Jean Harlow
from Libeled Lady (1936)
Birth name	Harlean Harlow Carpenter
Born	March 3, 1911 Kansas City, Missouri, United States
Died	June 7, 1937 (age 26) Los Angeles, California, United States
Years active	1927–1937
Spouse(s)	Harold Rosson (1933–1934) Paul Bern (1932–1932) Charles McGrew (1927–1929)
Official site	www.JeanHarlow.com

Jean Harlow (March 3, 1911 – June 7, 1937) was an American film actress and sex symbol of the 1930s. Known as the "Platinum Blonde" for her famous hair, Harlow starred in several films, mainly designed to showcase her magnetic sex appeal and strong screen presence before transitioning to more developed roles and achieving massive fame under contract to MGM. Harlow's enormous popularity and "laughing vamp" image were in distinct contrast to her personal life, which was marred by disappointment, tragedy, and ultimately, her sudden death from renal failure at 26. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Libeled Lady is a 1936 comedy film. ... is the 62nd day of the year (63rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Nickname: Location in Jackson, Clay, Platte, and Cass Counties in the state of Missouri. ... June 7 is the 158th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (159th in leap years), with 207 days remaining. ... Year 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nickname: Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: , State California County Los Angeles County Settled 1781 Incorporated April 4, 1850 Government  - Type Mayor-Council  - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa  - City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo  - Governing body City Council Area  - City  498. ... Paul Bern (December 3, 1889 – September 5, 1932) was a German-American film director and writer. ... is the 62nd day of the year (63rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... June 7 is the 158th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (159th in leap years), with 207 days remaining. ... Year 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Film is a term that encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. ... Actors in period costume sharing a joke whilst waiting between takes during location filming. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Face The 1930s (years from 1930–1939) were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression, also known in Europe as the World Depression. ... MGM logo Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer or MGM, is a large media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of cinema and television programs. ... Vamp is a colloquial term applied to describe a particular type of femme fatale, popular in silent films. ... Renal failure is the condition in which the kidneys fail to function properly. ...

Early life

Harlow was born Harlean Harlow Carpenter in Kansas City, Missouri, the daughter of Mont Clair Carpenter, a dentist, and his wife, Jean Poe Carpenter (née Harlow). Young Harlean's father came from a working-class background while her mother was the daughter of a wealthy real estate broker, Skip Harlow and his wife Ella Harlow (née Williams). The marriage was arranged by Jean Carpenter's father, Skip. Carpenter, an intelligent and strong-willed woman, resented it, and would become very unhappy in the marriage. Nickname: Location in Jackson, Clay, Platte, and Cass Counties in the state of Missouri. ... X-rays can reveal if a person has cavities Dentistry is the practical application of knowledge of dental science (the science of placement, arrangement, function of teeth) to human beings. ...

Unlike many Hollywood stars, little Harlean's childhood was not marked by poverty and unhappiness. Harlean lived with her parents in a very large house in Kansas City that was her grandfather's second home. The only grandchild in the family, Harlean was nicknamed "The Baby", a moniker that would stick with her for the rest of her life. Without any siblings, Harlean became extremely close to her mother, and Jean Carpenter, unhappy in her marriage, turned all her focus onto her daughter. She was extremely protective and coddling to young Harlean, instilling in her a sense that Harlean owed everything she had to her mother, which in turn, inspired a deep devotion from daughter to mother, another aspect which would carry through to adulthood. So coddled was young Harlean that she did not learn until the age of five, when she began to attend school at Miss Barstow's Finishing School for Girls in Kansas City, that her name was actually Harlean and not "Baby". The Barstow School (commonly known simply as Barstow), founded in 1884[1] by Miss Mary Louise Barstow, is a nonsectarian, coeducational, private preparatory school located on State Line Road in suburban southern Kansas City, Missouri, USA. The Barstow School enrolls approximately 650 students in preschool through 12th grade. ...

With her daughter at school, Mother Jean become increasingly frustrated and filed for divorce (no small matter at the time) which was finalized, uncontested, September 29, 1922 and was granted, among other things, sole custody of her daughter. Harlean would only see her father again once more in her lifetime. is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar). ...

