Copyright 15 March 1937 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Corp. New York opening at the Capitol: 15 April 1937. U.S. release: 19 March 1937. 84 minutes. (An excellent DVD from Warner Archive).SYNOPSIS: The scene is England, and Miss Harlow is an American widow who is in financial straits. Taylor plays an irresponsible playboy of good family who gets into trouble for selling a car he didn't own and is disowned by his family, including father E. E. Clive and brother Reginald Owen, who consider him hopelessly and irredeemably shiftless. Taylor accepts a sheriff's offer to watch the house and furnishings of widow Harlow to make sure she moves nothing. COMMENT: High-grade upper-crust comedy, with the cast in fine form, under the expert direction of W.S. Van Dyke. Harlow is given several opportunities as a comic impersonator and acquits herself well. The accent is much more on her ability as a comedienne than on her physical charms, which, if anything, are under-emphasised - although cinematographer William Daniels does give her some attractive close-ups, he also treats us to an equal number of unflattering angles. Similarly, although she has a good wardrobe by Dolly Tree, she slops around for a good deal of footage in an unrevealing bathrobe. And Marla Shelton, at her first appearance wears a more gorgeous gown than any Harlow puts on. Also Harlow's brunette hair is not as alluring as her platinum blonde tresses were.Oddly, therefore, it is not Harlow but Robert Taylor who walks away with the film's acting honors. Harwood's play is a typical comedy of manners, its storyline slight but long on co-incidence, its chucklesome but one-joke plot fleshed out with a host of captivating and wonderfully quirky characters. Yet, though surrounded by such scene-stealing stalwarts as Reginald Owen as the blustering brother, E.E. Clive as his nervous nellie dad and Una O'Connor as a quarrelsome slavey (not to mention Forrester Harvey's punctilious bailiff, Billy Bevan's adroit waiter and Barnett Parker's unintelligible lounge lizard), Taylor is completely unfazed, delivering a professional performance that is at once suave, sophisticated, charming and wholly likable.Incidentally, Harwood's play was previously filmed by M-G-M in 1931 under its original title. Robert Montgomery had the Taylor role, whilst Irene Purcell enjoyed the Harlow innings and Charlotte Greenwood impersonated the cook-of-all-work. Cast in the same roles in both versions were Reginald Owen and Forrester Harvey. The 1931 picture was directed by Sam Wood from a screenplay by Sarah Y. Mason, with additional dialogue by P.G. Wodehouse.

I always watch Robert Taylor in memory of my mother; she loved him. This film is a Taylor-Harlow pairing, "Personal Property," a watered-down version of the play, and the first time it was made, it was a precode film, A Man of Possession.Taylor is Raymond Dabney, the black sheep in a successful family, all of whom are British except for him, evidently, as he sports no accent. He's been released early from prison after selling a car he didn't own. His brother Claude (Reginald Owen) and father (E.E. Clive) aren't happy to see him, unlike his mother, so they offer Raymond 300 pounds to go anywhere he wants, preferably out of the country. Raymond chooses London.At a cocktail lounge, Raymond meets Crystal Wetherby (Harlow), a widow. Raymond is interested and follows her to the opera Aida, and then he follows her home. At her home, he meets a bailiff who is going to sit in Crystal's house until she pays what she owes.Crystal is throwing a dinner for her fiancé and future in-laws; Raymond kindly offers to pretend to be her butler. When the future family shows up, a few problems present themselves.Jean Harlow was always very likable, although here, she's a little more low-key. She wears her engagement ring from William Powell throughout the film; it's sad that her life was cut so short. I thought Taylor was just fine. He had a nice sense of comedy. But I have to agree with some others that the role would have been better suited to Franchot Tone or Cary Grant. Taylor was a beautiful man, and he looked great in evening clothes, but he was a farm boy at heart and didn't have quite the sophistication necessary.I found this film slow and not very involving, but I loved the two stars.

This was the first time i ever got a chance to see Jean Harlow or Robert Taylor in a movie. I've seen photographs of them of course but never actually seeing any of their films i simply assumed them to be overrated. Seeing Jean Harlow's still photo i imagined her to be some overrated dumb blonde. I thought she was pretty but never understood why exactly she was so famous. As well as Robert Taylor, i will agree with the last commentator in saying "What A Hottie!", i always though he was incredibly handsome but never understood what the big deal about him was. Well actually i did see a little part of Jean Harlow in the movie "Reckless" and i thought it was terrible. I've always thought she was a tiny bit overrated. However my opinions about both of them changed after i saw this film. They were both so lovable, and animated. I never expected it from them. I particularly love the scene where Taylor's character insists on sleeping in the upstairs guest room and Jean Harlow tries to scare him downstairs by pretending to be her husband by walking up the stairs in a big pair of clunky boots. I unfortunately did not get to finish the entire movie. After the stair-climbing scene it did seem to slow down a little bit but it was just such an enjoyable romantic comedy. I really must say that Harlow and Taylor were both very gifted performers. By the way s it me or does Harlow's hair seem darker than usual? Whenever i saw her she seemed to have bright blonde, hair and in this movie it seems to look a little different at first. As for the movie itself it is not necessarily on the same level as say "It Happened One Night", but for those of you who have never seen a picture with Jean Harlow or Robert Taylor i recommend this one so these two gifted performers can share there gifts with you.

Apparently the only film Jean Harlow and Robert Taylor starred together, this harmless but ultimately forgettable MGM star vehicle is gravely marred by plush MGM studio sets and a drab, unconvincing direction by W.S. Van Dyke, though it has its moments of unintentional humor. But given the stars and the studio, this could have been more entertaining. It is a tedious mélange of romance and comedy that somehow frazzles or drowns when a good or funny scene ends. Harlow plays an impoverished but glamorous American widow named Crystal Wetherby who, at first, has her sights set on a penniless Englishman (Reginald Owen) but soon becomes interested in Robert Taylor. If you are a fan of the stars, "Personal Property" can be eminently watchable, though Dyke's sluggish pacing can be gruelling at times.