''Reckless'' (also known as ''Born Reckless'' and ''Hard to Handle'') is a 1935 American

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as breaks ...

directed by

Victor Fleming Victor Lonzo Fleming (February 23, 1889 – January 6, 1949) was an American film director, cinematographer, and producer. His most popular films were ''Gone with the Wind (film), Gone with the Wind'', for which he won an Academy Award for Best ...

and starring Jean Harlow, William Powell, Franchot Tone, and May Robson.

David O. Selznick David O. Selznick (May 10, 1902June 22, 1965) was an American film producer, screenwriter and film studio executive who produced ''Gone with the Wind'' (1939) and ''Rebecca'' (1940), both of which earned him an Academy Award for Best Picture. E ...

wrote the story, using the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

Oliver Jeffries, basing it loosely on the scandal of the 1931 marriage between torch singer

Libby Holman Elizabeth Lloyd Holman (née Holzman; May 23, 1904 – June 18, 1971) was an American socialite, actress, singer, and activist. Early life Elizabeth Lloyd Holzman was born May 23, 1904, in Cincinnati, Ohio, the daughter of a lawyer and stockbrok ...

and tobacco heir

Zachary Smith Reynolds Zachary Smith Reynolds (November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1932) was an American amateur aviator and youngest son of American businessman and millionaire R. J. Reynolds. The son of one of the richest men in the United States at the time, Reynolds was ...

, and his death by a gunshot wound to the head.Sragow 2013, p. 220.

Plot

Musical stage star Mona Leslie ( Jean Harlow), jailed for reckless driving, is bailed out by her friend, sports promoter and gambler Ned Riley ( William Powell), to headline a charity event. However, she finds that all the seats have been bought by wealthy Bob Harrison Jr. ( Franchot Tone), president and only member of S.A.M.L. (the Society for the Admiration of Mona Leslie). Mona begins dating Bob, with Ned's approval. Mona's Granny ( May Robson) tells Ned that her granddaughter would break it off if he asked her to. Ned is reluctant at first, but eventually buys a wedding ring. However, he is too late. One night, while they are very drunk, Mona and Bob get married. The next day, Mona is pleased, but Bob becomes depressed when he considers what his upper class friends and family will think, especially his father, Colonel Harrison ( Henry Stephenson), and his fiancée and friend since childhood, Jo Mercer ( Rosalind Russell). Though Jo welcomes Mona without resentment, the colonel and the rest of Bob's social circle are cold toward her. Bob wants to run back to New York, but Mona advises him to stay and stick it out. Bob's ambivalent feelings emerge when Jo gets married. He avoids the wedding and starts drinking, unable to endure the thought of Jo with another man. When he shows up and speaks to Jo privately, he tells her how he really feels. Mona overhears when he says he was trapped into marriage. With no place else to go, she asks Ned to take her to his hotel suite. Bob follows and tries to pick a fight, but is too drunk to do anything serious. Ned and Mona put him to bed, but when they leave the room, Bob kills himself. Both Ned and Mona are subjected to a coroner's inquest and suspected of murder, but Bob's death is ruled a suicide. However, in the eyes of the public, Mona is still guilty of driving Bob to his death. Mona gives birth to Bob's son. She offers to give up her inheritance of one million dollars if Colonel Harrison will agree not to seek custody of her child. He agrees. To support her son, Mona tries to go back to work, but outraged people organize a campaign against her and nobody will hire her other than a sleazy promoter who wants to take advantage of her notoriety. Ned secretly finances a show for her, but his lawyer, worried that Ned is risking bankruptcy, tells Mona. She offers to stop production, but Ned refuses to listen and the show goes on. On opening night, Jo and Colonel Harrison are in the audience. Mona starts off with a song, but hecklers make it impossible to continue. She quiets the crowd with a forceful justification of her actions and starts over. When she is finished, the audience gives her a standing ovation. During her next song, Ned proposes to her from the sideline.