In 1923, with hopes of becoming an actress, Mother Jean and Harlean moved to Hollywood, where Harlean briefly attended the Hollywood School For Girls. However with no good prospects forthcoming in acting for Mother Jean and dwindling finances, they returned to Kansas City within two years. In the summer of 1925, Harlean's grandfather sent her to a summer camp called Camp Cha-Ton-Ka in Michigamme, Michigan. It was during this summer that Harlean would catch scarlet fever. From there Harlean attended the Ferry Hall School in Lake Forest, Illinois. Freshmen were paired with a "big sister" from the senior class, and fifteen-year-old Harlean was paired with a girl who would introduce her to nineteen-year-old Charles "Chuck" McGrew, heir to a large fortune, in the fall of 1926. Harlean and McGrew fell in love and were married at the end of 1927, much to the annoyance of Mother Jean (who had earlier that year married Marino Bello); marriage would free Harlean from her control. Michigamme is an unincorporated community located in Marquette County, Michigan. ... Official language(s) None (English, de-facto) Capital Lansing Largest city Detroit Area  Ranked 11th  - Total 97,990 sq mi (253,793 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 491 miles (790 km)  - % water 41. ... The Ferry Hall School was a girls preparatory school founded in Lake Forest, Illinois in 1869. ... Incorporated City in 1861. ... Official language(s) English[1] Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Largest metro area Chicago Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq mi (149,998 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 390 miles (629 km)  - % water 4. ...

Shortly after the marriage, Chuck McGrew turned twenty-one and received part of his large inheritance and the couple moved to Los Angeles, where Harlean thrived as a wealthy socialite and more importantly, away from her mother. In Los Angeles, Harlean befriended Rosalie Roy, a young aspiring actress. Lacking a car, Roy asked Harlean to drive her to Fox Studios for an appointment she had. It was there, sitting in the car waiting for her friend, Harlean was noticed by Fox executives. Approached by the executives, Harlean was given dictated letters of introduction to the Central Casting Bureau despite stating she was not interested. Recounting this story a few days later, Rosalie Roy made a wager with Harlean that she did not have the nerve to go back and audition for roles. Unwilling to lose a wager and pressed by her enthused mother, Harlean drove to Central Casting and signed in under her mother's name: Jean Harlow. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Twentieth (20th) Century Fox Film Corporation (known from 1935 to 1985 as Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation) is one of the six major American film studios. ...

Career beginnings

After several calls and turned-down job offers from Central Casting, Harlean was pressured by her mother (now relocated to Los Angeles) into accepting work. Harlean then appeared in her first film, Honor Bound as an unbilled extra, for $7 a day. This led to several other roles, and Harlean landed bit parts in silent films such as, Why Is A Plumber? (1927), Moran of the Marines (1928) and The Love Parade (1929). She had more substantial roles in Laurel and Hardy's short Double Whoopee, and the Clara Bow vehicle The Saturday Night Kid, both in 1929. Under pressure from Harlean's career ascent, she and Chuck McGrew separated in June 1929, and Harlean moved in with her mother and Bello. Laurel and Hardy, in a promotional still from their 1937 feature film Way Out West. ... This is a Laurel and Hardy short made in 1929. ... Clara Gordon Bow (July 29, 1905 – September 27, 1965) was an American actress and sex symbol, best known for her silent film work in the 1920s. ...

During filming of Weak But Willing in 1929, she was spotted by James Hall, an actor in a then-shooting Howard Hughes film called Hell's Angels. Hughes, re-shooting the film from silent into sound, needed a new actress as the original actress Greta Nissen's Norse accent proved undesirable for a talkie. Harlean met briefly with Hughes and was hired on the spot. Hughes signed Jean Harlow to a five-year contract on October 24, 1929. It was during shooting that Harlow would meet MGM executive Paul Bern. Hell's Angels premiered in Hollywood on May 27, 1930 at Grauman's Chinese Theater. For the Welsh murderer, see Howard Hughes (murderer). ... Hells Angels Theatrical Release poster Hells Angels was a 1930 film directed by Howard Hughes. ... Greta Nissen (1906 - 1988), born Grethe Ruzt-Nissen in Oslo, Norway, film and stage actor. ... A sound film (or talkie) is a motion picture with synchronized sound, as opposed to a silent movie. ... A contract is a legally binding exchange of promises or agreement between parties that the law will enforce. ... October 24 is the 297th day of the year (298th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Paul Bern (December 3, 1889 – September 5, 1932) was a German-American film director and writer. ... is the 147th day of the year (148th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1930 (MCMXXX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display 1930 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section cites very few or no references or sources. ...

