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Jean Harlow (March 3, 1911 – June 7, 1937) was an American actress who made her uncredited debut in two 1928 films: Honor Bound for Fox Film; and Moran of the Marines for Paramount Pictures. While waiting for a friend at the studio in 1928, she was discovered by studio executives who gave her letters of introduction to casting agencies, where she was offered the two small roles that subsequently launched her film career. During the initial two years of her career, Harlow appeared uncredited in 16 films, including several Hal Roach productions developed for Laurel and Hardy. Her first speaking role was a bit part in the 1929 American pre-Code romantic comedy The Saturday Night Kid, starring Clara Bow and Jean Arthur. The film has since been preserved by the UCLA Film and Television Archive.

Harlow's career breakthrough came In 1930, when she was chosen to star in Hell's Angels, as a last-minute replacement for Norwegian actress Greta Nissen. Harlow was introduced to producer Howard Hughes by her former boyfriend James Hall, one of the film's actors, resulting in Hughes putting her under contract. The film's lead actor Ben Lyon is sometimes given credit for her introduction to Hughes. The movie made her an overnight star with the audiences. Hughes, however, was less than enthusiastic about her, in spite of keeping her under contract. Her feeling towards Hughes were mutual, and her family tried to get her out of her contract. The strained relations were exacerbated by false rumors of a love affair between them. Her performances in movies like The Secret Six (1931), her first film pairing opposite Clark Gable, and The Public Enemy (1931) opposite James Cagney, were not well received. She remained with Hughes, until he agreed to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's offer to buy her contract in 1932 for $30,000 (equivalent to $669,951 in 2023).

Under exclusive contract to MGM, she became one of the studio's most popular actresses. She starred in Red-Headed Woman (1932), and in Red Dust (1932), which capitalized on her "laughing vamp" image and established her as a film comedienne. From 1933 onward, Harlow was a steady top box office draw for the studio. Among the vehicles she starred in were China Seas (1935) with Clark Gable and Wallace Beery, Suzy (1936) with Cary Grant and Franchot Tone, Libeled Lady (1936) with William Powell, Spencer Tracy, and Myrna Loy, and Personal Property (1937) with Robert Taylor.

During the filming of Saratoga in June 1937, Harlow collapsed on the set, effectively halting the filming. She died on June 7, at the age of 26, the cause of her death attributed to kidney failure. The studio had initial plans to start anew, with either Jean Arthur or Virginia Bruce in Harlow's role, but public backlash led to MGM finishing with Harlow's footage that was already 90% complete. Three Harlow look-alikes were used to fill in the unfinished gaps – one for close-ups, one for long-distance shots, and another to dub Harlow's voice. When the film was released, it became the highest-earning film of her career, and critics proclaimed it her best performance. Harlow's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was installed at 6910 Hollywood Boulevard, in Hollywood, California, on February 8, 1960.

Films

Short subjects

Feature-length films

Notes

1. Not given for box office draw or popularity, the Walk of Fame process involves (1) a nomination by a person or group, (2) a review by the Walk of Fame Committee, and (3) an up-front payment for installation and upkeep, from either the nominators or the celebrity. Several celebrities have multiple stars, with actor and business man Gene Autry holding the record with five stars. Current up-front costs run about $40,000 for each star.

References

1. Stenn 1993, pp. 27–28.
2. ^ Neibaur 2019, p. 8.
3. ^ "The Saturday Night Kid". UCLA Film and Television Archive. 1929. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
4. "Hell's Angels". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
5. Stenn 1993, pp. 37–39, 44–47.
6. Stenn 1993, pp. 52–67.
7. Stenn 1993, pp. 66–67.
8. "Jean Harlow". Calisphere. University of California. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
9. Stenn 1993, p. 88.
10. ^ "Red Dust". UCLA Film and Television Archive. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
11. Guilbert 2018, p. 87.
12. "Jean Harlow". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
13. ^ "China Seas". Retrieved October 22, 2020.
14. ^ "Suzy". UCLA Film and Television Archive. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
15. ^ "Libeled Lady". UCLA Film and Television Archive. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
16. ^ "Personal Property". UCLA Film and Television Archive. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
17. Stenn 1993, p. 227.
18. Stenn 1993, pp. 231–233.
19. Stenn 1993, pp. 231–235.
20. "Saratoga". www.tcm.com. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
21. "Jean Harlow". Hollywood Walk of Fame. October 25, 2019. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
22. "Who has the most stars on the Walk of Fame?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
23. Willis, Kelcie. "Here's how celebrities get stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
24. Neibaur 2019, p. 9.
25. "Liberty". UCLA Film and Television Archive. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
26. ^ Neibaur 2019, p. 13.
27. "Double Whoopee". UCLA Film and Television Archive. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
28. ^ Neibaur 2019, p. 14.
29. "Film stills scrapbook : Weak But Willing". WorldCat. 1929. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
30. Watz 2016, p. 303.
31. ^ Webb 2020, p. 4858.
32. "Hollywood on Parade No. B-1". UCLA Film and Television Archive. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
33. "The Candid Camera Story (Very Candid) of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures 1937 Convention". www.tcm.com. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
34. "New York Nights". UCLA Film and Television Archive. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
35. "Hell's Angels". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
36. Neibaur 2019, p. 16.
37. "The Secret Six". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
38. "The Public Enemy". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
39. "Iron Man". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
40. "Goldie". UCLA Film & Television Archive. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
41. "Platinum Blonde". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
42. "Three Wise Girls". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
43. "Beast of the City". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
44. Bret 2014.
45. "Red-Headed Woman". UCLA Film and Television Archive. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
46. "Hold Your Man". UCLA Film and Television Archive. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
47. "Dinner at Eight". UCLA Film and Television Archive. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
48. "Bombshell". Retrieved October 22, 2020.
49. "Girl from Missouri". UCLA Film and Television Archive. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
50. "Reckless". UCLA Film and Television Archive. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
51. "Riffraff". UCLA Film and Television Archive. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
52. "Wife vs. Secretary". Retrieved October 22, 2020.
53. "Saratoga". UCLA Film and Television Archive. Retrieved October 22, 2020.

Bibliography

• Bret, David (2014). Jean Harlow: Tarnished Angel. Aurum Press. ISBN 978-1-78131-343-5.
• Guilbert, Georges-Claude (2018). Gay Icons: The (Mostly) Female Entertainers Gay Men Love. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-3301-5.
• Neibaur, James L. (2019). The Jean Harlow films. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland and Company. ISBN 978-1-4766-3602-3.
• Stenn, David (1993). Bombshell : the life and death of Jean Harlow. New York : Doubleday. ISBN 978-0-385-42157-7.
• Watz, Edward (2016). Wheeler & Woolsey: The Vaudeville Comic Duo and Their Films, 1929–1937. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-1684-1.
• Webb, Graham (2020). Encyclopedia of American Short Films, 1926–1959. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-3926-0.

Further reading

• Slide, Anthony (2010). Inside the Hollywood Fan Magazine: A History of Star Makers, Fabricators, and Gossip Mongers. University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 978-1-60473-414-0.

• Actress filmographies
• American filmographies