One of the powerful icons of 1930s Hollywood film, Jean Harlow died a tragically early death in 1937 at age 26. During her brief career, she delivered memorable performances in such MGM classics as Red Dust (1932), Bombshell (1933), Dinner at Eight (1933) and Libeled Lady (1936), among others.
Taking a film-by-film look at Harlow’s work and her own impressions of her costars and directors, this retrospective traces her growth as an actress—from tentative supporting player to top star at a prestigious studio—and how her often tumultuous life informed her performances.

James L. Neibaur is a film historian and scholar with more than 30 books and hundreds of articles appearing in Cineaste, Classic Images, Film Quarterly, Films in Review, Filmfax, and Encyclopædia Britannica.

James L. Neibaur
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 221
Bibliographic Info: 60 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2019
pISBN: 978-1-4766-7484-1
eISBN: 978-1-4766-3602-3
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments vi
Introduction 1
Harlean Carpenter: The Early Life of Jean Harlow 5
Jean Harlow: The Early Film Appearances 8
Jean Becomes a Leading Actress, 1930
Hell’s Angels 17
The Films of Jean Harlow, 1931
The Secret Six 28
Iron Man 35
The Public Enemy 42
Goldie 48
Platinum Blonde 55
The Films of Jean Harlow, 1932
Three Wise Girls 62
The Beast of the City 70
Red Headed Woman 78
Red Dust 86
The Films of Jean Harlow, 1933–34
Hold Your Man 96
Dinner at Eight 105
Bombshell 113
The Girl from Missouri 122
The Films of Jean Harlow, 1935
Reckless 130
China Seas 137
The Films of Jean Harlow, 1936
Riffraff 145
Wife vs. Secretary 153
Suzy 160
Libeled Lady 169
The Films of Jean Harlow, 1937
Personal Property 179
Saratoga 185
Afterword: The Jean Harlow Legacy 195
Notes 201
Bibliography 205
Index 209