Film adaptations of Harlow's life were considered at different times during the 1950s. Twentieth Century-Fox had slated Jayne Mansfield for the role and ideas for Columbia Pictures actress Cleo Moore to play Harlow were also tabled. These projects never materialized. Actress Marilyn Monroe was given a Harlow script in 1953, however, she turned down the part of her idol, feeling it was underdeveloped. In 1965, two films about Jean Harlow were released, both titled "Harlow". The first film was released by Magna in May 1965, and stars Carol Lynley. The second was released in June 1965 by Paramount Pictures and stars Carroll Baker.
Film portrayals
Jean Harlow
Jean Harlow | Film portrayals
In 1965, two films about Jean Harlow were released, both titled "Harlow". Hell's Angels, Red-Headed Woman, Red Dust, among others. Two films, both titled "Harlow" were released.  The first film was released by Magna in May 1965, and stars Carol Lynley. The second was released in June 1965 by Paramount Pictures and stars Carroll Baker. "Red-Headed Woman" (1932), "Red Dust" (1932), "Dinner at Eight" (1933), etc.
i'm just a girl by no doubt
user
"Just a Girl" is a song by American band No Doubt.
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has anyone sang a cover of it?
user
Yes, American country duo Bomshel,  Japanese singer-songwriter Kaela Kimura
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when was the original song released?
user
September 21, 1995
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who are the members of the afore-mentioned band?
user
The band consists of vocalist Gwen Stefani, guitarist Tom Dumont, bassist Tony Kanal, and drummer Adrian Young.
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what was the vocalists debut album or song?
user
Her debut studio album was "Love. Angel. Music. Baby."
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what are some places that she has toured in?
user
Sorry. I cannot find the answer based on the context.
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has she acted in any movies?
user
She made her film debut playing Jean Harlow in Martin Scorsese's "The Aviator"
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who is the second person mentioned here?
user
Martin Charles Scorsese  is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor.
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are there any frame and motion techniques that he made popular?
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Yes, he is known for his frequent use of slow motion, freeze frames in films
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what are some projects he has started for improving cinema?
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Scorsese established the World Cinema Project with the mission, to preserve and present marginalized and infrequently screened films from regions generally ill-equipped to preserve their own cinema history.
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when was this project established?
user
2007
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who exactly is the female character from his movie mentioned earlier
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Jean Harlow was an American actress and sex symbol.
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what other films has she been portrayed in?
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Both were poorly received and did not perform well at the box office. In 1978, Lindsay Bloom portrayed her in "".
Jean Harlow | Film portrayals
Film adaptations of Harlow's life were considered at different times during the 1950s. Twentieth Century-Fox had slated Jayne Mansfield for the role and ideas for Columbia Pictures actress Cleo Moore to play Harlow were also tabled. These projects never materialized. Actress Marilyn Monroe was given a Harlow script in 1953, however, she turned down the part of her idol, feeling it was underdeveloped. In 1965, two films about Jean Harlow were released, both titled "Harlow". The first film was released by Magna in May 1965, and stars Carol Lynley. The second was released in June 1965 by Paramount Pictures and stars Carroll Baker.
Jean Harlow | Film portrayals
Her performances in movies like "The Secret Six" (1931), her first film pairing opposite Clark Gable, and "The Public Enemy" (1931), opposite James Cagney, drew negative reviews from critics. In 1932, she signed an exclusive contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and 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 achieved her recognition as a film comedienne.
Jean Harlow filmography | Introduction
At MGM, Harlow was given superior movie roles to show off her looks and nascent comedic talent. Though her screen persona changed dramatically during her career, one constant was her sense of humor. In 1932, she starred in the comedy "Red-Headed Woman" for which she received $1,250 a week. It was the first film in which she "resembles something of an actress", portraying a woman who is successful at being amoral in a film that does not moralize or punish the character for her behavior. The film is often noted as being one of the few films in which Harlow did not appear with platinum blonde hair; she wore a red wig for the role.
Jean Harlow | 1932–1937: Successful actress at MGM
Jean Harlow (1911–1937) was an American actress, known for her sense of humor, who starred in a series of financially successful motion pictures throughout the 1930s. Harlow made her film debut in "Honor Bound" (1928) as an unbilled "extra". She would go on to appear in several films as an "extra" for the next two years. Her first speaking role was a bit part in "The Saturday Night Kid" (1929). In 1930, she became an overnight film sensation after starring in "Hell's Angels", as a last-minute replacement for Norwegian actress Greta Nissen. "Hell's Angels" propelled Harlow to superstar status, but she struggled to find quality work in her subsequent films.
Jean Harlow filmography | Introduction
Jean Harlow (born Harlean Harlow Carpenter; March 3, 1911 – June 7, 1937) was an American actress and sex symbol. Often nicknamed the "Blonde Bombshell" and the "Platinum Blonde", she was popular for her "Laughing Vamp" screen persona. Harlow was in the film industry for only nine years, but she became one of the biggest movie stars in Hollywood, whose image in the public eye has endured. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Harlow 22 on their greatest female stars of Classic Hollywood Cinema list. Harlow was first signed by business magnate Howard Hughes, who directed her first major role in "Hell's Angels" (1930).