Cast

* Jean Harlow as Mona Leslie * William Powell as Ned Riley * Franchot Tone as Bob Harrison * May Robson as Granny *

Ted Healy Ted Healy (born Charles Ernest Lee Nash; October 1, 1896 – December 21, 1937) was an American vaudeville performer, comedian, and actor. Though he is chiefly remembered as the creator of The Three Stooges and the style of slapstick comedy th ...

as Smiley * Nat Pendleton as Blossom * Rosalind Russell as Jo *

Mickey Rooney Mickey Rooney (born Joseph Yule Jr.; other pseudonym Mickey Maguire; September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014) was an American actor. In a career spanning nine decades, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last surviving stars of the ...

as Eddie * Henry Stephenson as Harrison * Man-Mountain Dean as himself * Robert Light as Paul Mercer * Allan Jones as Allan * Carl Randall as himself * Nina Mae McKinney appears as herself * Leon Ames as Ralph Watson *

Allen 'Farina' Hoskins Allen, Allen's or Allens may refer to: Buildings * Allen Arena, an indoor arena at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee * Allen Center, a skyscraper complex in downtown Houston, Texas * Allen Fieldhouse, an indoor sports arena on the Univer ...

as Gold Dust

Music

Jean Harlow's voice was dubbed by vocalist

Virginia Verrill Catherine Virginia Verrill ( November 20, 1916 – January 18, 1999) was a singer in the era of old-time radio and big bands. Her work included providing the off-screen singing voices for some female film stars. Early years Verrill was born Cath ...

who also performed songs in '' Suzy'' and '' The Goldwyn Follies''. Harlow later sang the title track for a radio broadcast in January 1935. # "Reckless" - Virginia Verrill # "Trocadero" - Virginia Verrill and Allan Jones # "Ev'rything's Been Done Before" - Allan Jones # "Hear What My Heart Is Saying" - Virginia Verrill

Production

''Reckless'' had several working titles including ''Salute'', ''There Goes Romance'', and ''A Woman Called Cheap''. Ten writers, including Joseph Mankiewicz,

Philip Barry Philip Jerome Quinn Barry (June 18, 1896 – December 3, 1949) was an American dramatist best known for his plays ''Holiday (play), Holiday'' (1928) and ''The Philadelphia Story (play), The Philadelphia Story'' (1939), which were both made into ...

S. N. Behrman Samuel Nathaniel Behrman (; June 9, 1893 – September 9, 1973) was an American playwright, screenwriter, biographer, and longtime writer for ''The New Yorker''. His son is the composer David Behrman. Biography Early years Behrman's parents, Z ...

, and Val Lewton had some involvement, but only P. J. Wolson gained a credit for the final script.

Joan Crawford Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, ncertain year from 1904 to 1908was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway. Crawford was signed to a motion pict ...

was cast as the lead. However, one week before production Harlow replaced Crawford, as

had decided that Powell's real-life romance with Harlow would help to publicize the film. Harlow was reluctant to be in the film as her husband

Paul Bern Paul Bern (born Paul Levy; December 3, 1889September 5, 1932) was a German-born American film director, screenwriter, and producer for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where he became the assistant to Irving Thalberg. He helped launch the career of Jean Harlo ...

(like the husband of her character Mona Leslie) had committed suicide two years earlier. Principal photography on ''Reckless'' began on November 27, 1934 and wrapped mid-February 1935.

Box-office

''Reckless'' grossed a total (domestic and foreign) of $1,339,000: $847,000 in the US and Canada and $492,000 elsewhere resulting in a loss of $125,000.

Reception

''Reckless'' was reviewed by Andre Sennwald for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. He considered the film possessed "happy casting" in that Harlow and Powell could have been an exciting duo. His review, however, observed: "It would be pleasant to report that ''Reckless'' is the whirlwind comedy which such a merger would lead us to expect. But reporters are chained to facts, and this morning's bulletin from the Capitol is mournful. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer has taken the screen's liveliest comedienne and chased her through a stale and profitless meringue of backstage routines and high society amour."Sennwald, Andre (A.S.
"At the Capital."
''The New York Times''. April 20, 1935. Retrieved: August 9, 2016.

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Bryant, Roger. ''William Powell: The Life and Films''. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Co, Inc., 2006. . * Golden, Eve. ''Platinum Girl: The Life and Legends of Jean Harlow''. New York: Abbeville Press, 1991. . * Sragow, Michael. ''Victor Fleming: An American Movie Master''. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky, 2013. .

External links

* * * *
Stills
at viennasclassichollywood.com {{David O. Selznick 1935 films American black-and-white films 1930s English-language films Films directed by Victor Fleming Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films 1935 romantic drama films 1930s romantic musical films American romantic drama films Films produced by David O. Selznick American romantic musical films 1930s American films