Harlow was a sensation with audiences, but critics were less than besotted. The New Yorker called Harlow "plain awful". Variety was a bit more lenient in remarking, "It doesn't matter what degree of talent she possesses....nobody ever starved possessing what she's got", referring to her sex appeal. In 1931, loaned out by Hughes' Caddo Company to other studios, Harlow began to gain more attention when she appeared in The Public Enemy (with James Cagney), Goldie, The Secret Six (with Wallace Beery and Clark Gable), and Platinum Blonde with Loretta Young. In fact, Hughes convinced the producers of "Platinum Blonde" to rename it from its original title of "Gallagher" in order to promote Harlow's image. Though the films ranged from moderate to smash hits, Harlow's acting ability was damned by critics as awful and was mocked, with some saying she ruined any scene she was in. The New Yorker is an American magazine that publishes reportage, criticism, essays, cartoons, poetry and fiction. ... Variety is a daily newspaper for the entertainment industry. ... The Public Enemy is a 1933 Pre-Code American crime drama film. ... James Francis Cagney, Jr. ... Wallace Beery (April 1, 1885 – April 15, 1949) was an American actor, best known for his many cinema appearances. ... William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901 – November 16, 1960) was an Academy Award-winning American film actor. ... Plantinum Blonde is a 1931 romantic comedy starring Jean Harlow, Loretta Young and Robert Williams, and directed by Frank Capra. ... Loretta Young in 1935 Loretta Young (January 6, 1913 – August 12, 2000) was an Academy Award-winning American actress. ...

Screen Play, June 1931, Jean Harlow on the cover of the American movie magazine

Concerned of Harlow's status, Hughes sent her on a personal appearance tour of the East Coast in late 1931. To the surprise of many, especially Harlow herself, she packed every theatre she appeared in, often appearing multiple nights in one venue. Despite critical assailment and poor roles, Harlow's popularity and following was large and growing, to the extent that the tour was extended through early 1932. Many of Harlow's female fans were dying their hair platinum to match hers. To capitalize on this craze, Hughes's team organized a series of "Platinum Blonde" clubs across the nation, with a prize of $10,000 to any beautician that could match Harlow's shade. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Year 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1932 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Apprised of this, Paul Bern (now romantically involved with Harlow) spoke to Louis B. Mayer about buying out Harlow's contract from Hughes and signing her to MGM. Mayer would have none of it. MGM's leading ladies were just that, and Harlow's silver screen image was that of a floozy, which was abhorrent to Mayer. Bern then began urging good friend Irving Thalberg, production head of MGM, to sign Harlow, noting Harlow's pre-existing popularity and established image. After initial reticence, Thalberg agreed, and on March 3, 1932, Harlow's twenty-first birthday, Bern called with the news that MGM had bought Harlow's contract from Hughes for $30,000. Harlow would afterwards be required to report to MGM and officially joined the studio on April 20, 1932. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... MGM logo Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer or MGM, is a large media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of cinema and television programs. ... Irving Grant Thalberg (May 30, 1899 - September 14, 1936) was an American film producer during the early years of motion pictures. ... is the 110th day of the year (111th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Metro Goldwyn Mayer

MGM was where Harlow would become a superstar. Jean was given superior movie roles to show off not only her beauty, but what turned out to be an authentic talent for comedy. In 1932, she had the starring roles in Red-Headed Woman, for which she received a salary of $1,250/week, and Red Dust, her second film with Clark Gable. These films showed her to be much more at ease in front of the camera and highlighted her skill as a comedienne. Harlow and Gable worked well together and co-starred in a total of six films. Superstar is a term used to refer to a celebrity who has great popular appeal and is widely-known, prominent or successful in some field. ... Year 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1932 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Red-Headed Woman is a 1932 film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, based on a novel by Katherine Brush, and with a screenplay by Anita Loos. ... Red Dust (1932), Directed by Victor Fleming, is the second of six movies Clark Gable and Jean Harlow made together. ...

