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Platinum Blonde

Released Oct 24, 1931 1h 30m Romance Comedy List
88% Tomatometer 8 Reviews 68% Audience Score 1,000+ Ratings
Investigative journalist Stew Smith (Robert Williams) has a reputation for being merciless in his reporting. In a break from convention, after writing a tell-all story on a wealthy family of socialites, Stew becomes interested in the daughter (Jean Harlow). The two hit it off, she being a fan of his snarky turns of phrase. But when Stew is forced to quell his wild ways for the sake of her conservative family, he buckles under the pressure and finds he has eyes for a colleague (Loretta Young). Read More Read Less
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Critics Reviews

View All (8) Critics Reviews
Steven D. Greydanus Decent Films Early Capra screwball comedy… appealing to Depression audiences both as escapist entertainment and as satire of the idle rich and celebration of the hardworking poor. Rated: B Jan 30, 2004 Full Review Mike Massie Gone With The Twins Even in the context of the early '30s, it's strange to imagine that these two could possibly end up happy together. Rated: 4/10 Jul 30, 2020 Full Review Michael E. Grost Classic Film and Television Inventive screwball comedy, with much contrast of the rich and working people. Nov 30, 2015 Full Review Fernando F. Croce CinePassion Depression-era seduction Mar 15, 2010 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Still, with all its usual Capra faults, it holds up as a slightly above average breezy newspaper comedy. Rated: B Nov 16, 2008 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 4/5 Jun 17, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Richard C I watched this movie for the first time yesterday evening , & say that I would sit through it again to see the nuances Frank Capra probably probably put in it. It's early Capra & early Harlow & you can see the potential in both. Harlow glowed as the blond but Loretta Young also in an early role was excellent. The Pre-Code designation left me confused; was it because lead actor Robert Williams kissed Loretta Young at the end before his divorce from Harlow in the film? Yawn to the Hays Code ! Williams was the stenght in this film but I had never ehard of him, so I researched what could have happened. He died 3 days after the film premiered . Peritonitis, and 5 years later the actor who played the Editor of the paper also died of the same thing , and then a year later Harlow of kidney failure. All before antibiotics, so we are blessed with modern meds. Watch the film, you will most likely like it. Cinematography is among the best I have seen. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/05/24 Full Review Audience Member The best comedy movie ever made! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review kevin w An early Capra effort complete with the Depression-era "rich people are jerks" subtext. A down-to-earth regular guy marries above his station, much to the chagrin of everyone involved. Will he become a gentleman dandy or stay true to his everyman roots? Surprisingly Jean Harlow and Loretta Young are cast vice versa and it's disconcerting as hell. But the film belongs tragically to its star, Robert Williams, who is quite good but unfortunately died on the brink of stardom. Not one of the greats, but its doable. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Frank Capra was a master. Loretta Young was adorable in this. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review ashley h Platinum Blonde is an amazing film. It is about a young woman from a very rich family who marries a reporter. Jean Harlow and Robert Williams give fantastic performances. The screenplay is well written. Frank Capra did a great job directing this movie. I enjoyed watching this motion picture because of the romance and humor. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Rom-com, 1931 style. Robert Williams plays a newspaper reporter who falls for a rich socialite (Jean Harlow) and the two get married, against her mother's objections. The relationship is ill-matched, him resenting being treated as a 'bird in a gilded cage', as he and others put it, and she disliking his crude ways and partying friends. Meanwhile, the gal pal played by Loretta Young carries a torch for him all along. You know how it's going to end, but it's charming nevertheless, has a script full of funny touches, and is well cast all around. Williams is smooth and wonderful, and reminds one of Spencer Tracey. Characteristic to the time, he settles a few disagreements with his fists, but it's as good-natured a way as Capra can make it. He also a couple of very nice romantic scenes with Harlow - the first, talking and then kissing behind the window of a beautiful garden waterfall, and the second, playfully making up and singing a song debating whether he should wear garters or not. It's absolutely tragic that Williams would die at the age of 37 three days after the film's premier, and that Harlow would die six years later at the age of 26. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/13/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Platinum Blonde

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Movie Info

Synopsis Investigative journalist Stew Smith (Robert Williams) has a reputation for being merciless in his reporting. In a break from convention, after writing a tell-all story on a wealthy family of socialites, Stew becomes interested in the daughter (Jean Harlow). The two hit it off, she being a fan of his snarky turns of phrase. But when Stew is forced to quell his wild ways for the sake of her conservative family, he buckles under the pressure and finds he has eyes for a colleague (Loretta Young).
Director
Frank Capra
Production Co
Columbia Pictures Corporation
Genre
Romance, Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 24, 1931, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 4, 2011
Runtime
1h 30m
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