Jean Harlow

Jean Harlow

Birthday: 1911-03-03

Place of Birth: Kansas City, Missouri, USA

Biography: Jean Harlow (born Harlean Harlow Carpenter; March 3, 1911 – June 7, 1937) was an American actress. Known for her portrayal of "bad girl" characters, she was the leading sex symbol of the early 1930s and one of the defining figures of the pre-Code era of American cinema. Often nicknamed the "Blonde Bombshell" and the "Platinum Blonde", Harlow was popular for her "Laughing Vamp" screen persona. Though her screen persona changed dramatically during her career, one constant was her sense of humor. She was given superior movie roles to show off her looks and nascent comedic talent. Harlow was in the film industry for only nine years, but she became one of the biggest stars in the US, whose image in the public eye has endured. Harlow was consistently voted one of the strongest box office draws in the United States from 1933 onward, often surpassing that of MGM's top leading ladies, such as Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford and Norma Shearer. Her movies also continued to make huge profits at the box office even during the middle of the Depression. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Harlow No. 22 on its greatest female screen legends of classical Hollywood cinema list.

Movies

Beer and Blood: Enemies of the Public
Beer and Blood: Enemies of the Public

An examination of "The Public Enemy" (1931) by film historians and critics....

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The Beast of the City
The Beast of the City

Police Chief Jim Fitzpatrick is after gangster Sam Belmonte. He uses his police detective brother Ed...

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Hell's Angels
Hell's Angels

When the Great War breaks out, brothers Roy and Monte Rutledge, each attending Oxford University, en...

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Libeled Lady
Libeled Lady

When a major newspaper accuses wealthy socialite Connie Allenbury of being a home-wrecker, and she f...

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Platinum Blonde
Platinum Blonde

Ann Schuyler is an upper-crust socialite who bullies her reporter husband into conforming to her hig...

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The Secret Six
The Secret Six

Bootlegger/cafe owner, Johnny Franks recruits crude working man Scorpio to join his gang, mastermind...

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Bombshell
Bombshell

A glamorous film star rebels against the studio, her pushy press agent and a family of hangers-on....

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Personal Property
Personal Property

Raymond Dabney returns to his family after trouble with the law. He convinces the sheriff to give hi...

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Red Dust
Red Dust

Dennis, owner of a rubber plantation in Cochinchina, is involved with Vantine, who left Saigon to ev...

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Saratoga
Saratoga

A horse breeder's granddaughter falls in love with a gambler in Saratoga Springs, N.Y....

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Wife vs. Secretary
Wife vs. Secretary

Linda, the wife of a publishing executive, suspects that her husband Van’s relationship with his att...

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Dinner at Eight
Dinner at Eight

An ambitious New York socialite plans an extravagant dinner party as her businessman husband, Oliver...

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The Further Perils of Laurel and Hardy
The Further Perils of Laurel and Hardy

Film historian Robert Youngson presents a feature-length anthology of rarely seen silent films by co...

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The Public Enemy
The Public Enemy

Two young Chicago hoodlums, Tom Powers and Matt Doyle, rise up from their poverty-stricken slum life...

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Liberty
Liberty

While changing clothes in a getaway car, escaped convicts Stan and Ollie mistakenly put on each othe...

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Double Whoopee
Double Whoopee

Stan and Ollie wreak havoc at an upper class hotel in their jobs as footman (Hardy) and doorman (Lau...

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Bacon Grabbers
Bacon Grabbers

Two debt collectors try to repossess a console radio....

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Suzy
Suzy

A French air ace discovers that his showgirl wife's first husband is still alive....

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Reckless
Reckless

A theatrical star, born on the wrong side of the tracks, marries a drunken blue-blood millionaire....

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China Seas
China Seas

Captain Alan Gaskell sails the perilous waters between Hong Kong and Singapore with a secret cargo: ...

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Los Angeles Plays Itself
Los Angeles Plays Itself

From its distinctive neighborhoods to its architectural homes, Los Angeles has been the backdrop to ...