It was during the making of Red Dust that Harlow's second husband, MGM producer Paul Bern, was found dead at their home, creating a scandal that reverberates to this day. Initially, the Hollywood community whispered that Harlow had killed Bern herself, though this was just rumor, and MGM officials quickly stepped in to spread the fabricated story of "Suicide Because of Impotence". Harlow kept silent and survived the ordeal, coming through unscathed and more popular with audiences than ever.

In 1960, it was suggested by screenwriter Ben Hecht that Bern was murdered by an unbalanced former lover, Dorothy Millette, who allegedly committed suicide the next day. The circumstances of Paul Bern's death were fully explained in Deadly Illusions by Samuel Marx and Joyce Vanderveen in 1990. Years later, the Bern-Harlow house became the home of Jay Sebring and, for a time, Sharon Tate. Tate and Sebring, along with five other people, were later murdered by Charles Manson's followers in August of 1969. Ben Hecht (February 28, 1894 – April 18, 1964) was a prolific Hollywood screenwriter, even though he professed disdain for the motion picture industry. ... Jay Sebring (October 10, 1933 – August 9, 1969) was a successful international American hair stylist to American celebrities. ... Sharon Marie Tate (January 24, 1943 – August 9, 1969) was a Golden Globe-nominated American actress. ... Charles Milles Manson (born November 12, 1934) was the leader of what came to be known as the Manson Family, a commune, which most consider a cult, that began to form around him in the U.S. city of San Francisco in 1967. ... Also: 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ...

By 1933, Harlow was becoming a superstar. She had a great comedic role in Dinner at Eight, and later that year, she starred in Bombshell. 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... Dinner at Eight is a 1932 Broadway play written George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber. ... Bombshell is a 1933 film directed by Victor Fleming and starring Jean Harlow, Lee Tracy, Frank Morgan, C. Aubrey Smith, Mary Forbes and Franchot Tone. ...

Because of Harlow's indiscreet affair with boxer Max Baer (Heavyweight Champion of the World and key figure in the recent film Cinderella Man), Dorothy Dunbar, Baer's wife, threatened divorce proceedings, naming Harlow as a co-defendant for "alienation of affection," then the common term for adultery. Maximilian Adelbert Madcap Maxie Baer Cussen (February 11, 1909 – November 21, 1959) was a famous jewish-American boxer of the 1930s, onetime Heavyweight Champion of the World, and actor. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Dorothy Dunbar (May 28, 1902 – October 23, 1992) was an American actress and socialite, who appeared in silent movies in the 1920s. ... Adultery is voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and a partner other than the lawful spouse. ...

MGM defused the situation by arranging a marriage between Harlow and cinematographer Harold Rosson. Still feeling the aftershocks of the mysterious Bern death, the studio didn't want another Harlow scandal on its hands. Rosson and Harlow were prior friends, and Rosson went along with the plan. They divorced quietly seven months later. A Cameraman-Reporter during a MINUSTAH mission in 2007 (Photo: Patrick-André Perron A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera (the art and science of which is known as cinematography). ... Harold G. Hal Rosson (August 24, 1895 – September 6, 1988) was an American Cinematographer during the early and classical Hollywood cinema. ... A scandal is a widely publicized incident involving allegations of wrong-doing, disgrace, or moral outrage. ...

