Here’s a pair of reproduction stills, one a closeup, from Reckless (1935) that I love for multiple reasons.
Number one: Harlow’s stature is incredibly obvious here and quite endearing. I mean, she’s in heels!
Number two: I love the more obscure figures that populated Hollywood, and this is a great look at the extra girls. 99.9% sure the blonde furthest to the left is Rosina Lawrence. I’m also pretty sure the braided brunette closest to Jean is Mary Jo Mathews (my first thought was the tragic Dolores Casey, but she was with Paramount, and Mary Jo is a confirmed Reckless chorine.)
Number three: the sets! I say this to exhaustion, but Reckless admittedly isn’t my favorite Harlow vehicle, and it wasn’t Jean’s either. She had to be convinced by beau/costar William Powell to “take it on the chin” by accepting the role instead of signing herself up for a studio suspension. For those who haven’t seen this quasi-musical (as Harlow was no songbird), its plot is a hodge-podge of exploitative details from both the Libby Holman and Harlow husband suicide scandals. The former, coincidentally a favorite singer of mine, nearly sued.
One of the redeeming factors on Reckless is its drop-dead gorgeous deco sets, the work of genius set designers Cedric Gibbons and Ed Willis. Love getting to see the trees on the MGM lot framing the set in the wide shot.
Harlow Heaven 