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Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage

Out-takes (mostly from Warner Bros.), promotional shorts, movie premieres, public service pleas, war...

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Hold Your Man
Hold Your Man

Ruby falls in love with small-time con man Eddie. During a botched blackmail scheme, Eddie accidenta...

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Red-Headed Woman
Red-Headed Woman

Lil works for the Legendre Company and causes Bill to divorce Irene and marry her. She has an affair...

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The Girl from Missouri
The Girl from Missouri

Leaving Missouri to find a wealthy husband in New York City, Eadie Chapman becomes a chorus girl and...

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Riffraff
Riffraff

Fisherman Dutch marries cannery worker Hattie. After he is kicked out of his union and fired from hi...

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Hollywood: The Dream Factory
Hollywood: The Dream Factory

A documentary about the glorious history of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and its decline leading to t...

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Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood
Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood

A look at the forces that shaped Pre-Code Hollywood and brought about the strict enforcement of the ...

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New York Nights
New York Nights

Show girl Jill Deverne is married to song writer Fred Deverne, and everyone is involved in the Broad...

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The Saturday Night Kid
The Saturday Night Kid

Mayme and sister Janie are salesgirls in Ginsberg's Department Store. Mayme is in love with store cl...

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Iron Man
Iron Man

Prizefighter Mason loses his opening fight so wife Rose leaves him for Hollywood. Without her around...

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Close Harmony
Close Harmony

Marjorie, a song-and-dance girl in the stage show of a palatial movie theater, becomes interested in...

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Howard Hughes: His Women and His Movies
Howard Hughes: His Women and His Movies

A reclusive millionaire who owed his fortune to his father, Howard Hughes staked his fame on many th...

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Clara Bow: Discovering the It Girl
Clara Bow: Discovering the It Girl

Clara Bow: Discovering the 'It' Girl features scenes from 25 of her films, as well as interviews wit...

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Betty Boop: Queen of the Cartoons
Betty Boop: Queen of the Cartoons

From the A&E "Biography" series, a review of the birth, development and cinematic history of Betty B...

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Three Wise Girls
Three Wise Girls

Fed up with her tiny hometown, Cassie Barnes moves to New York City to find a job. She and her two f...

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Screen Snapshots (Series 25, No. 1): 25th Anniversary
Screen Snapshots (Series 25, No. 1): 25th Anniversary

A look back at 25 years of Columbia's series of newsreels chronicling the film industry and the live...

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Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10)
Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10)

The edition of Screen Snapshots celebrates 25 years of production. It looks at the content of editio...

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Goldie
Goldie

Sailor Spike dates girls whose names he finds in an address book. Each girl has the same tatoo, plac...

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Checking Out: Grand Hotel
Checking Out: Grand Hotel

Until 1932's Grand Hotel, never had there existed an all-star ensemble cast on film. Conceived by MG...

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42nd Street: From Book to Screen to Stage
42nd Street: From Book to Screen to Stage

Making-of documentary about the 1933 musical, 42nd Street....

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Paris Hilton, Inc.
Paris Hilton, Inc.

We are drowning in celebrity culture and certainly no tabloid topic has been as big as Paris Hilton....

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Discovering Jean Harlow
Discovering Jean Harlow

From the Classic Movie Docs library- Discovering, celebrates the lives of those who soared the highe...

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Going Hollywood: The '30s
Going Hollywood: The '30s

Robert Preston hosts this documentary that shows what people of the 1930s were watching as they were...

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Sports on the Silver Screen
Sports on the Silver Screen

HBO (in association with the American Film Institute) presents this 1997 anthology, narrated by Liev...

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Why Be Good?
Why Be Good?

A flapper unwittingly falls for the boss' son....

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That's Entertainment!
That's Entertainment!

Various MGM stars from yesterday present their favorite musical moments from the studio's 50 year hi...

