Bombshell **** (1933, Jean Harlow, Lee Tracy, Frank Morgan, Franchot Tone, Pat O’Brien, Una Merkel, Ted Healy) – Classic Movie Review 8061

Director Victor Fleming’s sparkling, fast-paced 1933 MGM classic screwball comedy Bombshell [Blonde Bombshell] is a witty satire on Hollywood, sending itself up with good humour. It may be ancient, but it is still relevant, and still provides lots of laughs, pleasure and entertainment value.

It is graced with a great fun performance from the ideally cast Jean Harlow as Lola Burns, a movie glamour queen under pressure, who craves a fresh life away from her leech-like cronies. Other people in her life, and giving life to the film, are devious studio publicity agent Space Hanlon (Lee Tracy), Pops (Frank Morgan), film director Brogan (Pat O’Brien), her maid Loretta (Louise Beavers) and her latest flame Gifford (Franchot Tone).

The admirable, hard-hitting satirical script, attacking the extremes of PR and fake image-moulding, is from Jules Furthman and John Lee Mahin, adapting Caroline Francke and Mack Crane’s play. It is based on the life of Clara Bow, but also includes many details from Harlow’s own life.

Also in the cast are Ivan Lebedeff, Una Merkel, Ted Healy, C Aubrey Smith, Isabel Jewell, Leonard Carey, June Brewster and Mary Forbes.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8061

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