On this day devoted to couples and love, I can't help but think of my favourite screen couple: William Powell and Myrna Loy. They were first paired up in 1934 in Manhattan Melodrama and would go on to make 14 films together. They had an on-screen chemistry that was both electric and believable (off screen they remained good friends for the rest of their lives). This was never more apparent than when they played Nick and Nora Charles in six Thin Man movies. As the famed detective and his wife, Powell and Loy exhibit an ease with one another that is rarely seen on film. Their witty banter and obvious attraction for one another, not to mention the way Nora is supportive of Nick's sleuthing and love of a drink (or five), are why I adore them so much. So Happy Valentine's Day, readers. Here's hoping you find your own Nick or Nora.
Before Madonna, before Marilyn Monroe, there was Jean Harlow—the original blonde bombshell. One of the most popular actresses of the 1930s, Harlow's blonde hair and skin-tight gowns made her an iconic image of the silver screen. Today would have been her 100th birthday.
The Baby, as she was nicknamed, was tiny (just 5' 2) and had luminous skin, a perfect figure (she didn't like to wear underwear because it created lines), and that hair. Harlow's platinum blonde hair changed the lives of women. Seriously. Before her, dyed hair was equated with prostitutes. Harlow's screen appearances had thousands of women rushing to the salon to mimic their favourite actress' blonde tresses and suddenly being a bottle blonde was acceptable.
Harlow began her career in Hal Roach shorts and co-starred with Laurel and Hardy in a few of their films while learning to be a good actress. There is no question that the camera loved her but her delivery was stiff often laughable. Harlow herself said, "I was not a born actress. No one knows it better than I. If I had any latent talent, I have had to work hard, listen carefully, do things over and over and then over again in order to bring it out." But as she continued to vamp it up on screen she got better and soon she began to exhibit great comic timing. Her big break came with Howard Hughes' Hell's Angels (1930). She would go on to star in some of the best films of the 1930s—Dinner at Eight, Bombshell, Red Dust, Libeled Lady. Her co-stars included Wallace Beery, Cary Grant, Spencer Tracy, William Powell, and Clark Gable (she and Gable made six films together and were great friends off screen).
Harlow was an animal lover and filled her home with dogs and other furry pets. She was beloved by everyone she worked with and was known for helping crew members out financially. She was also smart. Harlow could memorize her lines with just one reading of a script. She was known to always have a book with her on set and even wrote a novel, Today is Tonight, which wasn't published until 1965.
Her cheery disposition helped to mask the sadness in her personal life. She was married three times; her second husband, Paul Bern, committed suicide just two months after their wedding. Her great love, William Powell, refused to marry her. She supported her domineering stage mother who attempted to control all aspects of her daughter's life and a step-father who lost huge amounts of Harlow's income on ill-conceived investments.
Harlow was in the midst of making her sixth film with Gable, Saratoga, when she complained of not feeling well. A few weeks later, on June 7, 1937, she died from uremic poisoning. Most likely a bout of scarlet fever as a teen had damaged her kidneys and in the 1930s there was no cure for kidney failure. MGM writer Harry Ruskin said, "The day 'the baby' died there wasn't one sound in the commissary for three hours—not one goddamn sound." Harlow was just 26.
So Happy Birthday Jean Harlow. You will always be one of my favourite blondes.
If you'd like to see some of her films, Harlow is TCM's star of the month. And to learn more about her, check out David Stenn's excellent biography Bombshell.
The month of September flew by while I recovered from a nasty health scare, with my days spent visiting doctors, not going out, and having no cocktails (horrors). So this weekend, I am determined to venture out for a bit of entertainment, a bit of culture, anything that gets me out of my flat. There are some things I just do not have the energy for yet (MOMA on a Saturday, I'm talking about you) but I'll let you know dear readers what I find. In the meantime, I hope you all have a lovely weekend. And if you find yourself having a cocktail (which I hope you do), please have one for me.
Photo of Asta and Nick and Nora Charles from The Thin Man.