Jean Harlow | Introduction
The concept of depicting Jean Harlow on film had originated in the 1950s. Many actresses were reported to play Harlow in different biopics, i. e., Cleo Moore for Columbia and Jayne Mansfield for Fox, but both of these projects fell through. In 1962, it was officially released that Marilyn Monroe would play Harlow in a lavish biopic as a part of her new contract with Fox. However, after Monroe's death, the project was sold to Paramount, who cast Carroll Baker in the title role. Based in part on "Harlow: An Intimate Biography", writer Irving Shulman's pulp biography, Paramount's "Harlow" is a melodramatic look at Harlow's life, focusing on her failed marriages.
Harlow (Paramount film) | Production
In 1931, his Caddo Company loaned her out to other studios, where she gained more attention by appearing in "The Secret Six", with Wallace Beery and Clark Gable; "Iron Man", with Lew Ayres and Robert Armstrong; and "The Public Enemy", with James Cagney. Even though the successes of these films ranged from moderate to hit, Harlow's acting ability was mocked by critics. Hughes sent her on a brief publicity tour in order to bolster her career, but this was not a success as Harlow dreaded making personal appearances. Harlow briefly dated Abner Zwillman, who bought her a jeweled bracelet and a red Cadillac, and made a large cash loan to studio head Harry Cohn to obtain a two-picture deal for her at Columbia Pictures.
Jean Harlow | 1929–1932: Platinum blonde star
While Harlow was filming "Red-Headed Woman", actress Anita Page passed her on the studio lot without acknowledging her. She later told Page that the snub had caused her to cry until she saw herself, noticed the red wig, and burst out laughing when she realized Page had not recognized her. "That shows you how sensitive she was", Page said. "She was a lovely person in so many ways." She next starred in "Red Dust", her second film with Clark Gable. Harlow and Gable worked well together and co-starred in a total of six films. She was also paired multiple times with Spencer Tracy and William Powell.
Jean Harlow | 1932–1937: Successful actress at MGM
Noticing a beautiful girl in the background of a Laurel and Hardy film, actor Marc Peters tips off studio mogul Jonathan Martin, who arranges a screen test. Jean Harlow is an overnight success. Harlow isn't a trained thespian, and is mocked by experienced actor William Mansfield, but she is sexy, and she's got something audiences respond to that makes her a Hollywood star. Unfortunately for her, she's also got a mother, Mama Jean, who quickly capitalizes on her daughter's money and fame. Family and studio demands unnerve Harlow, as does her impulsive wedding to Paul Bern, who turns out to be impotent and suicidal.
Harlow (Magna film) | Plot
After a series of critically unsuccessful films, and Hughes's losing interest in her career, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer bought out Harlow's contract in 1932 and cast her in leading roles in a string of hits built on her comedic talent: "Red-Headed Woman" (1932), "Red Dust" (1932), "Dinner at Eight" (1933), "Reckless" (1935) and "Suzy" (1936). Harlow's popularity rivaled and then surpassed that of MGM's top leading ladies Joan Crawford and Norma Shearer. She died at the age of 26, of kidney failure during filming of "Saratoga". MGM completed the film with the use of body doubles and released it less than two months after her death; it became the highest-grossing picture of 1937.
Jean Harlow | Introduction
MGM began trying to distinguish Harlow's public persona from her screen characters by putting out press releases that her childhood surname was not the common 'Carpenter' but the chic 'Carpentiér', claiming that writer Edgar Allan Poe was one of her ancestors and publishing photographs of her doing charity work to change her image to that of an all-American woman. This transformation proved difficult; once, Harlow was heard muttering, "My God, must I always wear a low-cut dress to be important?" During the making of "Red Dust", Bern—her husband of two months—was found dead at their home; this created a lasting scandal.
Jean Harlow | 1932–1937: Successful actress at MGM
Harlow is a 1965 American biographical film directed by Gordon Douglas about the life of film star Jean Harlow. It stars Carroll Baker in the title role, and Raf Vallone, Red Buttons, Angela Lansbury, Peter Lawford, Mike Connors, Martin Balsam, and Leslie Nielsen in supporting roles. It was released by Paramount Pictures, shortly after another film with the same title and subject. Although the film failed commercially, it was successful in launching the hit song "Girl Talk," by Neal Hefti.
Harlow (Paramount film) | Introduction
In its April 12, 1932 issues, however, "Motion Picture" magazine (pg.11) reported seeing Jean Harlow at the premiere of the film "Grand Hotel" sporting red, "titian hair", suggesting she was involved in the production. The "Modern Screen" gossip column in "The Hollywood Times" confirmed these suspicions in May 1932 stating: "Guess who is going to be MGM's 'Red-Headed Woman'? No other than that famous platinum blonde, Jean Harlow. They will either have to get a new title for the picture, or a very large bottle of very extra red henna for Jean's crowning glory." The opening scene of the film shows Harlow's character getting her hair dyed red.
Red-Headed Woman | Production
During filming, Harlow changed her legal name from her birth name of Harlean Carpenter McGrew Bern Rosson to Jean Harlow. She made only two more films before dying at the age of 26 in 1937. It has been rumored that Loy and Tracy had an affair during the shooting of the film.
Libeled Lady | Production
Harlow is a fictionalized drama based on the life of film star Jean Harlow, released in 1965, with Carol Lynley in the title role. It was released shortly before Paramount Pictures' film on the same subject. This was Ginger Rogers's last film appearance before her retirement in 1987 and her subsequent death in 1995. The film was directed by Alex Segal.
