Poseidon-3 Review of Hold Your Man

Hold Your Man (1933)

Gable and Harlow demonstrate star power in this lesser known pairing.

[31 January 2008]

Two of MGM's most memorable stars enjoy some snazzy scenes together in this somewhat uneven, but mostly entertaining, romantic film. Gable, a con man, has to hot-foot it from the police after a scam gone wrong and winds up in the apartment of Harlow, who's no slouch in the pilfering business herself, though she gets her dough from an array of men in her life. After an uneasy start, they become close and embark on a relationship, one that isn't above the odd con job, but, when one goes horribly wrong, Gable is on the lam again and Harlow is sent off to a reformatory for women! Here things get a little sticky as Harlow pines for Gable and he risks everything in order to see her. A gaggle of fellow inmates work overtime in order to reunite the couple as the police close in. Gable looks positively adorable here. He delivers his lines with confidence and panache, but also reveals many different shades as his character begins to regard Harlow as more than just another floozy. His big emotional scene is, perhaps, a bit beyond his range, but most of the time he's in fine form and shares sparkling chemistry with his leading lady. Harlow is equally fine. She has a boatload of one-liners and wisecracks and delivers them all with her wonderfully common and knowing persona. She doesn't skimp on the emotional aspects of her character, though. It's a strong performance with a lot of variety to it. She is filmed, however, with some astonishingly heavy soft focus for someone who was only 22 or 23! Erwin appears as one of Harlow's devoted suitors and Burgess (the real-life niece of Fay Bainter) is one of Gable's cast-offs. She and Harlow have some terrifically bitchy exchanges in the film along with some physicality. Notable for its time is the fairly prominent presence of Harris as a black inmate at the reformatory. Though she is depicted as rooming in a different area, she spends much time in Harlow's room and has a substantial role with no mention made of race. Her father in the film, played by Reed, also has a critical role, though that is one of the more saccharine bits of the storyline. A good example of how busy MGM's stable of supporting players were is Friderici as the head matron. She appeared in 15 films the year before this one and 10 this year before dying in December (and appearing in two previously-filmed 1934 films after that!) The vast difference between the lighthearted first half and the more soapy second half may disappoint some viewers, but fans of the stars will surely enjoy seeing them go through their paces regardless. It's not an overly long film and has many captivating facets to it. The quasi-happy ending would likely not be possible just a year later when the Production Code was fully functioning.