robert Montgomery.