Harlow (Magna film) | Introduction
The film opens with Harlow as a struggling extra and bit actress dealing with her greedy stepfather Marino (Raf Vallone) and oblivious mother "Mama Jean" (Angela Lansbury, only six years older than Carroll Baker). With the help of Arthur Landau (Red Buttons), she rises to fame and gains the unwanted attention of the Howard Hughes-inspired Richard Manley (Leslie Nielsen). She then marries Paul Bern (Peter Lawford), an absentee husband who kills himself some time after the marriage. His death, combined with the stress of her career, leads Harlow on an odyssey of failed relationships and alcoholism, culminating in her death of kidney failure at the age of twenty-six.
Harlow (Paramount film) | Plot
Prior to strict enforcement of the Hays Code in mid-1934, actress Carole Lombard was always braless, as was Jean Harlow. Many pre-code movies were characterized by sexual energy, including scenes of women obviously braless. After the code was enforced, bralessness was not shown in film again until the 1960s. Notable instances of women braless in popular culture include:
Bralessness | In popular culture
Harlow was well on her way to being the biggest star in Hollywood, and her next picture, "Bombshell" (1933), would not even need a male star to carry the film.
Hold Your Man | Response
Initially, Harlow was suspected of killing Bern, but his death was officially ruled a suicide by self-inflicted gunshot wound. Louis B. Mayer feared negative publicity from the incident and intended to replace Harlow in the film, offering the role to Tallulah Bankhead. Bankhead was appalled by the offer and wrote in her autobiography, "To damn the radiant Jean for the misfortune of another would be one of the shabbiest acts of all time. I told Mr. Mayer as much." Harlow kept silent, survived the ordeal, and became more popular than ever. A 2009 biography of Bern asserted that Bern was, in fact, murdered by a former lover and the crime scene re-arranged by MGM executives to make it appear Bern had killed himself.
Jean Harlow | 1932–1937: Successful actress at MGM
Two of the most prominent examples of bad girl films were "Red-Headed Woman" (1932) and "Baby Face" (1933). In "Red-Headed Woman", Jean Harlow plays a secretary determined to sleep her way into a more luxurious lifestyle. She seduces her boss and intentionally breaks up his marriage. During her seductions, he tries to resist and slaps her, at which point she looks at him deliriously and replies "Do it again, I like it! Do it again!" They eventually marry but Harlow seduces a wealthy aged industrialist who is in business with her husband so that she can move to New York.
Pre-Code sex films | Content
The relationship ended when he reportedly referred to her in derogatory and vulgar terms when speaking to other associated crime figures, as revealed in secret surveillance recordings.
Jean Harlow | 1929–1932: Platinum blonde star
Judy Garland was originally cast in Ginger Rogers' role.
Harlow (Magna film) | Cast
The film's first line of dialogue is "So Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Hah." The film, in fact, was Jean Harlow's first film after having left Hollywood for a few months following a fall-out with Howard Hughes, as reported by "Screenland".
Red-Headed Woman | Production
Levine. Based on her "Carpetbaggers" performance, Levine began to develop Baker as a movie sex symbol, and she appeared posing in the December 1964 issue of "Playboy". She was subsequently cast by Levine in the title roles of two 1965 potboilers— "Sylvia", as an ex-prostitute and con artist, and as Jean Harlow in "Harlow". Baker appeared on the cover of the "Saturday Evening Post" on their November 2, 1963, issue dressed as Harlow, promoting the film's upcoming production. In 1965, she became an official celebrity spokesperson for Foster Grant sunglasses and appeared in advertisements for the company. Baker likened this era of her career to "being a beauty contest winner [as opposed to] an actress." Despite much prepublicity, "Harlow" received a lukewarm response from critics: "Variety" referred to Baker's portrayal of Harlow as "a fairly reasonable facsimile, although she lacks the electric fire of the original." Relations between Baker and Levine soured; in a 1965 interview, Baker sardonically commented: "I'll say this about Joe Levine: I admire his taste in leading ladies", which led the press to suspect a rift between the actress and producer.
Carroll Baker | 1964–1966: Sex symbol roles
"Wife vs. Secretary" was the fifth collaboration of Gable and Harlow and the fourth of Gable and Loy. The picture was the first time that Harlow and Loy worked together; they would both appear as well in "Libeled Lady" later in 1936, also starring William Powell and Spencer Tracy, with Harlow billed first. On Harlow during the making of "Wife Vs. Secretary", Loy said, "Jean was beautiful, but far from the raucous sexpot of her films. As a matter of fact, she began to shake that image in "Wife vs. Secretary"...She'd begged for a role that didn't require spouting slang and modeling lingerie.
Wife vs. Secretary | Notes
"Red Dust" (1932), a pre-Code Hollywood film, was allowed to show actress Jean Harlow taking a bath, while actor Clark Gable is pulling her hair. Another provocative scene shows Gable embracing Harlow with his hands just below her bosom.
Red Dust (1932 film) | Pre-Code-era scenes
After several calls from casting and a number of rejected job offers by Harlean, Mother Jean finally pressed her into accepting work at the studio. Harlean appeared in her first film, "Honor Bound" (1928), as an unbilled "extra" for $7 a day and a box lunch, common pay for such work. This led to a wage increase to $10 per day and small parts in feature films such as "Moran of the Marines" (1928) and the Charley Chase lost film "Chasing Husbands" (1928). In December 1928, Harlean as Jean Harlow signed a five-year contract with Hal Roach Studios for $100 per week.
