At first thought, Carroll Baker might not seem the best choice to play Jean Harlow; but think again. She has a nasal voice, a large forehead, the same shaped nose, a small mouth, and a nice figure. She just isn't that great of an actress, so casting her in a biopic about a tragic figure doesn't automatically scream "Oscar".
There were two Jean Harlow pictures released in 1965, both titled Harlow, which was very unfortunate. Neither one was very good, and both for the same reason: they sensationalized Jean's life and used hardly any facts. Part of the fault in the inaccuracies is the lack of knowledge in 1965 about what really happened. Now, in the modern era, there's so much more information that a new biopic could be made with much more feeling behind it. Back in the 1960s, Hollywood studios still wanted to cover up Jean's second husband's murder and make it look like a suicide because he couldn't "be a man" to his sex goddess wife. No one wanted to lift the lid on the medical error that led to her tragic death; instead she was just painted out to be a wild child who lit the candle at both ends and paid the price. Nothing could have been further from the truth. She was a quiet homebody who was nothing like her screen persona. She was actually reduced to tears at the thought that audiences thought she was a loose woman and a gangster's moll.
So, if you're looking for the truth about the beautiful and radiant Jean Harlow, read these two books: Bombshell: The Life and Death of Jean Harlow by David Stenn and The Girl from Missouri by John C. Spahn (and Jean Harlow herself). If you're just a Carroll Baker fan and it won't bother you that Hollywood didn't give her Harlequin eyebrows, you can check out this Harlow. She is a very pretty woman and recreates some famous moments and costumes. There's also quite a crowded supporting cast: Angela Lansbury as Mama Jean, Martin Balsam as a Louis B. Mayer type, Red Buttons as Arthur Landau, Raf Vallone as Marino, Peter Lawford as Paul, and Leslie Neilson. Just keep in mind it's total fiction so you don't do Miss Harlow's memory ill.
There were two Jean Harlow pictures released in 1965, both titled Harlow, which was very unfortunate. Neither one was very good, and both for the same reason: they sensationalized Jean's life and used hardly any facts. Part of the fault in the inaccuracies is the lack of knowledge in 1965 about what really happened. Now, in the modern era, there's so much more information that a new biopic could be made with much more feeling behind it. Back in the 1960s, Hollywood studios still wanted to cover up Jean's second husband's murder and make it look like a suicide because he couldn't "be a man" to his sex goddess wife. No one wanted to lift the lid on the medical error that led to her tragic death; instead she was just painted out to be a wild child who lit the candle at both ends and paid the price. Nothing could have been further from the truth. She was a quiet homebody who was nothing like her screen persona. She was actually reduced to tears at the thought that audiences thought she was a loose woman and a gangster's moll.
So, if you're looking for the truth about the beautiful and radiant Jean Harlow, read these two books: Bombshell: The Life and Death of Jean Harlow by David Stenn and The Girl from Missouri by John C. Spahn (and Jean Harlow herself). If you're just a Carroll Baker fan and it won't bother you that Hollywood didn't give her Harlequin eyebrows, you can check out this Harlow. She is a very pretty woman and recreates some famous moments and costumes. There's also quite a crowded supporting cast: Angela Lansbury as Mama Jean, Martin Balsam as a Louis B. Mayer type, Red Buttons as Arthur Landau, Raf Vallone as Marino, Peter Lawford as Paul, and Leslie Neilson. Just keep in mind it's total fiction so you don't do Miss Harlow's memory ill.