After the box office hits, Hold Your Man and Red Dust, MGM realized the goldmine of the Harlow-Gable vehicle, putting them in two more films: China Seas with Wallace Beery and Rosalind Russell) and Wife vs. Secretary with Myrna Loy and James Stewart). Other co-stars included Spencer Tracy, Robert Taylor and William Powell. The term box office can refer to either: A place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to a venue The amount of business a particular production, such as a movie or theatre show, does. ... The China Sea can refer to the: South China Sea, or East China Sea This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Wallace Beery (April 1, 1885 – April 15, 1949) was an American actor, best known for his many cinema appearances. ... Rosalind Russell (June 4, 1907 - November 28, 1976) was a four-time Academy Award nominated and Tony Award winning American film, stage actress. ... Wife vs. ... Myrna Loy (August 2, 1905 – December 14, 1993) was an American motion picture actress. ... James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an iconic, Academy Award-winning American film and stage actor, best known for his self-effacing screen persona. ... Spencer Tracy (April 5, 1900 – June 10, 1967) was a two-time Academy Award-winning American film and stage actor who appeared in 74 films from 1930 to 1967. ... Robert Taylor (August 5, 1911, Filley, Nebraska - June 8, 1969, Santa Monica, California), was an American actor. ... William Horatio Powell (July 29, 1892 - March 5, 1984) was an American actor, noted for his sophisticated, cynical roles. ...

By the mid-1930s, Harlow was one of the biggest stars in America and the foremost female star at MGM. She was still a young woman with her star continuously on the ascendant while the popularity of other female stars at MGM such as Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford and Norma Shearer were waning. Her movies continued to make huge profits at the box office, even during the middle of the Depression. Some credit Harlow's films with keeping MGM in the black while other studios fell into bankruptcy. Greta Garbo (September 18, 1905 – April 15, 1990) was a Swedish-born actress during Hollywoods silent film period and part of its Golden Age. ... Joan Crawford (March 23, 1905 – May 10, 1977),[1] was an acclaimed, iconic, Academy Award-winning American actress, arguably one of the greatest from the Golden Age of Hollywood from the 1920s through 1940s. ... Edith Norma Shearer (August 10, 1902 (some sources indicate 1900) - June 12, 1983) was an Academy Award-winning Canadian-born Hollywood actress. ... The Great Depression was a dramatic, worldwide economic downturn beginning in some countries as early as 1928. ...

Following the end of her third marriage, Harlow met MGM star William Powell and quickly fell in love. Reportedly, the couple was engaged for two years, but differences kept them from marrying swiftly (she wanted children; he did not). Harlow also said that studio head Louis B. Mayer would never allow them to wed. William Horatio Powell (July 29, 1892 - March 5, 1984) was an American actor, noted for his sophisticated, cynical roles. ...

Later career and death

In the early part of 1937, Harlow fell ill with influenza. Although she recovered, the attack weakened her body against the onslaught of a more serious illness that was just beginning to take hold: kidney failure. In retrospective analysis, Harlow's kidneys may have been slowly failing during the ten years since she contracted scarlet fever while in her early teens. In the days before kidney dialysis and transplants, this condition was fatal. Influenza, commonly known as flu, is an infectious disease of birds and mammals caused by an RNA virus of the family Orthomyxoviridae (the influenza viruses). ...

While filming Saratoga (1937) with Clark Gable, Harlow collapsed on set and was rushed to the hospital, diagnosed with uremic poisoning. She died just days later, at the age of 26. Uremia is a toxic condition resulting from renal failure, when kidney function is compromised and urea, a waste product normally excreted in the urine, is retained in the blood. ...

Harlow is buried at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park, in Glendale, California in a private room in the Great Mausoleum; her crypt bears the simple inscription "Our Baby". Her funeral took place in the Wee Kirk O' The Heather Chapel at Forest Lawn Cemetery. Gates of Forest Lawn Forest Lawn Memorial Park is a cemetery in Glendale, Los Angeles County, California. ... Nickname: Location of Glendale within Los Angeles County and the State of California. ... There are numerous cemeteries named Forest Lawn. Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles, California; Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California; This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

She was buried in the negligee that she had worn just weeks before while filming a scene from the movie Saratoga. It was reported that a single white gardenia with an unsigned note attached that read "Good night, my dearest darling" was placed in her hands. It is assumed both were from William Powell, who also paid for her final resting place—the $25,000, 9×10-foot private room lined with multicolored imported marble located in the "Sanctuary of Benediction." The negligee is a form of womenswear intended for wear at night and in the bedroom or in a airport parking lot. ...