Jean Harlow | 1928–1929: Work as an extra
Red-Headed Woman is a 1932 American pre-Code romantic comedy film, produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, based on the 1931 novel of the same name by Katharine Brush, and a screenplay by Anita Loos. It was directed by Jack Conway and stars Jean Harlow as a woman who uses sex to advance her social position. During the course of the film, Harlow's character breaks up a marriage, has multiple affairs, premarital sex, and attempts to kill a man.
Red-Headed Woman | Introduction
Hyams was the original choice to play Jane in "Tarzan the Ape Man" (1932), but turned it down. The role was played by Maureen O'Sullivan. She also appeared in the once controversial Jean Harlow film "Red-Headed Woman" (1932), the musical comedy "The Big Broadcast" (1932) with Bing Crosby, George Burns, and Gracie Allen, and was praised for her comedic performance in "Ruggles of Red Gap" (1935). In 1935 she made "1,000 Dollars a Minute" for Republic and retired soon after.
Leila Hyams | Film career
She had small roles in the 1929 Laurel and Hardy shorts: "Double Whoopee", "Liberty" and "Bacon Grabbers", with the latter giving her a costarring credit. In March 1929, she parted with Hal Roach, who tore up her contract after Harlow told him, "It's breaking up my marriage, what can I do?" In June 1929, Harlow separated from her husband and moved in with Mother Jean and Bello. After her separation from McGrew, Harlow continued working as an "extra" in such films as "This Thing Called Love", "Close Harmony", and "The Love Parade" (all 1929), until she landed her first speaking role in the Clara Bow film "The Saturday Night Kid".
Jean Harlow | 1928–1929: Work as an extra
He 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." Despite being billed sixth in the cast, Stewart enjoys the most screen time aside from the three leads, mainly romantic sequences with Harlow, including the final scene and dialogue in the movie.
Wife vs. Secretary | Notes
The film's producer, Joseph E. Levine, cast her in the potboiler "Sylvia" before giving her the role of Jean Harlow in the biopic "Harlow" (1965). Despite significant prepublicity, "Harlow" was a critical failure, and Baker relocated to Italy in 1966 amid a legal dispute over her contract with Paramount and Levine's overseeing of her career. In Europe, she spent the next 10 years starring in hard-edged giallo and horror films, including Romolo Guerrieri's "The Sweet Body of Deborah" (1968), Umberto Lenzi's "Orgasmo" (1969) and "Knife of Ice" (1972), and Corrado Farina's "Baba Yaga" (1973), before re-emerging for American audiences as a character actress in the Andy Warhol-produced dark comedy "Bad" (1977).
Carroll Baker | Introduction
After appearing with Fred MacMurray in the Disney comedy "The Shaggy Dog" (1959), for the remainder of career she played supporting roles, such as Marguerite LeHand, personal secretary to Franklin Delano Roosevelt in "Sunrise at Campobello "(1960), and the friend of Bette Davis in "Dead Ringer" (1964).
Jean Hagen | Film and television
Beginning in 2007, Harlow began to play small roles in various short films, feature films, and television series; the first role she booked was a small part in the Academy Award-winning film "Juno" (2007). In 2008, Harlow was cast as Tina Renwald in a Canadian television series "The Guard". For this role, Harlow won a Leo Award for Best Supporting Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series in 2009, and was nominated for Gemini Award in 2010. Following this, she continued to work steadily on screen, appearing in films, such as "The Tall Man" (2012), and television series, including "Flashpoint" (2011) and "Cracked" (2013), among others.
Eve Harlow | Career
The success of the film led to Jean Harlow being widely known as a "Blonde Bombshell".
Bombshell (1933 film) | Production
Ethel Moses (April 29, 1904 – June 1982) was an American actress and dancer, billed as "the black Jean Harlow". She is best known for working in films by Oscar Micheaux.
Ethel Moses | Introduction
Critical response to "Red-Headed Woman" was overwhelmingly positive. McCarthy of the "Motion Picture Herald" wrote: "Sexy, racy, bristling with snappy dialogue, funny, ["Red-Headed Woman"] is loaded with dynamite that can be dynamic entertainment, or an explosion of objections unless you handle it properly and with all the finesse and ability that your showmanship experience commands." The September 1932 edition of "Screenland" also gave the film a glowing review, writing: "The film ["Red-Headed Woman"] follows Katherine Brush's novel with satirical improvements by Anita Loos, who, fed up with blondes, gives red-headed women their due... See this for sheer amusement. Jean plays a mean part so cleverly that you can't help liking this wild red-headed woman." Along with this review, "Screenland" chose "Red-Headed Woman" as one of the six best pictures of the month and named Harlow's performance "one of the ten best portrayals of the month." (September 1932, pp.
Red-Headed Woman | Reception
She commits suicide by flying her plane directly upwards until she breaks the world altitude record, at which point she takes off her oxygen mask and plummets to Earth. Strong female characters often ended films as "reformed" feminists, after experiencing situations in which their progressive outlook proved faulty. Female protagonists in aggressively sexual vice films were usually of two general kinds: the bad girl or the fallen woman. In so-called "bad girl" pictures, female characters profit from promiscuity and immoral behavior. Jean Harlow, an actress who was by all reports a lighthearted, kind person off the screen, frequently played bad girl characters and dubbed them "sex vultures".
Pre-Code sex films | Content
More than half a dozen films were produced in this fashion, including the production of Richard Burton in "Hamlet" (1964), the concert film "The TAMI Show" (1964), and the Magna Film production of "Harlow" (1965), starring actress Carol Lynley as Jean Harlow.
