The history of Hollywood is filled with stories of tragedy, of larger than life stars who died young, leaving behind images on film that made them immortal, at least in a way. However, I don't think there has ever been one whose sudden death was captured in quite the same way as Saratoga does with Jean Harlow. For one hour she illuminates the screen with her charm despite being in a pretty bad film, then in a coincidence we see her character sick and being tended to by Clark Gable, and then we see her character clearly being played by someone else, face obscured, voice different. It's absolutely chilling. It's also probably the only reason you'd want to see this film. It gave me goosebumps to watch Gable rubbing "goose grease" into Harlow's chest and back, knowing that this was the final time she would appear on a set. She was dead nine days later. The brief moments we see of her over the final half hour had been shot before, and feel more than a little patched in.
Sadly, the only other things the film has going for it are in its supporting characters. I liked seeing Hattie McDaniel get a chance to sing a verse in the rendition of "The Horse with the Dreamy Eyes," batting her eyes playfully and briefly showing another side of herself than her servant characters would normally allow. There is also an interesting coincidence in seeing Frank Morgan and Margaret Hamilton sitting next to one another on a train, since they would be the wizard and the wicked witch a couple years later. Lastly, Una Merkel brings life to her small part, and is fun to watch. Oh wait, maybe the horses count as supporting characters too; there are some nice shots of them charging down the racetrack, filmed from a vehicle out in front of them, and the slow-motion photo finish sequence was pretty neat too.
Otherwise, oof. It's hard to believe Anita Loos' name is co-billed on the screenplay, as listless and messy as it is. The back and forth between Gable's character, a bookie, and Walter Pidgeon, a wealthy guy who likes to gamble, with Harlow his love interest trying to protect him, is repetitive and tedious. Lionel Barrymore's character, an old codger who whines about not having a stud for his farm, is just annoying. The story probably should have made the horse races a more minor aspect, and amplified the flirtation between Gable and Harlow. Instead of banter we see the men talking over the odds on a certain horse, with Gable trying to play Pidgeon for a sucker, and then the race. Zzzzz. If you love Jean Harlow, however, the film is must see, and despite its shortcomings, I was touched to see her last work.
Sadly, the only other things the film has going for it are in its supporting characters. I liked seeing Hattie McDaniel get a chance to sing a verse in the rendition of "The Horse with the Dreamy Eyes," batting her eyes playfully and briefly showing another side of herself than her servant characters would normally allow. There is also an interesting coincidence in seeing Frank Morgan and Margaret Hamilton sitting next to one another on a train, since they would be the wizard and the wicked witch a couple years later. Lastly, Una Merkel brings life to her small part, and is fun to watch. Oh wait, maybe the horses count as supporting characters too; there are some nice shots of them charging down the racetrack, filmed from a vehicle out in front of them, and the slow-motion photo finish sequence was pretty neat too.
Otherwise, oof. It's hard to believe Anita Loos' name is co-billed on the screenplay, as listless and messy as it is. The back and forth between Gable's character, a bookie, and Walter Pidgeon, a wealthy guy who likes to gamble, with Harlow his love interest trying to protect him, is repetitive and tedious. Lionel Barrymore's character, an old codger who whines about not having a stud for his farm, is just annoying. The story probably should have made the horse races a more minor aspect, and amplified the flirtation between Gable and Harlow. Instead of banter we see the men talking over the odds on a certain horse, with Gable trying to play Pidgeon for a sucker, and then the race. Zzzzz. If you love Jean Harlow, however, the film is must see, and despite its shortcomings, I was touched to see her last work.