On the anniversary of actress Jean Harlow’s untimely passing in 1937 at the age of 26, I thought it appropriate to do a post about the room she inhabited at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood. According to Vanity Fair, she stayed in rooms 32-33 with third husband, Harold Rosson. Harlow expert, Darrell Rooney (co-author of Harlow in Hollywood), adds that Rosson had a house, but it was being rented so they rented this apartment at the Chateau to live in as man and wife, since Rosson refused to live at Harlow’s Beverly Glen residence. Rooney also believes there probably aren’t any photos of the star at the Chateau, as her “time there was marred by appendicitis and a hospital stay.” A photo of Jean, Rosson, and her mother and stepfather (below) is often referred to as having been shot at the Chateau, but it was taken at their private residence instead.
In probably the most reliable book about the history of the hotel, Life at the Marmont (1987) by former owner Raymond Sarlot and Fred Basten, it says this about her stay:
On the afternoon of September 20, 1933, a black Pierce Arrow touring car, its wire wheels reflecting the hot California sun, made its way up Marmont Lane and parked directly in front of the colonnaded entry to Chateau Marmont.…The newlyweds had come to the Marmont, bypassing the revitalized Garden of Allah and nearby Sunset Tower, in search of a honeymoon suite. It was Hal’s choice. He had had a soft spot in his heart for the Marmont ever since he learned of Albert E. Smith’s takeover. It was Smith who had given Rosson his first break in show business, hiring him as a teenage bit player with Vitagraph in 1908.…“Jean and I are going to love this place.” It was fifteen minutes later when Harold Rosson, accompanied by Ann Little [hotel manager], returned to his bride. With one hand,…Rosson jangled the keys to Suite 3BC. He followed the sweep of his arm, pointing to the third floor windows that stretched nearly the entire length of the Marmont’s north-south wing.…Ann Little invited Jean inside, but she declined. “I’ll take a rain check,” Jean sighed, sounding wilted. “I’d better get home [her Beverly Glen Drive residence] before I keel over.” She pulled a small square of chiffon from her handbag and dabbed at her forehead.…It would be a full week before the Rossons took occupancy of 3BC at the Marmont, but Jean didn’t wait that long to acquaint herself with her new surroundings. Less than twenty-four hours after Hal had signed the guest registry, a revitalized Jean appeared at the front desk. She was accompanied by a stately blonde woman and a suavely handsome man who identified themselves as Mr. and Mrs. Bello [her stepfather and mother]. “We’re here to look around,” Jean told Ann Little. “Is my rain check still good?”
While still retaining much of its charm from the 1930s, the Chateau Marmont has had a few renovations over the years. It is extremely difficult to find vintage interior shots of the hotel. As fate would have it, I connected with Dennis Lee Cleven in a Jean Harlow Facebook group, and he graciously supplied me with photos from his 1981 visit to one half of the Harlow honeymoon suite.
I was there way back in 1981 and it was refurbished after that. Apartment 33 is the one which cinematographer Harold Rosson and Jean Harlow lived during their 1933 marriage at The Chateau Marmont at 8221 Sunset Boulevard.
Is it just me or does this 1981 shot from Dennis make anyone think of “Come on knock on my door…” from “Three’s Company”?
How 33’s door looks today:
The living room, 1981:
December 2002:
April 2018:
A peak into the bedroom, circa 1981:
December 2002:
April 2018:
Dennis in the kitchen, 1981:
December 2002, with new tile:
April 2018:
Here’s where things get interesting. The entry hallway, circa 1981:
April 2018. The arches and fire sprinkler match up, but in the 1981 photo, there is a door at the end of the hallway; in 2018, it has been sealed up. This would lend credence to 33 once being connected to 32. Unfortunately, I have not stayed in 32 yet! Bucket list…
A closeup of the now removed door to…?
In my chat with Dennis, he was under the impression that the adjoining room was 34, not 32.
I stayed there in 1981 and I called the front desk and I asked which apartment was hers and he said the one I was in (33). One thing I have asked before is where did that door lead to down the hall? Did it go to a bedroom which is now apartment 34? I found it rather confusing back then and it’s a mystery that I've not solved.
I’d like to solve it, too! I need to see logistically where 32 and 34 are situated in relation to room 33. Stay tuned!
See more Chateau Marmont room photos at my main website.
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