Electronovision | Releases
He did say it is merry for the most part, and said that Jean Harlow was thoroughly "in her element" as the character Lola Burns.
Bombshell (1933 film) | Critical reception
Later, she appeared in "Barbara", "Heartbeat", "Where the Heart Is" and "The Afternoon Play".
Jean Alexander | Other roles
Alexandra Hay played the role of Jean Harlow in Michael McClure's controversial play "The Beard". She was arrested 12 times for lewd conduct and later acquitted by the California Supreme Court.
Alexandra Hay | "The Beard" arrests
So much was she part of it, so much was her star personality defined by it, that the screwball style itself seems almost unimaginable without her." She has been called "the quintessential comedic leading lady". Her last film performance was non-comedic, playing the homesteader's wife in George Stevens's "Shane" in 1953.
Jean Arthur | Introduction
Fontaine was the last surviving actress with a credited role in the film; she died in 2013. The film continued the play's all-female tradition—the entire cast of more than 130 speaking roles was female. Set in the glamorous Manhattan apartments of high society evoked by Cedric Gibbons, and in Reno, Nevada, where they obtain their divorces, it presents an acidic commentary on the pampered lives and power struggles of various rich, bored wives and other women they come into contact with.
The Women (1939 film) | Introduction
Harlow has many unhappy affairs, and becomes depressed. But the veteran actress Marie Dressler persuades her to take her profession more seriously, so Harlow goes back East to study her craft.
Harlow (Magna film) | Plot
Returning to films once again, Morison continued to be cast in supporting roles, all too often as "femme fatales" or unsympathetic "other women", including the Spencer Tracy-Katharine Hepburn vehicle, "Without Love" (1945), and the Deanna Durbin comedy-mystery "Lady on a Train" (1945). She played formidably villainous roles in the final installments of Universal's Sherlock Holmes series and MGM's The Thin Man series — respectively, "Dressed to Kill" (1946), and "Song of the Thin Man" (1947). She played the female antagonist in "Tarzan and the Huntress" (1947), the penultimate film starring Johnny Weissmuller as Edgar Rice Burroughs' title character. Her few leading roles during this time were in "B" pictures, notably as Maid Marian opposite Jon Hall's Robin Hood in the Cinecolor production "The Prince of Thieves" (1947) for Columbia, then did three films for Robert Lippert, the action film "Queen of the Amazons" (1947), with Richard Arlen in the sepia-toned western "The Return of Wildfire" (1948) and an espionage film shot in Mexico, "Sofia" (1948).
Patricia Morison | More cinematic roles
"Hell's Angels" made Harlow an international star. Though she was popular with audiences, the critics were less than enthusiastic. "The New Yorker" called her performance "plain awful", though "Variety" magazine conceded, "It doesn't matter what degree of talent she possesses ... nobody ever starved possessing what she's got." In spite of her relative success with "Hell's Angels", Harlow again found herself in the role of "uncredited extra" in the Charlie Chaplin film "City Lights" (1931), though her appearance did not make the final cut. With no other projects planned for Harlow at the time, Hughes decided to send her to New York, Seattle, and Kansas City for "Hell's Angels" premieres.
Jean Harlow | 1929–1932: Platinum blonde star
Her career prospects improved greatly after her starring role in Alfred Hitchcock's "Rebecca" (1940), for which she received her first of three nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress. The following year, she won that award for her role in Hitchcock's "Suspicion" (1941). A third nomination came with "The Constant Nymph" (1943). She appeared mostly in drama films through the 1940s, including "Letter from an Unknown Woman" (1948), which is now considered a classic. In the next decade, after her role in "Ivanhoe" (1952), her film career began to decline and she moved into stage, radio and television roles.
Joan Fontaine | Introduction
In late 1929, Harlow was spotted by Ben Lyon, an actor filming Howard Hughes' "Hell's Angels"; another account gives "Angels" head cameraman Arthur Landau as the man that spotted and suggested her to Hughes. Hughes was reshooting most of his originally silent film with sound and needed an actress to replace Greta Nissen, whose Norwegian accent was undesirable for her character. Harlow screen-tested for Hughes, who gave her the part and signed her to a five-year, $100-per-week contract on October 24, 1929. During filming, Harlow met MGM executive Paul Bern. "Hell's Angels" premiered in Hollywood at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on May 27, 1930, and became the highest-grossing film of that year, besting even Greta Garbo's talkie debut in "Anna Christie".
Jean Harlow | 1929–1932: Platinum blonde star
A possibly apocryphal but typical story has her meeting the American film actress Jean Harlow and correcting Harlow's mispronunciation of her first name – "No, no; the 't' is silent, as in 'Harlow'." The story was recorded by the Liberal MP Robert Bernays in his diary entry for 26 June 1934, but Bernays does not claim to have witnessed the alleged encounter himself.
Margot Asquith | After the war
She devised many of her publicity strategies, cultivated friendships with gossip columnists such as Sidney Skolsky and Louella Parsons, and controlled the use of her images. In addition to Grable, she was often compared to another iconic blonde, 1930s film star Jean Harlow. The comparison was prompted partly by Monroe, who named Harlow as her childhood idol, wanted to play her in a biopic, and even employed Harlow's hair stylist to color her hair. Monroe's screen persona focused on her blonde hair and the stereotypes that were associated with it, especially dumbness, naïveté, sexual availability and artificiality. She often used a breathy, childish voice in her films, and in interviews gave the impression that everything she said was "utterly innocent and uncalculated", parodying herself with double entendres that came to be known as "Monroeisms".
