Bombshell


Book Description

After 56 years, Stenn persuaded Harlow's family, friends, colleagues and employers to break their silence and provide previously sealed legal, financial and medical records, which solved the mystery of her death. His account is confirmed by scores of exclusive interviews with eyewitness sources.




Deadly Illusions


Book Description

Presents compelling evidence that Bern was murdered and why.




Platinum Girl


Book Description

In 1930, after the public had seen Jean Harlow in Howard Hughes' WWI air ace epic, Hell's Angels, the nation's beauty parlors were jammed with women demanding to be transformed into "platinum blondes." The phrase was invented by a studio press agent, and the look was the work of Hollywood's newest, most explosive bombshell. This book explores the woman behind the legends and the scandals. The brief life of Jean Harlow is a story of success, of a triumphal struggle with Hollywood and the consequences of rapid fame. This is an important book about one of Hollywood's most extraordinary personalities. -- Publisher description.




Jean Harlow


Book Description

Jean Harlow was an enigma, the original Blonde Bombshell, completely uninhibited. She made no secret of the fact that she never wore underwear, bleached her pubic hair to match that on her head – and was never afraid of showing this to journalists, if they asked. On the screen she epitomised the fun-loving, wise-cracking tart-with-a-heart yet away from the spotlight she was nothing like the public perceived her to be. In this new biography, David Bret uncovers an unhappy upbringing by an unloving mother and sexually abusive step-father, her love of older men and the mistreatment she suffered at their hands, her progression from movie slut to screwball comedy star, her special relationship with William Powell, how she was ripped off by the studios, and more. Jean Harlow: Tarnished Angel is a compelling portrayal of the enigmatic star. David Bret was born in Paris. His acclaimed books include biographies of Marlene Dietrich, Morrissey, Freddie Mercury and Edith Piaf among many others.




Harlow


Book Description

Harlow, An Intimate Biography, is the biography of Jean Harlow, the first of the typically American love goddesses as well as a presentation of the big-studio feudalism of the Thirties and a near sociological consideration of that American phenomenon, the sex symbol devised for mass consumption.




The Jean Harlow Bombshell


Book Description

When it comes to writing Golden Age Hollywood biographies, the pen is deadlier than the sword Justine Turner is a world-famous biographer of Hollywood stars. She's also Charlotte Donovan's overbearing boss. So it comes as no surprise to Charlotte when Justine requests an emergency meeting related to her latest in-progress biography. It is a surprise, though, when Justine up and dies before their urgent discussion can begin. In the wake of such a tragedy, all Charlotte wants to do is finish the Jean Harlow biography that Justine had started. Instead, she finds herself in grave danger—stalked both online and in person by a drop-dead Jean Harlow look-alike. Together with police sergeant Den Brophy, Charlotte uncovers shocking revelations. But will these revelations be enough to catch the killer? Praise: "The Jean Harlow Bombshell is a page-turner, a modern whodunit threaded with Golden Age Hollywood glamour. Its protagonist, Charlotte Donovan, is a sleuth for our times, flawed, bright, and eminently relatable. Factor in the delicious elements of romance, friendship, and family, and you have a mystery as captivating as Jean Harlow's (still missing) star sapphire ring."—Jess Lourey, author of Salem's Cipher and Mercy's Chase "Twisty, fascinating, and gently edgy, this mixture of vintage Hollywood and contemporary New York will delight fans of the traditional mystery as well as those craving a modern read. Loved it!"—Hank Phillippi Ryan, nationally bestselling author of Trust Me "Mollie Cox Bryan concocts a fascinating mystery with more twists than a pretzel factory. Bryan's skillful portrayal of Charlotte and best friend Kate make it fun to follow them as they work through to the solution. An entertaining read, a steady pace, and memorable characters to meet."—Reviewing the Evidence




By Love Reclaimed


Book Description

In July 1932, MGM producer and notorious nice guy Paul Bern marries the love of his life, screen icon Jean Harlow. Two months later, he is found shot to death in their Benedict Canyon home, the victim of a Hollywood cover-up that eventually portrays him in the media as a sick, impotent wife-beater. Modern day intuitive Valerie Franich and renowned psychiatrist Adrian Finkelstein partner together in order to dispel Hollywood lore and share the true story of Harlow and Bern. Through the use of hypnotic regressions and extensive research, Franich and Finkelstein offer a glimpse into the life of the young ingénue as she makes her way in Hollywood, falls in love with the older Bern, and becomes the innocent prey of MGM boss Louis Mayer who fixes the evidence to make her beloved husband's death look like a suicide. As Harlow returns to reclaim her husband's good name and stellar reputation, she reminds everyone that love is indeed eternal. By Love Reclaimed shares an enlightening and heartwarming look at reincarnation and the Hollywood scene during the 1930s while shedding a new light on an old mystery. Winner of The Pinnacle Book Achievement Award for Fall 2012




Seduction


Book Description

In this riveting popular history, the creator of You Must Remember This probes the inner workings of Hollywood’s glamorous golden age through the stories of some of the dozens of actresses pursued by Howard Hughes, to reveal how the millionaire mogul’s obsessions with sex, power and publicity trapped, abused, or benefitted women who dreamt of screen stardom. In recent months, the media has reported on scores of entertainment figures who used their power and money in Hollywood to sexually harass and coerce some of the most talented women in cinema and television. But as Karina Longworth reminds us, long before the Harvey Weinsteins there was Howard Hughes—the Texas millionaire, pilot, and filmmaker whose reputation as a cinematic provocateur was matched only by that as a prolific womanizer. His supposed conquests between his first divorce in the late 1920s and his marriage to actress Jean Peters in 1957 included many of Hollywood’s most famous actresses, among them Billie Dove, Katharine Hepburn, Ava Gardner, and Lana Turner. From promoting bombshells like Jean Harlow and Jane Russell to his contentious battles with the censors, Hughes—perhaps more than any other filmmaker of his era—commoditized male desire as he objectified and sexualized women. Yet there were also numerous women pulled into Hughes’s grasp who never made it to the screen, sometimes virtually imprisoned by an increasingly paranoid and disturbed Hughes, who retained multitudes of private investigators, security personnel, and informers to make certain these actresses would not escape his clutches. Vivid, perceptive, timely, and ridiculously entertaining, The Seducer is a landmark work that examines women, sex, and male power in Hollywood during its golden age—a legacy that endures nearly a century later.




The Jean Harlow Films


Book Description

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.




Platinum Doll


Book Description

Set against the dazzling backdrop of Golden Age Hollywood, novelist Girard tells the story of Jean Harlow, an iconic star in the history of film.