Harlow (1965)
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33% of users liked it
(207 ratings)
Hurriedly assembled to capitalize on the Paramount feature of the same name, Magna Pictures' Harlow was shot in less than two weeks, utilizing a glorified TV-kinescope process called Electronovision. Carol Lynley is physically an excellent choice to play 1930s Hollywood "platinum… More Hurriedly assembled to capitalize on the Paramount feature of the same name, Magna Pictures' Harlow was shot in less than two weeks, utilizing a glorified TV-kinescope process called Electronovision. Carol Lynley is physically an excellent choice to play 1930s Hollywood "platinum blonde" Jean Harlow, though she has little of Harlow's casual charisma. Pushed into a movie career by Mama Jean (Ginger Rogers) in order to support her dysfunctional family, Jean rises from 2-reel comedies to big-budget features in the space of a year. Though one of the highest-priced stars at MGM, Jean's fortune is rapidly depleted by her high-living (and, it is hinted, incestuous) stepfather Marino Bello (Barry Sullivan). Seeking happiness and security, Jean marries producer Paul Bern (Hurd Hatfield), only to have him commit suicide due to his impotence. Just when her misery is about to be ended by her marriage to movie star William Mansfield (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.)--a thinly disguised William Powell, who refused to allow his name or likeness to be used--Jean dies of uremia at the age of 26. If you can get past those miserable Laurel & Hardy imitators at the beginning of Harlow, you might be able to survive the rest of the picture, which gives a whole new meaning to the word "cheap." Watch for boxing champ Sonny Liston in a one-scene bit. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Alex Segal
- Genres
- Drama
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Jan 1, 1965 Wide
Critic Reviews
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Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
The only thing this movie gets right are Jean's name and the name of her second husband, Paul Bern.
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Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Carol Lynley
as Jean Harlow
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Efrem Zimbalist Jr.
as William Mansfield
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Ginger Rogers
as Mama Jean
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Barry Sullivan
as Marino Bello
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Hurd Hatfield
as Paul Bern
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Celia Lovsky
as Maria Ouspenskaya
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Lloyd Bochner
as Marc Peters
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Hermione Baddeley
as Marie Dressler
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Audrey Totter
as Marilyn
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John Williams (II)
as Jonathan Martin
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Audrey Christie
as Thelma
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Michael Dante
as Ed
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Jack Kruschen
as Louis B. Mayer
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Robert Strauss
as Hank
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Sonny Liston
as First Fighter
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James Dobson
as Counterman
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Cliff Norton
as Billy
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Jim Plunkett
as Stan Laurel
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John "Red" Fox
as Oliver Hardy
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Joel Marston
as Press Agent
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Buddy Lewis
as Al Jolson
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Frank J. Scannell
as Doctor
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Maureen Gaffney
as Miss Larsen
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Ron Kennedy
as Assistant Director
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Harry Holcombe
as Minister
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Nick Dimitri
as 2nd Fighter
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Christopher West
as Bern's Secretary
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Paulle Clark
as Waitress
- Carroll Baker
