The plot for "Reckless" is based on a real-life scenario that came to a climax just three years before this film's release. Other reviewers give more details of the affair and ultimate marriage of tobacco-heir Zachary Smith Reynolds and torch singer Libby Holman, and of his apparent suicide. These remarks will focus on the actors, their roles and performances. And then note the fictional deviations from the real characters and story.
Jean Harlow plays Mona Leslie, the character who is based on Holman; and Franchot Tone plays Bob Harrison, the character based on the 21-year old heir of the Reynolds tobacco fortune. William Powell's Ned Riley is a fictional character who may have had parts of one or more other males in Holman's life. But there was no one person like him. The rest of the cast include some characters that represent real people - mostly in the Reynolds family; while the bulk are fictional or generalizations of several other people, mostly performers around Holman.
Reviewers are split on Harlow's "suitability" for her role here. I agree with those who think this may be her best dramatic performance. It's hard to imagine the possible diverse talents of a performer if the performer is most often cast in one type of role and/or an audience is used to seeing her or him as such. People were used to Harlow as a comedienne and tough, wise-cracking bombshell, even in some of her films that weren't all comedies. Yet, she showed some dramatic flare as well in some films before this - most notably "Dinner at Eight" of 1933.
Harlow puts some enthusiasm and bounce into her Mona Leslie that lights up the screen in her scenes. She seems to be acting and reacting more spontaneously than in many of her films in which she seemed to be ready with the next punchline. Harlow was an entertaining actress but far from a great one. Since she plays a singer and actress, it's obvious that MGM would bill this as a musical as well as a drama and light comedy. While the tunes and limited dances are good, they aren't anything special. And Harlow's singing was all dubbed.
Franchot Tone gives a very good performance as the super-spoiled rich kid and playboy alcoholic. His Bob Harrison is the picture of the idle rich kid who thinks he can woo any woman with his money. Only here, it is apparent that he merely wants a sexual conquest because of his almost immediate regret at having married Leslie. The portrayal of Harrison pursuing Leslie is apparently very close to Reynold's behavior. He was said to have stalked Holman to the point of flying his personal plane to follow her around the globe. As the movie shows, the real family was appalled at Holman's lifestyle. The film doesn't include the events when Holman's stage and nightclub circle descended on the Reynolds estate and greatly disrupted and disturbed the family.
The details about Harrison's death, and the aftermath, differ somewhat from those after the Reynold's 1932 suicide. The family did provide for Holman and for her son who was conceived by Reynolds, as shown in the film. But the family kept the affair as quiet as possible. It's not very likely that there was a major comeback show in which Holman confronted and won over a hostile audience. That's most likely Hollywood hype to build audience sympathy for Harlow's character. And that's important for the film's success, because the screenplay was very deliberate so as not to paint Holman as a gold-digger, which she wasn't.
This also relates to one other aspect of Holman's character. The audiences of 1935 would have known about the Holman-Reynolds marriage and his apparent suicide. But most would not have read or known much about Holman's real life. She was bisexual and lived a very lurid and hedonistic lifestyle with various women and men. Some think her true lifestyle could not be portrayed because of the Motion Picture code enforcement. While that may be an official way to explain the whitewashing of the Holman character, I suspect that the MGM studio heads knew that a portrayal of a hedonistic heroine in this story would not have garnered audience approval. If anything, it's clear by the script for this film, that MGM's Leslie was a virtuous young singer and performer - far from the real Libby Holman.
William Powell's part is the least of the major roles, but his Ned Riley seems to be the thread that holds the pieces of the story together. His character is likeable, but one wants to give him a poke so he will tell Mona that he loves her. May Robson and many others of the cast give good performances.
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