Silver Screen Standards: Bombshell (1933)

Silverscreen standards: bomb (1933)

played differently bomb (1933) would be a tragic drama about the relentless pressure and manipulation faced by a young actress in 1930s Hollywood, and certainly that was a reality many stars, including Jean Harlow, knew all too well. I find it difficult at times to watch Harlow, as radiant and vivacious as she is, without a constant awareness of the devastating brevity of her life, but we owe it to her to celebrate her comedic genius by writing in particular about her salty, vivacious Characters laugh at the impulsive, hardworking Lola Burns. bomb tells many ugly truths about Hollywood, but it does so with satirical glee, and it features a plethora of crackerjack support appearances that Harlow keeps up with like a true champ.

Harlow plays a semi-autobiographical role as Hollywood it girl Lola Burns, who takes five pictures a year and supports an extravagant entourage of relatives, parasites and pets. Her problems are compounded by the studio’s ruthless publicist, Space Hanlon (Lee Tracy), who torments Lola with his lies and machinations, but also jealously undermines her relationships with other men. Fed up with her household and Space’s manipulative schemes, Lola flees to a desert resort, where she soon becomes romantically involved with handsome, aristocratic Gifford Middleton (Franchot Tone), who claims he’s never heard of the famous movie star.

The action of bomb never lets up; It approaches comedy in a manner befitting its title, with gags punctuating every scene and conversation. It’s packed with wacky characters played by iconic comic book actors, and each of them seems determined to steal every scene. The eloquent Lee Tracy leads the pack with his signature quips and gossip, but he has stiff competition from Frank Morgan as Lola’s incorrigible father, who weaves his way through Whopper and looks absurdly dapper in his striped pants. The equally perceptive Una Merkel plays Lola’s opportunistic secretary Mac, who stands her ground against Lola’s male relatives in both her hilarity and madness, while Louise Beavers plays Lola’s maid Loretta, the most loyalist to all. The Beavers role may have been just another stereotypical maid part for a black actress, but Loretta gets some very good scenes early on, most notably her part about the ruined negligee and her bold reply to Mac that she knew where the bodies were buried . Even small roles are filled by top-notch players like Pat O’Brien, Ted Healy, C. Aubrey Smith, and Isabel Jewell.

It would be easy to get lost in a whirlwind like this, but Harlow shines throughout. Your Lola is a woman of infinite diversity; She’s glamorous in sparkly dresses, cute for the orphanage committee, mad at Space and gaga for Gifford, but Harlow makes every mood unforgettable. Her longing for a baby is notable among the film’s more dramatic moments, especially when Space’s machinations shatter her dream. Just when we’ve decided that she really is a victim and is reasonably done with the film business, Harlow reveals the truth about Lola’s ambition and vanity, with some help from the ever-scheming outer space, of course. Lola thinks she wants retirement and family life, but she also wants to sign autographs, beat her rival for a role and cover all the papers about her disappearance. She’s not delighted that Gifford has never heard of her; she is shocked. She races from romance to romance and from one urge to the next, making her departure from Hollywood another whimsy. Only in the midst of chaos does Lola seem grounded. Outside, we realize that the whirlwind suits her. Known for her bad girl roles and sex appeal, Harlow makes both the softer side and weirdness of Lola appealing while giving the character her own massive screen presence.

Victor Fleming is uncredited for directing bombbut he pointed Harlow in too red dust (1932) the film Lola Burns is to be retaken with the famous barrel scene. For more of Harlow’s most memorable roles, see The public enemy (1931), dinner at eight (1933) and slandered lady (1936). Lee Tracy also makes an appearance dinner at eightbut you can see more of him in pre-codes Doctor X (1932), The half-naked truth (1932) and blessed event (1932). The adorable Una Merkel also teams up with Harlow Red-haired woman (1932), RIFF RAFF (1936) and Saratoga (1937), while Franchot Tone reunites with her The girl from Missouri (1934), reckless (1935) and susie (1936). I like Harlow in all of her pictures, but I especially like her Hold your man (1933) and woman vs. secretary (1936).

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— Jennifer Garlen for Classic Movie Hub

Jennifer Garlen writes our monthly silver screen standards column. You can read all of Jennifer’s Silver Screen Standards articles here.

Jennifer is a former college professor with a PhD in English Literature and a lifelong obsession with film. She writes about classic films on her blog, Virtual Virago, and presents classic film programs for lifelong learning groups and senior communities. She is the author of Beyond Casablanca: 100 Classic Movies Worth Watching and its continuation Beyond Casablanca II: 101 Classic Movies Worth Watchingand she is also co-editor of two books on the works of Jim Henson.