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Jean Harlow filmography

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Color drawing Harlow on a poster, smiling with her head thrown back
Jean Harlow in The Girl from Missouri (1934)

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.[1][2] 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.[3]

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.[4] 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.[5] 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.[6] 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.[7] 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).[8]

Under exclusive contract to MGM, she became one of the studio's most popular actresses. She starred in Red-Headed Woman[9] (1932), and in Red Dust (1932),[10] which capitalized on her "laughing vamp"[11] image and established her as a film comedienne. From 1933 onward, Harlow was a steady top box office draw for the studio.[12] Among the vehicles she starred in were China Seas (1935) with Clark Gable and Wallace Beery,[13] Suzy (1936) with Cary Grant and Franchot Tone,[14] Libeled Lady (1936) with William Powell, Spencer Tracy, and Myrna Loy,[15] and Personal Property (1937) with Robert Taylor.[16]

During the filming of Saratoga in June 1937, Harlow collapsed on the set, effectively halting the filming.[17] She died on June 7, at the age of 26, the cause of her death attributed to kidney failure.[18] 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.[19] When the film was released, it became the highest-earning film of her career, and critics proclaimed it her best performance.[20] Harlow's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was installed at 6910 Hollywood Boulevard, in Hollywood, California, on February 8, 1960.[21][note 1]

Films

Short subjects

Color photo of Harlow in a swim suit sitting beside a pool
Publicity image (1934)
Color photo of Harlow sitting on a chair, leaning on her arm
Cover of New York Sunday News magazine (1937)
Jean Harlow short subjects
Title Year Role Notes Ref(s)
Chasing Husbands, lost film 1928 Bathing beauty Uncredited
Charley Chase film 		[24]
Liberty 1929 Woman in cab Laurel and Hardy silent short for Hal Roach
MGM 		[25]
Why Is a Plumber? 1929 Unknown Hal Roach [26]
The Unkissed Man 1929 Unknown Hal Roach [26]
Double Whoopee 1929 Swanky blonde Laurel and Hardy silent short for Hal Roach [27]
Thundering Toupees 1929 Unknown Hal Roach [26]
Bacon Grabbers 1929 Mrs. Kennedy Hal Roach
Laurel and Hardy 		[26]
Weak But Willing 1929 Unbilled extra Al Christie producer [28][29]
Screen Snapshots 1932 Herself Columbia Pictures [30]
Hollywood on Parade No. A-12 1933 Herself Criterion Productions/Paramount [31]
Hollywood on Parade No. B-1 1933 Herself The Candid Camera Story (Very Candid) the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures 1937 Convention
Preserved by the UCLA Film & Television Archive. 		[32]
Hollywood on Parade No. B-6 1934 Herself Criterion Productions/Paramount [31]
The Candid Camera Story (Very Candid) the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures 1937 Convention 1937 Herself Uncredited
MGM 		[33]

Feature-length films

Color likeness of Harlow drawn on a poster. An airplane is above her in the poster.
Hell's Angels (1930)
Gray-scale film still of Harlow and Loy facing each other
Jean Harlow and Myrna Loy in Wife vs. Secretary (1936)
Gray-scale film still of Harlow with Conway on right arm and Gable on left on each side of her, facing the camera
Jack Conway, Jean Harlow, and Clark Gable in Saratoga (1937)
Jean Harlow feature-length films
Title Year Role Notes Ref(s)
Honor Bound 1928 Extra Fox Film [2]
Moran of the Marines 1928 Uncredited, lost film
Paramount Pictures 		[2]
Fugitives 1929 Uncredited
Fox Film 		[28]
Why Be Good? 1929 Blonde on Rooftop Bench at Junior's Second Party Uncredited
First National Pictures 		[28]
Close Harmony 1929 Chorus Girl Uncredited
Paramount Pictures 		[28]
Masquerade 1929 Uncredited
Fox Film 		[28]
The Saturday Night Kid 1929 Hazel Paramount Pictures Famous Lasky Corp.
Preserved by the UCLA Film & Television Archive. 		[3][28]
The Love Parade 1929 Lady-in-Waiting Uncredited
Paramount Famous Lasky Corp. 		[28]
This Thing Called Love 1929 Uncredited
Pathé Exchange 		[28]
New York Nights 1929 Party Guest Uncredited
United Artists Corp 		[28][34]
Hell's Angels 1930 Helen Caddo Company, Inc. (Howard Hughes
Preserved at the UCLA Film & Television Archive 		[35]
City Lights 1931 "Extra" in restaurant scene Edited out of the final film
United Artists 		[36]
The Secret Six 1931 Anne Courtland MGM [37]
The Public Enemy 1931 Gwen Allen Warner Bros. [38]
Iron Man 1931 Rose Mason Universal Pictures [39]
Goldie 1931 Goldie Fox Film
Preserved at the UCLA Film & Television Archive 		[40]
Platinum Blonde 1931 Anne Schuyler Columbia Pictures [41]
Three Wise Girls 1932 Cassie Barnes Columbia Pictures [42]
The Beast of the City 1932 Daisy Stevens, aka Mildred Beaumont MGM [43]
Scarface 1932 Blonde at Paradise Club Uncredited [44]
Red-Headed Woman 1932 Lillian "Lil" / "Red" Andrews Legendre MGM [45]
Red Dust 1932 Vantine MGM [10]
Hold Your Man 1933 Ruby Adams Loews [46]
Dinner at Eight 1933 Kitty Packard MGM [47]
Bombshell 1933 Lola Burns MGM [48]
The Girl from Missouri 1934 Eadie Chapman MGM [49]
Reckless 1935 Mona Leslie Loews [50]
China Seas 1935 Dolly "China Doll" Portland MGM [13]
Riffraff 1936 Hattie Muller Loews [51]
Wife vs. Secretary 1936 Helen "Whitey" Wilson MGM [52]
Suzy 1936 Suzy Trent MGM [14]
Libeled Lady 1936 Gladys Benton MGM [15]
Personal Property 1937 Crystal Wetherby MGM [16]
Saratoga 1937 Carol Clayton MGM [53]

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.[22] Current up-front costs run about $40,000 for each star.[23]

References

  1. ^ Stenn 1993, pp. 27–28.
  2. ^ a b c Neibaur 2019, p. 8.
  3. ^ a b "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. ^ a b "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. ^ a b "China Seas". Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  14. ^ a b "Suzy". UCLA Film and Television Archive. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  15. ^ a b "Libeled Lady". UCLA Film and Television Archive. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  16. ^ a b "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. ^ a b c d Neibaur 2019, p. 13.
  27. ^ "Double Whoopee". UCLA Film and Television Archive. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  28. ^ a b c d e f g h i Neibaur 2019, p. 14.
  29. ^ "Film stills scrapbook : Weak But Willing". WorldCat. 1929. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  30. ^ Watz 2016, p. 303.
  31. ^ a b 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

Further reading

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