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Jean Harlow (1911-1937) was an actress and sex symbol, often nicknamed the “Blonde Bombshell” and the “Platinum Blonde.” She was in the film industry for only nine years (1928-1937) but she became one of the biggest movie stars in Hollywood, whose image in the public eye has endured.
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Known for her platinum blonde hair and screen presence, Harlow rose to fame in the 1930s and became one of the top box office draws of her era. Her career, though brief, left a lasting impression on the film industry. (Image via Color by Klimbim)
Columbia Pictures first cast Harlow in a Frank Capra film with Loretta Young, originally titled Gallagher for Young's lead character but renamed Platinum Blonde to capitalize on Hughes' publicity of Harlow's "platinum" hair color.
Apr 29, 2016 · Harlow had bleached her hair platinum blonde for the movie Platinum Blonde after Hughes sold her contract to MGM for $60,000. When the movie was released, women all over the country wanted to imitate her hair color and sales of peroxide went through the roof.
- Working Class to World Class
- Certified Platinum
- The Naked Truth
- The Long Goodbye
- Bringing Up Baby
- Overbearing Mother
- Queen Kong
- Maybe She’S Born with It, Maybe It’S Clorox Bleach
- An Indecent Proposal
- Broken Home
Harlow had humble beginnings. She was born Harlean Harlow Carpenter in Kansas City, Missouri—just about as far as you could get from the bright lights of Sunset Boulevard. Her father Mont Clair Carpenter came from a working-class background and made his living as a dentist, but her mother Jean grew up the privileged daughter of a real estate broker...
Jean Harlow was famous for her so-called “platinum blonde” hair—in fact, it was her stardom that helped first coin the shiny term. When he was promoting Harlow in one of his films, director Howard Hughes publicized her hair color as new-fangled “platinum,” quickly turning Harlow into the original Blonde Bombshell. studio, Wikimedia Commons
At the height of her fame, rumors abounded that Harlow only slept in the nude—and perhaps more scandalously, that she never wore underwear. Wikimedia Commons, Picryl
Harlow was always a favorite with her male co-stars. Jimmy Stewart once recalled a kissing scene with her that he deliberately messed up. As he said, the director “made us repeat the scene about half a dozen times...I botched it up on purpose. That Jean Harlow sure was a good kisser. I realized that until then, I had never been really kissed.” Carl...
Harlow was born on March 3, 1911. Her nickname was “The Baby,” a name that she kept even in her silver screen days. People actually called her “The Baby” so often that she didn’t even know her real name was “Harlean” until she was five years old. Movie Classic, Wikimedia Commons
Harlow and her mother were disturbingly close. Mama Jean (as she came to be known) doted on, spoiled, and coddled her darling daughter to the point of smothering. When Harlow got famous, Mama Jean only got worse. Commenting on Harlow’s adoring fans and hard-won stardom, Mama Jean once yelled out, "She was always all mine!" MGM, Wikimedia Commons
According to monster movie queen Fay Wray herself, Jean Harlow was actually the first choice to play King Kong’s damsel in distress, Ann Darrow. RKO Pictures, King Kong (1933)
As a Hollywood starlet, Harlow swore up and down that her white-blonde hair was her natural color—but nothing could be further from the truth. She actually reportedly kept up the façade with weekly bleachings of ammonia, Clorox, and Lux soap flakes, a process that did horrific damageto her naturally ash-blonde locks. MGM, Wikimedia Commons
Mama Jean’s marriage to Harlow’s father was very far from a Cinderella story. Mama Jean’s father actually arranged and forced her into the union with Mont Clair—and that went just about as badly as you think it would. Although Mama Jean went along with it for a time, she grew more and more resentful of her husband. Warner Bros., Wikimedia Commons
One day while Harlow was off at finishing school, Mama Jean enacted a ruthless plot.She divorced Mont Clair Carpenter and quickly got sole, uncontested custody of their daughter, all before the little girl even knew what had hit her family. Though she loved her father deeply, Harlow almost never saw him again after that fateful day. MGM, Wikimedia ...
Sep 25, 2021 · According to King Kong star Fay Wray (photo), Jean Harlow was the original choice for the role of the screaming blonde heroine, but she was under contract with MGM and the part went to Wray,...
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Jun 3, 2019 · In celebration of the cool-girl hair color of the moment, here are some of history's best platinum moments.