Marilyn Monroe | Screen persona and reception
Vaughn frequently played a “pleb”, or a commoner in the films she acted in (waitresses, maids, charwomen, governesses, and saleswomen) but "the characters she embodied did not lack ... character!" A fixture at MGM in the sound era of the early 1930s, she acted in more than 50 films. Her most notable films were 1933's "Dinner at Eight" where she was memorable as Jean Harlow's blackmailing maid, as well as "Today We Live" (1933), "Chasing Yesterday" (1935), and "Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum" (1940). She appeared on Broadway, and in 1924 toured as the lead in "Rain," based on a story by W.
Hilda Vaughn | Career
During the shoot, Turner completed her studies with an educational social worker, allowing her to graduate high school that year. The film was a box-office success, and her appearance in it as a flirtatious high school student convinced studio head Louis B. Mayer that Turner could be the next Jean Harlow, a sex symbol who had died six months before Turner's arrival at MGM. Mayer helped further Turner's career by giving her roles in several youth-oriented films in the late 1930s, such as the comedy "Rich Man, Poor Girl" (1938) in which she played the sister of a poor woman romanced by a wealthy man, and "Dramatic School" (1938), in which she portrayed Mado, a troubled drama student.
Lana Turner | Discovery and early roles (1937–39)
The movie, also starring Stewart Granger, was popular in Britain and established Kent as Gainsborough's back up to Margaret Lockwood. Kent played another sexually aggressive girl in "Madonna of the Seven Moons" (1945) with Calvert and Granger. It was a big hit. Rank borrowed her to support Rex Harrison in "The Rake's Progress" (1945) then back at Gainsborough she was in "Waterloo Road" (1945) with John Mills and Granger.
Jean Kent | Gainsborough Pictures
Carson had roles in films such as 1955's "The Phenix City Story" and 1958's "I Married a Monster from Outer Space". Carson felt she was typecast by some of these roles ("I'm what you call a 'second woman' or 'second tomato.' They never get the man." ). She earned fourth billing in the 1968 Peter Sellers comedy "The Party", perhaps her best-known film. Her last film role was 1977's "Fun with Dick and Jane".
Jean Carson | Film
On May 20, 1937, during the filming of "Saratoga", Harlow began to complain of illness. Her symptoms—fatigue, nausea, fluid retention and abdominal pain—did not seem very serious to her doctor, who believed that she was suffering from cholecystitis and influenza. Unfortunately, the doctor was not aware that Harlow had been ill during the previous year with a severe sunburn and influenza. Her friend and co-star, Una Merkel, noticed Harlow's gray pallor, fatigue and weight gain on the set of "Saratoga".
Jean Harlow | Illness and death
Janine Merrey was a French film actress. She appeared in more than thirty films.
Janine Merrey | Introduction
Juanita Quigley was billed as "Baby Jane" in several early roles. Her screen debut was as Claudette Colbert's three-year-old daughter in "Imitation of Life" (1934). She went on to play featured parts in several films, including "The Man Who Reclaimed His Head" (1934) and was Jean Harlow's niece in "Riffraff" (1936). Quigley became a familiar face to moviegoers of the era, but major roles for children so young were few and she often played bits as well as featured roles. She was one of the most popular child stars of her day, and was Universal Pictures' youngest star in 1934.
Juanita Quigley | Career
Joyce Elaine MacKenzie Hassing (born October 13, 1929 in Redwood City, California) is an American actress who appeared in films and television from 1946 to 1961. She might be best remembered for being the eleventh actress to portray Jane. She played the role opposite Lex Barker's Tarzan in 1953's "Tarzan and the She-Devil".
Joyce MacKenzie | Introduction
Reitsch has been portrayed by the following actresses in film and television productions.
Hanna Reitsch | In popular culture
She was reunited with Cassel in "" (1962) and was one of many names who appeared in "Teuf-teuf" (1963).
Françoise Dorléac | Early films
While living in Los Angeles, Harlean befriended a young aspiring actress named Rosalie Roy. Not owning a car herself, Rosalie asked Harlean to drive her to Fox Studios for an appointment. While waiting for Rosalie, Harlean was noticed and approached by Fox executives, whom she told she was not interested. Nevertheless, she was given letters of introduction to Central Casting. A few days later, Rosalie Roy bet Harlean that she did not have the nerve to go in for an audition. Unwilling to lose a wager and pressed by her enthusiastic mother who had followed her daughter to Los Angeles by this time, Harlean went to Central Casting and signed in under her mother's maiden name, Jean Harlow.
Jean Harlow | 1928–1929: Work as an extra
Russell was portrayed by Renee Henderson in the CBS miniseries "Blonde" (2001), based on the novel by Joyce Carol Oates and portrayed leaving her imprints at Grauman's along with Marilyn Monroe in the HBO film "Norma Jean & Marilyn" (1996), starring Ashley Judd and Mira Sorvino.
Jane Russell | Portrayals
Her final film role was in the 1928 Marcel Manchez directed "La dame de bronze et le monsieur de cristal", opposite Marcel Vallée.
Jeanne Bérangère | Film career
Jeanne Herviale (24 December 1908 – 29 November 1989) was a French actress. She appeared in 85 films and television shows between 1946 and 1989.
