Red-Headed Woman (1932)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Jack Conway

Writers:

Katharine Brush (book)
Anita Loos (screenplay)

Release Date:

25 June 1932 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Plot:

Lil works for the Legendre Company and causes Bill to divorce Irene and marry her. She has an affair...

Plot Keywords:

Chauffeur | Divorce | Shooting | Bootlegger | Sexually Aggressive Woman

Cast

Jean Harlow	...	Lillian 'Lil' / 'Red' Andrews Legendre
Chester Morris	...	William 'Bill' / 'Willie' Legendre Jr.
Lewis Stone	...	William 'Will' Legendre Sr.
Leila Hyams	...	Irene 'Rene' Legendre
Una Merkel	...	Sally (Lillian's roommate)
Henry Stephenson	...	Charles B. 'Charlie' / 'C.B.' Gaerste
May Robson	...	Aunt Jane
Charles Boyer	...	Albert (Gaerste's chauffeur)
Harvey Clark	...	Uncle Fred

Runtime:

79 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:PG | USA:Approved | USA:TV-PG

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Jean Harlow wore a wig for this film. Because this film was filmed in black and white, to make up for the subtle change in hair color by the wig, her makeup was made more dramatic, to highlight the nature of her character.

Quotes:

Lillian 'Lil': [trying on a dress in a store, Lil positions herself in front of a sunny window] Can you see through this?
Off-camera store clerk: I'm afraid you can, Miss.
Lillian 'Lil': I'll wear it.
Off-camera store clerk: Oh!

Movie Connections:

References Trader Horn (1931)

Soundtrack:

St. Louis Blues

Jean Harlow's reputation

For those, like myself, who heard about Jean Harlow before viewing any of her pictures, the expectation was to see a glamor girl with somewhat limited performing skills, not unlike Marilyn Monroe at a later time. Not to take anything away from Marilyn, but Jean Harlow proved herself to be a very adept performer, an appealing combination of brazen sexuality and shameless manipulation, always with a comic touch. While sometimes getting her comeuppance (and appearing to enjoy it) at the hands of strong characters played by the likes of Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy, in "Red-Headed Woman" the men in her life are pushovers for her wily charms. Chester Morris earnestly tries once, twice, three times to resist her, and apparently comes THAT close to succeeding, but her persistence ultimately renders him helpless. The wealthy and distinguished (and elderly) Henry Stephenson doesn't have a chance: when Jean's pal Una Merkel suggests that she's aiming too high this time, that her plans have no chance of success, Jean replies, "He's a man, isn't he?"

This is the prototypical Jean Harlow character, done to the hilt by a very skilled performer who, in the final analysis, probably has more in common with Mae West than with Marilyn Monroe. If she played virtually the same character in almost every picture, she wasn't the first to do so. Her reputation as an actress deserves to be greatly enhanced.