Many myths have swirled around Harlow's death, and it was not until the early 1990s that her long-sealed medical records were uncovered. Legend had it that Harlow's mother, a follower of Christian Science, prevented doctors from attending to her dying daughter, but this myth has been extinguished. Records prove Harlow received constant medical attention. Other long-standing myths, such as the suggestion that Harlow's kidneys were damaged in a beating from husband Paul Bern or that bleach from her hair seeped into her brain and killed her, are also untrue. Christian Science is a religious teaching regarding the efficacy of spiritual healing according to the interpretation of the Bible by Mary Baker Eddy, in her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (first published in 1875). ...

Novel

Main article: Today is Tonight

Prior to her death, Harlow wrote a novel entitled Today is Tonight. According to Arthur Landau in his introduction to the 1965 paperback edition, Harlow stated her intention to write the book around 1933–1934, but it was never published during her lifetime. After her death, Landau writes, her mother sold the film rights to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer but no film eventuated. The publication rights to the novel were passed from Harlow's mother to a family friend, and the book finally saw release in 1965. Today is Tonight is the title of a novel written by Hollywood actress Jean Harlow in the mid-1930s but not published until 1965. ... For alternate meanings of MGM, see MGM (disambiguation). ...

Trivia

• Harlow was linked to American mobster Bugsy Siegel and was the godmother of his daughter Millicent. She also dated mobster Abner Zwillman at one time. He bought her a Cadillac and a jeweled bracelet, as well as getting her a two-picture deal with Harry Cohn of Columbia Pictures due to a loan he made to Cohn.
• Was the idol of Marilyn Monroe, who said she had a scrapbook with pictures and writing about Harlow as a child. Monroe's life mirrored Harlow's in many ways: Both were hugely famous, blonde sex symbols; both had several failed marriages and both suddenly died young under strange circumstances.
• Is one of the many classic stars name-checked in Madonna's 1990 hit "Vogue", as well as the songs "Bette Davis Eyes" by Kim Carnes and "I've Never Been to Me" by Charlene.
• Jean's beautiful green eyes were deep-set and she had to be lit just so for film and photo sessions in order to bring them out in contrast to the angle of her nose and the cleft in her chin. Her trademark extremely-arched eyebrows were drawn in after her own comparatively straight eyebrows were shaved off.
• Although a natural ash blonde, Harlow achieved her trademark platinum tresses through weekly bleaching sessions using a mixture of peroxide, ammonia, Clorox and Lux Flakes—an extremely painful and harsh process.
• Harlow died as her last film, Saratoga, was 90% completed. Word got out that MGM intended either to reshoot the film with a new actress or scrap it altogether. Hearing this news, thousands of fans wrote letters to MGM asking them not to scrap Harlow's last film, but to release it to theaters. The last 10% of the film was completed using a soundalike and a body double, Mary Dees, mostly accomplished with wide-angle shots. The film broke box-office records and became the biggest picture of Harlow's career and MGM's top grossing film of 1937, further proof that Jean Harlow kept MGM afloat during the Depression. Clark Gable remarked that during filming scenes after Harlow's death, he felt as if he "were in the arms of a ghost."
• Two competing films, both titled Harlow, were released in 1965. Carroll Baker played Jean in the more successful film, although Baker was almost a decade older than the age Harlow was when she died. More age-appropriate, but less successful at the box office, was Carol Lynley in her "quickie" film version. In the 1950s, there was talk that Marilyn Monroe might make a film on Harlow's life for 20th Century-Fox and Columbia Pictures considered making a Harlow biopic with either Cleo Moore or Kim Novak but neither project got off the ground.
• Gwen Stefani made her acting debut playing Jean Harlow in the 2004 Martin Scorsese movie The Aviator. Like Baker, Stefani was 34 when she played Jean Harlow—who was 19 years old at the time she was discovered by Hughes.
• Marilyn Monroe was offered a part to star as Harlow in a biopic of her life. Monroe initially turned it down, saying "I hope they don't do that to me when I'm gone". With later renewed interest, Monroe was scheduled to meet with prospective producers of a Harlow film the week she died.
• Drawn-on eyebrows are sometimes called "Harlows"
• Harlow and Paul Bern had a house on Easton Drive in Los Angeles. Bern died in this house, and it is rumoured that his ghost is roaming around the property. Hollywood hairstylist and Manson Family victim Jay Sebring rented the house in the mid-1960s (it was owned at the time by Sally Forrest and Milo Frank). His then fiancee, actress and another Manson Family victim, Sharon Tate spent time in the house. While staying overnight, she had a nightmare in which she saw a bloodied corpse of a man. In the dream she went downstairs and poured herself a drink and by accident tore off a piece of wallpaper next to the minibar. The next morning she dismissed this as a nightmare, but only until she discovered that the wallpaper next to the bar was freshly torn. She started asking around and only then learned about the history of its inhabitants and ghost sightings. Until her untimely death she claimed that she had probably seen the ghost of Paul Bern.
• Producer Edward Small tried to make a Jean Harlow bio-pic in the early '40s starring Mary Beth Hughes as Harlow, but could not come to a financial agreement with the Harlow estate.
• After Harlow's death, the French composer Charles Koechlin (a Harlow fan) composed an Epitaph pour Jean Harlow

