Harlow Heaven

Jean Harlow and William Powell (still in costume for LIBELED LADY) attend the wedding of Powell’s stand-in, Warren ‘Doc’ Dearborn, to Edith Bresnahan on August 31, 1936. More on the blog: harlowheaven.wordpress.com/2023/12/20/a...

While he was based on the East Coast, Muray took his fair share of excursions to Hollywood where he did this session with Harlow.

Muray excelled in early color and is the mastermind behind some of the most iconic images of Frida Kahlo; if you’re envisioning a particular color photo of her right now, Muray likely took it.

These were taken around the same time she was enacting hardboiled roles like Rose from IRON MAN and Gwen from THE PUBLIC ENEMY. What fun for Harlow, as both were in production simultaneously—can’t be a whole lot of fun to shuttle back and forth from Universal to Warner Brothers.

Jean Harlow photographed by Nickolas Muray, 1931. Harlow was barely twenty here; her youth is plainly visible underneath her heavy makeup and earrings, trademarks of her pre-MGM vamp era.

Landau accompanied Harlow to the Beverly Glen construction site this same day, where they were photographed by candid extraordinaire Hyman Fink. One of these photos was published in the Shulman bio, giving the impression that Landau knew Harlow more than he really did.

Just out of the frame is Arthur Landau, who briefly worked as her agent; he supplied the source material for Irving Shulman’s 1964 Harlow biography (bronx cheer). Never seen the uncropped version of this photo outside of the Hollywood Museum, for some reason.

Candid Jean Harlow takes lunch at the Hollywood Brown Derby, January 1933.

Harlow and Louis B. Mayer, who she was obliged to pose with while explaining away her suspension from MGM. “You can’t fight with your friends, and Louis B. Mayer is the best friend any girl in the world could have.” Sure. His expression definitely says as much.

Harlow and a stable of mentors and comedy geniuses alike. From left to right: Hal Roach, Harold Lloyd, Harlow, Stan Laurel, Warren Stockes, and Oliver Hardy (whose expression is perfectly charming).

Hal Roach still remembered Harlow’s individuality when he discussed her with Harlow biographer David Stenn decades later, at age 99:

“She was different. Her hair was an odd type, and she had a beautiful face and body. There was nobody like her.”

The duo were among Harlow’s first mentors; she credited them with instilling her knack for comedic timing. “Stan and Babe realized my ignorance and did everything in their power to make me feel at home and at ease,” she recalled later, with a hint of characteristic self-doubt.

Roach helped give a teenage Harlow a head start in shorts like LIBERTY (1929), notable for her billing as Harlean Carpenter, and DOUBLE WHOOPEE (1929), in which Laurel and Hardy’s antics famously result in her half-nakedness.

She’s wearing a blue velvet gown with Rex rabbit fur sleeves, which are surprisingly extant and well-preserved in a private collection. Here they are as I saw them on display in Hollywood some time ago.

90 years ago in Harlow History, December 7, 1933: Harlow and her mother attend Hal Roach’s 20th anniversary banquet at his studio in Culver City, which was conveniently located just a hop and a skip from MGM—funnily enough, she was on suspension here. (Thread)

Maydelle was brought aboard the same year to help with the sheer influx of letters. The Harlow fan mail task force had previously consisted of only the actress’ mother, and her best friend, Bobbe Brown—Harlow’s meteoric rise to fame soon had the three women drowning in mail.

You don’t see Maydelle’s signature very often (she was only briefly employed) so this is a nice piece to have. The letter is addressed to Margaret Ewald of Chicago, one of Harlow’s pen pals; Miss Ewald was one of a handful of women that Harlow and her mother exchanged extended correspondence with.

Meant to share this letter from my collection written by one of Harlow’s secretaries, Maydelle Jewell, while the actress was recuperating from appendicitis in October 1933. Signed October 25, just five days before Harlow was released from Good Samaritan.

Harlow’s Halo Hat Posting this on the blog, as I’m finding myself increasingly fed up with the state of social media in 2023. Character limits and other restrictions aside, posting on Instagram or “X” to provide ...

Profiled an accessory from Jean Harlow’s 1935 fall wardrobe, the ‘halo hat’, on the blog, as I don’t get along with character limits: harlowheaven.wordpress.com/2023/11/08/h...

From Halloween ‘33—yep! What a fun night for Harlow. She was discharged from Good Sam on October 30, just over two weeks after being stricken with appendicitis. So, how about you guys? Any plans, or will you be loafing like Harlow that and passing out candy?

The only Halloween-themed photo of Jean Harlow I know, unfortunately—this pose, featuring a superimposed spooky cat, circa 1932 (probably taken late summer). Brings me great joy as a black cat owner.

Forgot to include one of the key images I was going to share 👍

Fashion Portraits: Jean Harlow by Ted Allan, October 1936 Jean does a modeling session for photographer Ted Allan on October 21, 1936. Shown below is one outfit out of many that were photographed this day. These fashion portraits were done in between Libeled...

I wrote about some other shots taken by Ted Allan on this day on the Harlow Heaven blog a few years ago. I actually acquired a cute pose from this same shoot and I’ve been meaning to share a scan. You can smack me if I haven’t posted it in a week. 😀 harlowheaven.wordpress.com/2019/04/13/f...

Although I don’t have the snipe on hand for these that would give us more detail on her warm, fur-lined ensemble, I do know that Harlow modeled a wardrobe furnished by I. Magnin for this session. My uneducated guess is that those are karakul accents on her coat, neck, and hat.

Jean Harlow in a fitting fall fashion photoshoot taken by Ted Allan 87 years ago in October 1936. I really love her face in this portrait; what a radiant, sunny smile. (Thread)

A spunky Harlow quote from Motion Picture magazine, May 1935. Unrelated, but this excerpt does remind me (and irk me a bit) that Bette Davis thought Harlow a bad actress and Crawford didn’t like her for many years. Harlow could be quite like both them in the determination department. Whatever!

Taken over the fall of 1935, this session is one of the first that would help reveal Harlow’s new brownette persona to the world, though it would be a wig until SUZY. Of course, she proves here that a simple coiffure change doesn’t mean she can’t still rock one of her trademark dazzling white gowns.

Wishing you a warm and comfy autumn (or a cool one, depending on where in the world you are) with these fitting portraits of Jean Harlow—wearing a white fur wrap from her personal wardrobe in George Hurrell publicity photos for RIFFRAFF (1936).

She donned this gown again just over a week later (typical for Hollywood’s foremost outfit repeater) for a fashion shoot with photographer Russell Ball, although she opted to accessorize it a bit differently. Harlow in the same gown by Russell Ball, taken at Beverly Glen on September 24, 1934:

The production was, of course, a massive success; its lucrative theater run culminated in the famous ‘35 film version. Harlow wore a fitting Renaissance-inspired gown that flaunted a lace-up bodice, metallic threading, long, flowing sleeves, and a matching hat of self-fabric.