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Scarface
Scarface

In 1920s Chicago, Italian immigrant and notorious thug, Antonio 'Tony' Camonte, aka Scarface, shoots...

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The Big Parade of Comedy
The Big Parade of Comedy

Film clips highlight the funniest scenes and brightest comic stars in MGM's history....

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That's Entertainment! III
That's Entertainment! III

Some of MGM'S musical stars review the studios history of musicals. From The Hollywood Revue of 1929...

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Voice of Hollywood (Series 2, No. 3)
Voice of Hollywood (Series 2, No. 3)

Rare footage of Jean Harlow and Bela Lugosi discussing Dracula, as well as Walter Huston performing ...

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The Love Parade
The Love Parade

The queen of mythical Sylvania marries a courtier, who finds his new life unsatisfying....

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Judy Garland: By Myself
Judy Garland: By Myself

As Hollywood biographies go, Judy Garland's story is one of the saddest success stories you'll ever ...

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Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?

Period music, film clips and newsreel footage combined into a visual exploration of the American ent...

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Complicated Women
Complicated Women

Looks at the stereotype-breaking films of the period from 1929, when movies entered the sound era, u...

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That's Entertainment, Part II
That's Entertainment, Part II

Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire present more golden moments from the MGM film library, this time includi...

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The Spencer Tracy Legacy: A Tribute by Katharine Hepburn
The Spencer Tracy Legacy: A Tribute by Katharine Hepburn

In this tribute to her frequent co-star and longtime love, Katharine Hepburn hosts a behind-the-scen...

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Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema
Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema

Before the G, PG and R ratings system there was the Production Code, and before that there was, well...

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James Stewart: A Wonderful Life
James Stewart: A Wonderful Life

Documentary about James Stewart's long career as an actor and positive personal life....

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The Golden Age of Comedy
The Golden Age of Comedy

A compilation featuring comedic stars of the silent era including Will Rogers, Laurel and Hardy, and...

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Honor Bound
Honor Bound

When a woman accidentally kills her detested husband, a selfless young man takes the blame and goes ...

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Moran of the Marines
Moran of the Marines

After getting into a fight with a drunkard, Mike Moran spends 10 days on the rock pile and is disinh...

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Chasing Husbands
Chasing Husbands

...

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Fugitives
Fugitives

Nightclub singer Alice Carroll is found in the office of club owner Al Barrow, who is lying dead on ...

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Why Is a Plumber?
Why Is a Plumber?

“This hilarious bit of foolishness has for its theme the gradual rise of a hard-working plumber and ...

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The Unkissed Man
The Unkissed Man

...

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Thundering Toupees
Thundering Toupees

...

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Masquerade
Masquerade

The second version of Louis Joseph Vance's 1907 mystery melodrama The Brass Bowl. The story of a wea...

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This Thing Called Love
This Thing Called Love

A romance runs into difficulties because the girl has seen a great deal of the turbulence in her sis...

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Weak But Willing
Weak But Willing

Dave Finkel's family and friends take him out to a Speakeasy for a birthday celebration. Many distra...

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Beau Hunks
Beau Hunks

Stan and Ollie join the French Foreign Legion after Ollie's sweetheart rejects him....

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Jean Harlow: Platinum Bombshell
Jean Harlow: Platinum Bombshell

Short documentary about Jean Harlow's life and career. Episode of A&E's Biography series....

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The Love Story of Jean Harlow and William Powell
The Love Story of Jean Harlow and William Powell

The intertwined lives of Jean Harlow and William Powell, from childhood struggles to Hollywood stard...

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Death Scenes
Death Scenes

Vintage Hollywood themed shockumentary....

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Hollywood Scandals and Tragedies
Hollywood Scandals and Tragedies

Famous Hollywood Scandals and Tragedies...

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Dream Girl: The Making of Marilyn Monroe
Dream Girl: The Making of Marilyn Monroe

How did Marilyn Monroe become one of the greatest sex symbols of all time? What drove a prudish litt...

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