mark.waltz This film is famous for being known as the film Jean Harlow was working on when she died suddenly, and was replaced for long shots, back of head shots and side shots by a stand-in. The material they have of Harlow is wonderful, but sadly, it noticeably changes 3/4 way through the film.The story is about an American girl (Harlow) coming back from Europe with a hoity toity British accent (like Ginger Rogers did in several films) engaged to race track enthusiast Walter Pidgeon but slowly falling in love with bookie Clark Gable whom she initially can't stand. Gable held a note from her late father (Otto Kruger) for gambling debts, so Harlow initially resents him. But Gable & Harlow are TNT, and Pidgeon, here in the unfortunate Ralph Bellamy role, can't win. Frank Morgan plays "Harriet Hale", the cold-cream queen, whose wife (Una Merkel) is a flirtatious "old acquaintance" of Gable's. He begins to think there's hanky panky going on between the two & conspires with Harlow against Gable at the racetrack.The major highlight is "The Horse with the Dreamy Eyes", a song started by Cliff "Ukeilele Ike" Edwards on the train ride to Saratoga that soon gets everybody singing. The biggest surprise is how the passengers urge black maid Hattie McDaniels to sing a verse, and she lights up with those rolling eyes as she warbles. Having sung the year before in "Show Boat", she was known for her singing talent, but this is her in modern times practically an equal long before civil rights came along. McDaniels may be playing a maid, but its obvious that she is doing it on HER terms. Her heart glows through those eyes, making her a total scene-stealer in this film. Also worth mentioning is the scene where future "Wizard" and future "Witch" Frank Morgan and Margaret Hamilton meet with Merkel and Gable. While they had worked together in an RKO film called "By Your Leave", they did not appear together in "The Wizard of Oz", so this being easier to find than "By Your Leave", it is a delight to see them together in a very funny scene. I found Lionel Barrymore's performance to be a bit overacted as Harlow's grandfather. Sadly, "Saratoga" shows a slight weakness towards the end as Harlow is obviously replaced by her stand-in. Only the back of her head is shown, and the voice meant to sound like her is a pale imitation. It isn't the fault of the actress, simply unfortunate circumstances. The scene where Harlow starts coughing profusely in character is really an unfortunate moment considering what would happen only a few months later.

sbibb1 Saratoga was not a great film. It has some clever and witty moments, such as the scene where Harlow is caught smoking a cigar, but on the whole the film is not among the best work of the wonderful cast which includes: Jean Harlow, Clark Gable, Lionel Barrymore and Walter Pigeon. Harlow died before she completed filming this movie after a supposed illness which lasted 10 days. Watching the film you can see how unenergetic she looks, how puffy and tired and knowing that she does not live to finish the film casts the film in a poor light. When Harlow died, it was reported in the press that the film would be scrapped and left unfinished....but Louella Parsons reported in the press a few days after Harlow's death that the public outcry had been so great that MGM had decided to release the film. Being realistic here, it is hard to believe that MGM would ever seriously consider scrapping the film....the film had already cost millions and had other big name stars in the film. Parsons reported that the role played by Jean Harlow would be filled by actress Rita Johnson, and that at the point in the filming where Harlow died, co-star Lionel Barrymore would film an introduction announcing that Harlow had passed and that the film would be completed by another actress. None of this happened. There was no intro by Barrymore, and the role was taken over by actress Mary Dees. Dees was described in the press as having been both a $55 a week dancer at Warner Brothers, and also was said to have been pulled from a picture that she was shooting at Paramount with Bing Crosby to finish the role.It is laughable to see the new actress in the role. At the point at which Harlow dies in real life, her character on the screen seems to almost vanish too. When she is shown, she is shown from the back, or with binoculars to her face, or a laughable scene with Hattie McDaniels where she is wearing a huge hat with a wide gauzy brim which obscures her face. This all makes what already was not a stellar film, get even worse. It is hard to say how the film would have been had Harlow lived. There is no question that her role would have been much larger.In a macabre twist, in the scene where Jean Harlow is being examined by the doctor played by George Zucco, the gown she is wearing, white and with puffy sleeves, was the gown she was buried wearing.

Neil Doyle It's hard to work up any enthusiasm for this sort of comedy from MGM. With stars of the caliber of Gable and Harlow, one expects much more than a routine story of the jet set circa 1930s amid a horsey racetrack background.Furthermore, watching it with an awareness that Harlow was gravely ill during filming makes the comedy even less enjoyable than it's supposed to be. Her illness shows in more than the make-up needed to hide the shadows around her eyes. She seems to be forcing herself to go through with any sense of comic timing for the sake of getting through the filming of a very tedious comedy. A certain listlessness can be detected in many of her scenes. The use of a double is painfully obvious toward the last third of the film.Seldom is there any inkling of the comic skill Gable showed in films like IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT--and never is Jean Harlow anything less than remote and listless even in some of her best moments. The cigar smoking scene is the only highlight in this otherwise feeble comedy.Only bits of trivia awareness can heighten any interest in this one. Margaret Hamilton and Frank Morgan have a train scene that reminds us they were soon to be prominently featured in THE WIZARD OF OZ. Lionel Barrymore actually walks around without even a cane--and Walter Pigeon makes his MGM debut, giving perhaps the only reasonably faultless performance in a weak film.Summing up: Insignificant both as a comedy and as Jean Harlow's last film. Unfortunately, her bloated appearance and obvious signs of illness hang like a pall over most of the film.

Patrick-96 When you watch this film, you are overwhelmed with sadness realizing that Jean Harlow died during production. Adding to that, Jean was never better than she is in this film. First of all, MGM finally found her 'look.' Her make-up is toned down and her platinum blonde hair is now a darker shade. She never looked lovelier. But what really is remarkable is her acting skills. She developed such a natural style and her comic ability was absolutely flawless.From what I've read, Miss Harlow was liked by all in the industry, and loved by those who were close to her. Dying a such a young age (26), one can only imagine how many more years her career would have flourished.Almost 65 years have passed since her death and she's still one of Hollywood's greatest stars.