The name suggests it will be a Jean Harlow vehicle, even though the billing order sets you straight. Loretta Young is the girl in Robert Williams’s friend zone who watches tearfully as he pursues society girl Harlow. It’s Young who obviously demands our sympathies from the start. And wow, is she beautiful here.
Still, I wouldn’t call it a Young picture, either. It’s Williams whose charisma dominates. It’s obvious that Capra was pushing star status for him in this, his first major starring role. But sadly, Williams’s untimely death would come only 3 days after the premier of Platinum Blonde. Harlow would also die young in 1937.
Side note: I couldn’t stop thinking about how much Williams looked like Jeremy Renner.
Williams had loads of charm, and it’s intriguing to think...