Jean Harloaw

If I were a Harlow fan, I'd want to see all of her films, even the ones with small parts. Considering how short her career was, especially.

I found her delivery pretty bad--she was barely hiding her nasal Betty Boop twang-- she was trying hard though--but her clothes and the way she carried herself were amazing. That white pantsuit was so slinky, and the way she slunk to the door and away from it, it was like a cat. She was so slow, and she was almost slouching, but she did it so well.

She died at 26, from kidney failure. She'd had scarlet fever ten years before, and according to Wikipedia, if she had lived today, she would have had kidney dialysis but it didn't exist back then. The rumors were that her mother (who she was very close to)--a Christian Scientist--did not get her the medical treatment she needed and brought on her early death, but this is now considered myth.

But I think it was a great film--and it was worth seeing Harlow in, even if her scenes were a little weird. I saw it to see how it fit in with other Mob/Mafia/Gang films. "Why I oughtta...You dirty yellow-bellied..." I loved it. It was a seminal gangster film. Wow, how about that ending? Don't want to spoil it for anybody, but man! I wasn't expecting a film from 1931 to be so powerful. Great flick.

No, Jean Harlow wasn't much of an actress at THIS POINT in her short career.

Anyone who knows her history knows that her best work would come a year later, after she developed her comedic talent at MGM. Harlow was still under contract with Howard Hughes at the time, who was simply capitalizing on the platinum blonde craze she started with Hell's Angels. He had no inetrest in molding her talent, which is what MGM eventually did to great success. Harlow knew she couldn't act at this time, so she would agree fully with those here who said she was bad in it. She did not look her best in this either as again, the legendary screen image we're familiar with today would not come until 1932. This film IS a James Cagney film, and the reason why most of the promotional material used Harlow on it, was because of her success in Hell's Angels and Platinum Blonde which started a hair craze. I agree, that this this vehicle certainly would've been better suited carrer-wise for Louise Brooks than Jean Harlow.

But Jean Harlow was never a great actress; sure, she evolved into a decent comedienne who had some wonderful ability for comic timing and delivering one-liners and rapid-pace dialogue. However, her great comedic performances are mostly the result of a great script. You previously mentioned Red-Headed Woman, but Harlow is just as completely ungraceful and mechanic in that film as she is in The Public Enemy; the latter role is just not as juicy and based around her. Therefore, I don't buy Harlow as a "marvelous comedic and dramatic actress." At times, she was great, however, she lacked the fluidity and naturalness that other great comediennes of the time possessed; everything just seems so incredibly strained from her and I vehemently disagree with "She was one of the most beautiful women of all time."