what a great movie. I just watched it on TCM. jean Harlow,and Clark gable were a stupendous combo. both of their character portrayals were right up their ally. both had a crusty edge to them. gene Raymond continued to be a actor I am impressed with every time I see him, in these older movies. he was also very good in a later movie Mr. &mrs. smith with Robert Montgomery,and Carole Lombard. he plays a great straight guy character,and very unassuming,almost naive. Mary Astor was great as the unfaithful wife, with more polish than the character Harlow played, but not as happy go lucky,and not street wise. Mary Astor was beautiful, and a great actor. she adapted well as the years advanced in Hollywood. her rolls were always perfect, with her advancement. she was a talented and very sophisticated lady in real life,and a accomplished author as well. her roll in Maltese falcon, and little women showed her diversity,as well as a movie that the title escapes me with Bette Davis, George Brent. I have enjoyed the tribute to Harlow.

It is problematic to identify with a reprehensible leading man, and that's the worthwhile opportunity this movie affords. Clark Gable plays an interesting character, an able and capable master of an unsupervised and inhospitable domain. I used to think Mr. Gable was a one-tone actor. He's far more multi-layered when teamed with Jean Harlow, and she's too smart and articulate for words. The three person dynamic of her always near Gable and Mary Astor is charming and even funnier since Gable takes it as a given. The sound recording technique still seems new in this movie so I miss some of the casually spoken dialog, but whenever I catch more of it, it is always a riot. The atmosphere is detailed and perfect. There is so much to see. The movie looks like it's leading toward tragedy; what a pleasure to arrive at a comedy payoff...Mary Astor is quite beautiful too, and in thinking back I suggest she's entitled to some sympathy and justification, since she succumbs to a man shifting his weight in an isolated position of a power. Anyway, let her and her husband (Gene Raymond) live the hypocrisies of civilized society... Bring those rubber trees to Fordlandia!

This is a lot of fun as long as you're not looking for poetry. It's a product of the old studio system, with actors, directors, and gofers under contract, grinding out one production after another, with a lot of seasoning and skill.Director Victor Fleming ("Gone With The Wind", etc.) was a sturdy man's man, vulgar and given to drink. Gable earned his paycheck and didn't care what the result looked like. Jean Harlow enjoyed herself, despite the long hours and the recent death of her oddball husband. Screenwriter John Lee Mahin wrote a hilarious parody of middle-brow Hollywood productions in the style of James Joyce's "Ulysses." (Last sentence: "yes -- but on a higher plane.") John Ford's remake in the mid-50s, "Mogambo", illustrates the difference that twenty years can make -- same male star, but a bigger, splashier, more worrisome production set in Africa instead of IndoChina. Gable went big game hunting. Ford thought it was disgusting.This 1932 effort takes place in a studio-bound jungle out of which Gable has carved a rubber plantation. He's been shacked up with the raucous Harlow and kicks her out before his new Administrator, Raymond, arrives. Raymond gets there on time but shows his weakness by promptly falling ill, leaving Gable alone with Raymond's inexperienced young wife, Mary Astor.Since Gable keeps tearing off his shirt at every opportunity and oozes pheromones, it isn't long before Gable sends Uriah, I mean Raymond, off for a long trek into the bush, while he balls Astor back at the Big House. By this time Harlow has returned, her exit boat having gotten stuck in the mud. She sees immediately what's up and engages in a lot of sarcastic sniping.Gable has been planning to get rid of Raymond and keep Astor for himself but discovers at the last minute that he has a heart after all. This is always the kind of realization that brings misfortune. In this case it takes the form of a bullet. But everything winds up happily, this being an old-fashioned studio production.Gable's ears are more impressive than his muscles but it doesn't matter. He's masculine enough and that's what counts. Harlow is saucy and takes a nude bath in the drinking water. That's okay with me too.As I say, it's much fun, but I did miss the usual exotic city scene with the men sporting white suits and pith helmets and an abundance of beaded curtains.

Red Dust (1932) *** (out of 4) Victor Fleming film has Clark Gable playing a tough as nails rubber plantation owner who has a fling with a blonde (Jean Harlow) but falls in love with a married woman (Mary Astor). Here's another film I've been meaning to watch for quite a while now and it was worth the wait, although I was hoping it would be somewhat better. The film's biggest asset is the terrific cast who all give wonderful performances. This is just the type of role Gable was born to play and he has terrific chemistry with both Harlow and Astor. Gable manages to be quite a jerk but also tender at the same time, which is what made him so legendary. Harlow is very funny in her role and Astor steals the show as the woman getting in over her head. The Pre-Code elements are also very strong with Harlow constantly showing off her body and the scene in the tub is priceless. The underline sex going on throughout the film also sets it apart from other movies of its time. I think the weakest thing was some of the plot, which is pretty familiar but the ending certainly packs a nice little punch and it somewhat made me curious if the writers of Casablanca were influenced by it.