My main reason for seeing 'Blonde Bombshell', yes there is always at least one main reason for seeing any film etc with me, was Jean Harlow. Have enjoyed almost all her previously seen films, with the exception of 'Reckless', and rate her very highly as a screen presence. She had a real gift for delivering risque material and rapid fire dialogue in a way that few actresses did so effectively. Victor Fleming, responsible for directing for two of my favourite films, was another interest point.

'Blonde Bombshell' was a real delight of a film. It is a perfect representation of Harlow and what made her so appealing and is one of her best films, also making one sad that she died tragically too young with so much more to give. Maybe not quite a masterpiece or one of Fleming's best (not being 'Wizard of Oz' and 'Gone with the Wind' level),but it was immensely enjoyable and while it is Harlow's film there is much more to 'Blonde Bombshell' than just her.

Did think that the film felt too busy in stretches, when it started to feel too on the farcical side, and could have done with a slowing and toning down in parts.

There is so much that is good though. It's a good looking film, with the slick photography and Harlow's elegant clothing standing out. Fleming directs with great assurance and it was clear that he knew what he was doing. The story is told confidently and in a way that is always vibrant in pace and entertaining.

Also loved the dialogue, which crackles in firey wit and bold humour, especially with Harlow's one-liners that are elevated by how she delivers them. With it being pre-code, 'Blonde Bombshell' gets away with quite a lot and doesn't hold back. There is no playing it too safe attitude here, this is daring ahead of the time stuff here. The cast do a great job, Lee Tracy is a confident male lead. Although the film occasionally overdoes the unlikeability of the character, Tracy doesn't and manages to be charming.

Frank Morgan is always great very funny value and Franchot Tone is suave and has great comic timing, have not seen romantic attempts this funny in a long time. Best of all is Harlow on peak-Harlow form, radiant, sassy, hilarious and alluring in a way that one cannot look away from.

Concluding, very good and sizzles at its best. 8/10.

This film really was designed for the audiences of 1933 and many who watch it today will miss many of the pointed references or inside jokes. And, while IMDb says that the film was originally a thinly disguised parody of the wild off-screen life of Clara Bow, so much of this film seems like events from Jean Harlow's own life--so much so, that it seems, at times like a biography. Jean's own life off screen was a major mess--with a controlling mother, a greedy step-father, on and off-screen antics that filled the newspapers, a suspicious suicide of Jean's husband and ultimately her own suspicious death in 1937 (both deaths, by the way, were QUICKLY dealt with by MGM and so the whole truth behind them is unknown to this day). So here we have a case where you truly do wonder how much of this hit very close to home for the film's star.

The fictional star in the film does indeed have a chaotic and troubled life--mostly due to her own inability to say NO to anyone. As a result, the film shows a greedy alcoholic/gambling father and brother, a thieving sister, two insanely large and unruly Old English Sheepdogs, super-fast-talking publicity agent, a European gigolo boyfriend AND her desire, out of the blue, to adopt a baby and bring it into this chaotic mess of a life. This was all wonderful parody of the lives of many Hollywood stars. For example, Joan Crawford and Bette Davis later both adopted "cute little orphans" (apparently for publicity photos) and the fictional director in the film seems a lot like the film's actual director, Victor Fleming (who was reportedly quite the lady's man--including affairs with Ms. Bow). And, to top off all this lampoonery, the film actually makes reference to Jean's own career--talking about how she needs to do some re-shoots for her recent film RED DUST.

In addition to all these jabs at celebrity is an amazingly brisk pace that will probably wear out the viewer! Surprisingly, the film was faster paced than Cagney's ONE, TWO, THREE and didn't let up from start to finish. While this MIGHT be too much for most films, it did a great job of showing just how crazy and out of control the lives of celebrities are. There are also so many cute jokes and plot twists (particularly at the end) that the film will provide loads of entertainment for those "in the know".

Movie star Lola Burns (Jean Harlow) is pissed off and her life is chaos. Her father Pops is an incompetent manager. She is angry at her studio publicist "Space" Hanlon (Lee Tracy). Her boyfriend gets arrested. She's tired of the business and tries to adopt a baby.

The dialogue is rapid fire. It's a lot of yelling. I'm not in love with Lola and that's the biggest problem in this movie. I need to really get invested in her chaos but I don't really care that much. Her life gets much more chaotic and convoluted. I like the energy of the screwball chaos. The humor doesn't strike me as that funny.