Harlow (1965/I)

Director:

Gordon Douglas

Writer:

John Michael Hayes (writer)

Release Date:

23 June 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

Harlow stood for only one thing - as no woman ever has - before or since!

Plot:

A screen adaption of the blistering best-seller which examines the story of the platinum blonde bombshell (Baker) who rose to fame in the reckless Hollywood of the 1930's.

Plot Keywords:

Agent | Blonde | Hollywood | 1930s | Rags To Riches

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe.

Cast

Carroll Baker	...	Jean Harlow
Red Buttons	...	Arthur Landau
Raf Vallone	...	Marino Bello
Angela Lansbury	...	Mama Jean Bello
Peter Lawford	...	Paul Bern
Mike Connors	...	Jack Harrison (as Michael Connors)
Martin Balsam	...	Everett Redman
Leslie Nielsen	...	Richard Manley
Mary Murphy	...	Sally Doane
Hanna Landy	...	Beatrice Landau
Peter Hansen	...	Assistant Director
Kipp Hamilton	...	Marie Tanner
Peter Leeds	...	Parker

Runtime:

125 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

West Germany:16 (re-rated) | West Germany:18 (f) (original rating) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Train Station - 222 S. Raymond Avenue, Pasadena, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Jean's stepfather plays a 33 rpm long player on a record player years before they replaced 78 rpm discs.

Movie Connections:

References Love Me Forever (1935)

Soundtrack:

Lonely Girl

Carroll Baker takes on the heady task of portraying the screen siren...

From a bit actress in the late 1920s to stardom in the '30s as a Hollywood bombshell, actress Jean Harlow's triumphs and pitfalls are cartoonishly documented; it's as if the filmmakers were quite satisfied dishing out movie-magazine nonsense instead of headier truths, with most of the names changed to protect the embarrassed. Harlow manages to hold onto her virginity even through a short-lived marriage, but fate dealt her a bad hand and she died at the age of 26--yet the movie sees all this through a rose-colored lens. Carroll Baker is a sweet, sometimes dazed Harlow; Red Buttons acquits himself affably as her agent and Angela Lansbury is nicely low-keyed as Jean's mother. Viewers hoping for some Hollywood dirt won't be satisfied with the scrubbed-clean goods showcased here, although the pacing is fast and portions of the presentation are very colorful. A rival production, also entitled "Harlow", was released the same year and starred Carol Lynley and Ginger Rogers. **1/2 from ****