Jeanne Herviale | Introduction
Jean Harlow, who was given star billing, appears on the screen as Mrs. Kennedy for only about 30 seconds at the end of the movie. The title "Bacon Grabbers" was 1920s slang for "repo men." The movie was filmed at 2980 Haddington Drive and 10341 Bannockburn Drive in Cheviot Hills, Los Angeles.
Bacon Grabbers | Notes
For a comprehensive list of film and television appearances (1977–present) see
Joan Blackham | Full filmography
Compton appeared in a long string of mostly B-movies from the 1920s through the 1950s. She was a comedy actress and protested at being stereotyped as a "dumb blonde". Among her over two hundred films were "Imitation of Life", "Magnificent Obsession", "The Awful Truth", "Mildred Pierce", and "The Best Years of Our Lives".
Joyce Compton | Biography
Famke Janssen portrays Jean Grey/Phoenix in several "X-Men" feature films, while Sophie Turner portrays a younger depiction in the prequel film series.
Jean Grey in other media | Film
Three Wise Girls is a 1932 American pre-Code romantic drama film directed by William Beaudine and featuring Jean Harlow in her first starring role. She plays a young small-town woman who heads to New York City, where she and her two friends have romantic troubles. The supporting cast features a young Andy Devine. This film is preserved in the Library of Congress collection.
Three Wise Girls | Introduction
The "Prescott Evening Courier" wrote that "Jean Harlow has never displayed her versatility to a better advantage". The "Milwaukee Sentinel" wrote that there was "much hilarious comedy and robust action which takes away the sting of too much pathos", and that Tracy did an "excellent job". John Mosher of "The New Yorker" wrote a negative review, regretting that the film "leaves Miss Harlow in the background for longish and rather dreary stretches ... I'd say of the picture that there is too much tuna fish, and not enough Harlow." The film's depiction of organized labor drew some controversy. Max S.
Riffraff (1936 film) | Reception
Bourke-White was portrayed by Farrah Fawcett in the television movie, "" (1989) and by Candice Bergen in the 1982 film "Gandhi".
Margaret Bourke-White | Portrayals in popular culture
From 1958 to 1974 she appeared in fourteen "Carry On" films, where she was "usually cast as formidable hospital matrons (at least four) or man-devouring predators".
Hattie Jacques on stage, radio, screen and record | Introduction
It appears she returned one last time to the screen in the 1940 film "Women Without Names".
Helen Lynch | Biography
Jean Willes (born Jean Donahue; April 15, 1923 – January 3, 1989) was an American film and television actress. She appeared in approximately 65 films in her 38-year career.
Jean Willes | Introduction
Feature films in which she played character parts include "King Kong" (1933), "Mark of the Vampire" (1935), and "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" (1939).
June Gittelson | Career
Paul Bern was now romantically involved with Harlow and spoke to Louis B. Mayer about buying out her contract with Hughes and signing her to MGM, but Mayer declined. MGM's leading ladies were presented as elegant, and Harlow's screen persona was not so to Mayer. Bern then began urging close friend Irving Thalberg, production head of MGM, to sign Harlow, noting her popularity and established image. After initial reluctance Thalberg agreed, and on March 3, 1932, Harlow's 21st birthday, Bern called her with the news that MGM had purchased her contract from Hughes for $30,000. Harlow officially joined the studio on April 20, 1932.
Jean Harlow | 1932–1937: Successful actress at MGM
Dubbed "the English Jean Harlow", she was discovered by Paramount in the 1933 film "Money for Speed", playing a good girl/bad girl dual role. Lupino claimed the talent scouts saw her play only the sweet girl in the film and not the part of the prostitute, so she was asked to try out for the lead role in "Alice in Wonderland" (1933). When she arrived in Hollywood, the Paramount producers did not know what to make of their sultry potential leading lady, but she did get a five-year contract. Lupino starred in over a dozen films in the mid-1930s, working with Columbia in a two-film deal, one of which, "The Light That Failed" (1939), was a role she acquired after running into the director's office unannounced, demanding an audition.
Ida Lupino | Actress
Askehave has had roles in the following productions.
Marie Askehave | Selected filmography
Jean Heather (February 21, 1921 – October 29, 1995) was an American actress who appeared in eight feature films during the 1940s. She acted in two Oscar-nominated movies in 1944: the crime drama "Double Indemnity", in which she played Lola Dietrichson, a young woman convinced that her stepmother Phyllis (Barbara Stanwyck) is responsible for the murder of Lola's father, and "Going My Way", where she played a runaway teenager assisted by Father O'Malley (Bing Crosby). Heather's acting career was cut short by an automobile accident in December, 1947, in which she was thrown from her car onto the pavement and suffered severe facial lacerations.
Jean Heather | Introduction
She also had to hide her French accent under an American one in such films as "Slaphappy Sleuths" and "Income Tax Sappy".
Nanette Bordeaux | Career
The "lonely heroine" type is best seen in Jodie Foster's portrayal of Elleonore Arroway in the film "Contact".
Portrayal of women scientists in film | "The Lonely Heroine"
Keough appeared in several movies and television shows in the mid-1980s. As an actress, she has been credited as Jeana Tomasina or Jeana Keough.
Jeana Keough | Career
Janine Darcey (14 January 1917 – 1 October 1993) was a French film actress. She appeared in 60 films between 1936 and 1993.
Janine Darcey | Introduction
Magda Goebbels has been portrayed by the following actresses in film and television productions.
