Category: Examining Harlow
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We enter the last portion of Examining Harlow this week with our look at Saratoga, the actress’ final film. The romantic comedy sees her once again partnered with Clark Gable set to the background of horse racing. How does the film fit in the pantheon of Harlow’s filmography? Saratoga follows Harlow as a woman struggling…
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Our examination of Jean Harlow’s career continues this week with her final fully completed film, Personal Property. The movie spotlights the legendary actress at the end of her career, facing not only uncertain health, but an uncertain future. At this point, the Production Code was hitting its stride, forcing the actress to drop much of…
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In our last few Examining Harlow’s, we’ve been sitting pretty solidly in the middle of Jean Harlow’s career. During this time, the young actress finds herself stuck in a bit of a transition. Changes in censorship as well as the film industry saw the twenty-something bombshell unable to capitalise on her unbridled sexuality as much…
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Examining Harlow continues this week with Jean Harlow‘s 1936 romance, Suzy. It can be safety said that the introduction of the Hays Code shifted Harlow into a new phase in her career beginning in this year. These 1936 films show the still young actress entering a new phase of her career. How do these movies…
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Examining Harlow continues today with a look at her 1936 comedy, Libeled Lady. The immediate Post-Code feature feels like a drastic departure from Harlow’s previous and highly structured studio established star persona. Harlow’s “Blonde Bombshell” feels toned down and pushed into the periphery of this ensemble comedy. Things were changing quickly around this period with the…
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Our examination of FilmStruck’s Jean Harlow series continues today with a look at Red-Headed Woman. The 1932 drama marks what can best be termed as the beginning of Harlow’s tenure as MGM’s resident “Blonde Bombshell”. The highly problematic Pre-Code film is a fascinating and definitely complicated viewing, especially when approached from a contemporary perspective. The…
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Our latest look into Jean Harlow‘s filmography jumps very early into the actress’ career with the 1932 gem, Red Dust. The romantic dramedy is an exotic Pre-Code spotlighting Clark Gable and Harlow (both soon to be cinematic legends) on the cusp of their exploding popularity. The movie proves to be a fascinating study in not…
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While Jean Harlow passed away more than eighty years ago, there are a few of her movies which have seemingly transcended the decades. One of these is Bombshell. Watching the 1933 film, it seems deeply tied in with Harlow’s star persona. After all, the actress was known as “The Blonde Bombshell”. In our continuing examination…
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There’s nothing like a Pre-Code film to put dated questions of sex and gender into perspective. To continue our examination of Jean Harlow‘s FilmStruck series, we take a look at the 1934 romantic dramedy, The Girl From Missouri. Interestingly, the film takes on a brand new identity in this post #MeToo era, and with it…
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Jean Harlow’s career straddles the thin line in Hollywood seemingly separating legendary and infamous. While her name is not as well known as it once was, the Blonde Bombshell of the 1930s is still the stuff legends are made of. In just a few short years, Harlow saw the highest of highs and the lowest…
