directed by
Jack Conway
USA 1936
Jean Harlow came into her own while making Libeled Lady (1936) in more
ways than one. During filming, she officially changed her name from Harlean
Carpenter McGrew Bern Rosson to Jean Harlow, the name that symbolized the dream
of glamour and romance she had become at MGM. The film gave her an opportunity
to live one of her own dreams when she played a wedding scene with off-screen
love William Powell.
From a professional standpoint, Libeled Lady marked a return to the kind of
brassy comic leads that had made her a star. Harlow had campaigned for more
diverse roles, and was happy to play Spencer Tracy's working-class wife in
Riffraff (1935), Clark Gable's faithful girl Friday in
Wife vs. Secretary (1936) and a World War I singer involved with Cary
Grant in Suzy (1936). But the last film was the only one to perform
strongly at the box office. And though critics had liked her acting,
particularly in Wife vs. Secretary, they were clamoring for the return of the
old Harlow. So she gladly doffed her brassier and spit comic insults at co-stars
Tracy and Powell in Libeled Lady, scoring one of the biggest hits of her career.
Posters
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Theatrical Release: October 9th, 1936
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DVD Review: Warner - Region 1 - NTSC
DVD Box Cover |
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OR buy the Warner Classic Comedies Collection (Bringing Up Baby / The Philadelphia Story Two-Disc Special Edition / Dinner at Eight / Libeled Lady / Stage Door / To Be or Not to Be)... | |
Distribution | Warner Home Video - Region 1- NTSC | |
Runtime | 1.38:09 | |
Video | 1.33:1
Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.55 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s |
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NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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Audio | English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono) | |
Subtitles | English, Spanish, French, None | |
Features |
Release Information: Edition Details: • Audio-Only
Bonus: Leo Is on the Air Radio Promo |
Comments: |
There is quite a lot of damage in this film in the first 10 minutes - many scratches and dirt that I suppose the Warner transfer process was unable to remove. Other than that this is an excellent image - a very nice balance between grain and sharpness - contrast remains strong with excellent grey-tones. Original audio - perfect subtitles - and a radio featurette bonus. Proud to have in one's collection! |
DVD Menus
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Subtitle Sample
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Screen Captures
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DVD Box Cover |
|
CLICK to order from: |
![]() |
OR buy the Warner Classic Comedies Collection (Bringing Up Baby / The Philadelphia Story Two-Disc Special Edition / Dinner at Eight / Libeled Lady / Stage Door / To Be or Not to Be)... | |
Distribution | Warner Home Video - Region 1- NTSC |