Magda Goebbels | Portrayal in media
Mary Ella Dees (June 3, 1911 – August 4, 2004) was an American stage and screen actress who once served as a primary stand-in double for late-1930s actress Jean Harlow. Dees had parts in "The Last Gangster" (1937), "The Women" (1939), as well as a number of Three Stooges shorts, which included "Hoi Polloi" (1935), and numerous Marx Brothers comedies.
Mary Dees | Introduction
Hale was portrayed by the actress Jane Adams in the 1994 film "Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle".
Ruth Hale (feminist) | Film portrayal
"The Little Queen (La Petite reine)", a movie inspired by her life, was released in 2014. Jeanson’s character is renamed Julie Arseneau (played by Laurence Leboeuf).
Geneviève Jeanson | 2014 Movie
In all her films she only took minor roles, many of which she was not credited for [*] Credited as Belle Hare
Estelle Etterre | Film
Jacqueline Maillan (11 January 1923 - 12 May 1992) was a French actress. She appeared in more than fifty films from 1947 to 1992.
Jacqueline Maillan | Introduction
Jean Allison (October 24, 1929) is an American actress. She appeared in numerous films and TV series throughout the 1950s to the 1980s.
Jean Allison | Introduction
She eventually found work as a model and broke out as an actress on the Orpheum vaudeville circuit. When the act arrived in Los Angeles, Jean decided to stay and try her hand in the movies. She spent her early years toiling in bit parts in comedies at Fox; then, in 1929, in a bid to amp up her career, she started going by Jean Bary, reportedly guided by a suggestion by a numerologist. Soon after the name change, she was cast in a big role in Raoul Walsh's 1929 film "The Cock-Eyed World". Her last known role was in 1936's "After the Thin Man".
Jean Laverty | Hollywood career
Harlow and Gable's other films together include "The Secret Six" and "China Seas", both with Wallace Beery, "Wife vs. Secretary" with Myrna Loy and James Stewart, and "Saratoga" with Lionel Barrymore. Barbara Barondess said Gable, "wasn't the most gracious gentleman I had ever met. One day as I was walking to the lot, he caught up with me and with his false teeth flashing said, 'Hey Barbara, are you blonde all over?' I managed to suppress an urge to tell him off and simply said, 'That depends. But you will never find out.'"
Hold Your Man | Production
Arthur retired when her contract with Columbia Pictures expired in 1944. She reportedly ran through the studio's streets, shouting "I'm free, I'm free!" For the next several years, she turned down virtually all film offers, the two exceptions being Billy Wilder's "A Foreign Affair" (1948), in which she played a congresswoman and rival of Marlene Dietrich, and as a homesteader's wife in the classic Western "Shane" (1953), which turned out to be the biggest box-office hit of her career. The latter was her final film, and the only color film in which she appeared. Arthur's post-retirement work in theater was intermittent, somewhat curtailed by her unease and discomfort about working in public.
Jean Arthur | Later career
In 1993, Sharon Stone hosted a documentary about Jean Harlow, "Harlow: The Blonde Bombshell".
Blonde stereotype | Blonde bombshell
Beverley began appearing in mainstream English language Hollywood films during the 1940s. her credits from this period included "Black Magic" in 1944; "The Master Race", a 1944 film about the dangers of Nazi Germany; and "Stairway for a Star", a 1947 musical. She continued to appear in smaller film roles during the 1950s, including "The Robe" as Rebecca and "The Shrike" in 1955. She appeared in an episode of the television series, "The Rifleman", in 1960. Her last film appearance was in the 1961 film "Ada".
Helen Beverley | Career
From 1915 through 1919, she appeared in another 32 films, mostly in supporting roles. Her last film appearance during this period was the 1919 film "The Lottery Man", in which she starred with Wanda Hawley and Wallace Reid. During the 1920s, her career began to slow, appearing in 22 films between 1920 and 1926, with her biggest film role during that time being in the 1922 film "The Young Rajah" with Rudolph Valentino. From 1927 to 1929, her career almost completely halted compared to her previous years, with only five film appearances during this period, most notably with Buddy Roosevelt in "The Cowboy Cavalier" in 1928.
Fanny Midgley | Biography
When Turner was discovered, MGM executive Mervyn LeRoy envisioned her as a replacement for the recently deceased Jean Harlow and began developing her image as a sex symbol. In "They Won't Forget" (1937) and "Love Finds Andy Hardy" (1938), she embodied an "innocent sexuality" portraying ingénues. Film historian Jeanine Basinger notes that she "represented the girl who'd rather sit on the diving board to show off her figure than get wet in the water ... the girl who'd rather kiss than kibbitz." In her early films, Turner donned her natural auburn hair, such as in "Dancing Co-Ed" (1939), in which she was billed "the red-headed sensation who brought "it" back to the screen." 1941's "Ziegfeld Girl" was the first film to showcase Turner with platinum blonde hair, which she wore for much of the remainder of her life and came to be known for.
Lana Turner | Public and screen persona
Her earliest film role was as Mary McGregor in the 1969 British film "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie". In this role, like her fellow young actors, she had to portray the character at ages ranging from 11 to 18. In 1970, she co-starred with Angela Lansbury and Michael York in "Something for Everyone", and also starred in "Danny Jones" (1972) with Frank Finlay. Her other film roles have included the TV movie "The Bunker" (1981), "Deal of a Lifetime" (1999), "Crazy as Hell" (2002), "" (2006), "" (2009) as Lucinda, Editor of Bonchic Magazine, and "The Five-Year Engagement" (2012).
Jane Carr | Film