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Filmography

Features

Saratoga is a 1937 film starring Jean Harlow and Clark Gable. ... Personal Property is a 1937 film starring Jean Harlow and Robert Taylor. ... Year 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Libeled Lady is a 1936 comedy film. ... Suzy is a 1936 movie starring Jean Harlow, Franchot Tone, and Cary Grant. ... Wife vs. ... Riffraff is a 1936 film starring Jean Harlow and Spencer Tracy. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... China Seas is a 1935 movie starring Clark Gable as a brave sea captain, Jean Harlow as an onboard floozy, and Wallace Beery as a suspicious-looking character. ... Reckless is a 1935 film by Victor Fleming. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar). ... The Girl from Missouri is a 1934 film starring Jean Harlow. ... Year 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Bombshell is a 1933 film directed by Victor Fleming and starring Jean Harlow, Lee Tracy, Frank Morgan, C. Aubrey Smith, Mary Forbes and Franchot Tone. ... Dinner at Eight is a 1933 Hollywood romantic comedy and dramatic motion picture production by MGM Studios. ... 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... Red Dust (1932), Directed by Victor Fleming, is the second of six movies Clark Gable and Jean Harlow made together. ... Red-Headed Woman is a 1932 film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, based on a novel by Katherine Brush, and with a screenplay by Anita Loos. ... The Beast of the City is a 1932 pre-Code gangster movie featuring cops as vigilantes, predating Dirty Harry by almost 40 years and known for its singularly vicious ending. ... Year 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1932 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Plantinum Blonde is a 1931 romantic comedy starring Jean Harlow, Loretta Young and Robert Williams, and directed by Frank Capra. ... The Public Enemy is a 1933 Pre-Code American crime drama film. ... The Secret Six (1931) is an early gangster movie, starring Wallace Beery as Slaughterhouse Scorpio and featuring Lewis Stone, Johnny Mack Brown (billed as John Mack Brown), Jean Harlow, Clark Gable, and Ralph Bellamy. ... Hells Angels Theatrical Release poster Hells Angels was a 1930 film directed by Howard Hughes. ... Year 1930 (MCMXXX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display 1930 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Love Parade is a 1929 musical comedy film. ... Year 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Short Subjects

Year 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... Year 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1932 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Liberty is a 1929 short comedy film starring Laurel and Hardy as escaped convicts who, while trying to change pants, wind up on a skyscraper in construction. ... Year 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Bacon Grabbers is a 1929 short comedy film starring Laurel and Hardy as men trying to repossess Edgar Kennedys radio. ... This is a Laurel and Hardy short made in 1929. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Jean Harlow

• Jean Harlow at the Internet Movie Database
• Jean Harlow at the TCM Movie Database
• Jean Harlow: The Platinum Page
• Jean Harlow Style and Beauty Page
• Jean Harlow at Classic Movie Favorites Tribute site: galleries, bio, filmography and more.