Thursday at the Museum: Jean Harlow

I recently saw a number of rare Jean Harlow items on display at the Hollywood Heritage Museum. She was the 1930s platinum blonde bombshell and comedienne supreme who died way too soon.



There were so many “wows” to see, especially this 1937 painting by Tino Costa, “Farewell to Earth.” A blog post from 2019 covered a bit of the backstory for this 52" x 80" piece of art.



A detailed view of the painting, which was completed after Harlow’s untimely passing at the tender age of 26.



A better shot of the stunning painting from the 2016 Bonhams auction, unencumbered by display glass and other exhibit items overlapping it:



MGM Prop Department Silver Trophy used in two Jean Harlow films (“Red Headed Woman,” 1932, and “Suzy,” 1936) and the 1952 musical classic, “Singin' in the Rain,” from the Brian Bundy collection.



Jean Harlow Frankart Cigarette Holder, 1930s. This art deco treasure from the Brian Bundy collection almost makes me want to smoke.



Jean Harlow in her Club View Drive sunroom with the Frankart Cigarette Holder in the background, 1932:



If the cigarette holder doesn’t get you puffing, maybe this gigantic Jean Harlow Lucky Strike ad will (Marne Rafter collection)!



A Jean Harlow brocade purse, from the Brian Bundy collection:



Jean Harlow’s Rex rabbit fur sleeves on a replica gown, from the Darrell Rooney collection:



Vine Street Brown Derby Jean Harlow caricature by Vitch, from the Darrell Rooney collection:



The Vine Street Brown Derby in Hollywood where the above caricature was on display:



In 1936, Jean purchased three chiffon silk handkerchiefs in different colors: pale blue, navy blue (below, from the Brian Bundy collection):



…and cream-colored (also from the Brian Bundy collection):



1935 photo of Rose Davies (sister of actress Marion), William Powell, and Jean Harlow at Hearst Castle from the Darrell Rooney collection:



The same area at Hearst Castle when I visited in 2010:



1936 Joseff's of Hollywood simulated diamond and aquamarine brooch worn by Jean Harlow in “Libeled Lady.” Also worn by Lucille Ball in “Two Smart People” (1946).



The numbers for room 826 at the Good Samaritan Hospital, where Harlow checked into on June 6, 1937. These pot metal numbers came from the 8th floor just before the wing was demolished.



From the Darrell Rooney collection comes this April 29, 1932 “Grand Hotel” autographed register from the film’s premiere at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.



1932 Grand Hotel premiere register autographs, including Harlow and husband, Paul Bern.



A photo from the Robin Smith collection showing Bern and Harlow’s arrival at the premiere, signing the register:



A star-studded 1937 MGM Café signed menu from the Darrell Rooney collection:



An MGM Leo the Lion family paperweight from the May 3, 1937 sales delegate luncheon, from the Marne Rafter collection. This was where “Girl 27: The Patricia Douglas Story” took place.



MGM Executive Sam Katz and Jean Harlow at the May 3, 1937 luncheon:



There are very few color photos of Jean. Here’s a beauty from the Darrell Rooney collection, circa 1937 Jean Harlow, shot by James Doolittle:



Hearth tiles by Davis and MacDonald of Los Angeles, were recovered from the fireplace of Jean’s last home at 512 N. Palm Drive in Beverly Hills, and are part of the Darrell Rooney collection.



Also from the Darrell Rooney collection is this photo of famed illustrator James Montgomery Flagg sketching Jean for a 1936 Photoplay magazine cover:



The sketch itself! For whatever reason, this illustration was never used by the magazine. Glad it still exists!



If you’re excited to go to the Heritage Museum to see these items, unfortunately, the exhibit ended last weekend.



See more Hollywood Heritage Museum photos at my main website.

Girl 27: The Patricia Douglas Story

Although it came out seventeen years ago, the documentary “Girl 27” is still shocking. It begins with a passage from Luke 8:17, which perfectly sets the tone. Writer/director David Stenn made public the tragic story of the 1937 rape of Patricia Douglas at the hands of an MGM exhibitor/salesman, David Ross. As Stenn told Vanity Fair, “I managed to find old newspaper coverage, previously unseen photos, damning studio documentation, long-forgotten legal records, privately shot cinematographic evidence hidden in an MGM film vault, and, most amazing, Patricia Douglas herself. I tracked the reclusive invalid down and eventually persuaded her to break her 65-year silence.”



Hollywood’s most glamorous studio, Metro-Goldwayn-Mayer, invited exhibitors to come to Hollywood to stay at the Ambassador Hotel and attend a wild party at the Hal Roach Studio’s ranch. Over a hundred young girls (many underage) were hired for what they thought was a film. Louis B. Mayer told the exhibitors that anything they wanted would be provided to them during their visit.



One of those exhibitors was David Ross from Chicago. What a charmer.



A natural-born dancer, Douglas drifted into movies “just for something to do.” Since she was supported by her mother, Douglas had no need to work. So when a casting call came on the afternoon of Sunday, May 2, 1937, she demurred at first, but later agreed to show up. “They never mentioned it was for a party,” she recalls. “Ever. I wouldn’t have gone! Oh God, oh God, I wouldn’t have gone.”



The call sheet with the name of Pat Douglas, aka Girl 27. What did the girls receive for their “role”? What they thought was a shot at stardom, hot meal, and $7.50 for the day at the remote Culver City ranch, aka “Rancho Roachero.”



The exhibitors who had been partying all day assumed the professional dancers were theirs to do whatever they wanted to. Isn’t that what Louis B. Mayer told them upon arrival? The girls were trapped at a location with no phones or transportation and had to fend for themselves. Douglas ended up being violently raped, losing her virginity to a man she had no interest in. With guts rarely shown by women at the time (for fear of repercussions), Patricia went public and pressed charges against her rapist. “I did want him punished,” she recalled. “I couldn’t get him out of my mind, because he took my innocence, because I was a virgin, and he left me with horrendous memories of my first time. And believe it or not, it affected the rest of my life physically. I was a frigid woman, and I never changed. I believe that I was about thirty-five when I stopped dating. But you can never miss what you never had.”



Stenn’s compelling documentary shows his journey of how he uncovered the facts of the case, long buried or destroyed many years ago. Here he is with USC archivist, Ned Comstock, as he first looks at the file from Patricia’s case, full of papers not seen since the 1930s.





Stenn also sought out Douglas herself. “I was furious when I heard from David. Imagine, sixty-five years nobody knowing what happened to you when you were young, and here comes some young fellow from out of the blue, and wants to talk to me about the case. I didn’t care about the story being told; I kept it a secret for sixty-five years. Why not die with it? Who would care?” Stenn did, and he patiently chipped away at Douglas’ reluctance. Eighty-six at the time, she finally agreed to tell her story.



David asked her, “Have you ever been in love?” “No,” she replied. “I have never been in love, and I have never known what it is to love somebody.” Pressing on, David asked, “Do you think that was taken away from you by what happened at the MGM party?” “Yes, because I believe no matter how much I feel towards a man, I don’t trust.”



In a touch of irony, while a rape victim was crucified in the press, a movie star was completely protected. The documentary reveals how Loretta Young and Clark Gable (married at the time to Ria Langham) had a child out of wedlock but covered it up by telling the public her biological daughter had been adopted.



As her daughter, Judy Lewis, tells the camera: “Hollywood knew the true story; I was the only one that didn’t.” The contrasting story shows how Hollywood treated people according to their earning potential.

Make sure you see “Girl 27.” You won’t regret it. See more Classic Movie & TV photos at my main website.