Harlow in Hollywood: The Blonde Bombshell in the Glamour Capital, 1928-1937 Hardcover – March 3, 2011

The transaction was smooth and fast. Perfectly wrapped, no issues, arrived earlier than expected.The book features interesting text and gorgeous, crystal clear photographs. A rule Stunning tribute to the phenomenal and gifted Ms. Harlow!

"Harlow in Hollywood" is a great overview of this star's life. Never a great actress, she is remembered more than her gifted peers of the 1930's ; Norma Shearer , Claudette Colbert, or Carol Lombard. Why? Because she was beautiful, innocent, honest, and had an allure that is timeless. The photographs are beautiful and her rise to stardom is amazing in the 9 short years that she graced the screen. There are no more "Stars" anymore like those created by the studios..no glamour, or hauntingly beautiful portraits that epitomized those golden Hollywood years. Jean Harlow was a once in a lifetime personality, and this book takes you into that world of magic that she created.

I pre-ordered this book fully expecting that it would be good, but it totally exceeded my expectations. While authors Rooney and Viera define it in its title/subtitle as the story of Harlow's Hollywood career, it is more aptly Harlow's life story told via archival pictures and text culled from a variety of sources and written with the assistance of surviving family members and accounts from friends and contemporaries,film historians and archivalists, and the current owners of Harlow's homes and property.I could rattle on indefinitely about all the things I loved about this book, but it basically can be broken down by the roughly termed categories of writing, photos and illustrations, and overall layout.WRITINGBased upon the sourcing listed at the back of the book, the authors appear to have relied on a variety of reputable sources to assemble the story of Harlow's short but well-lived life, which included (and this I found both interesting and meaningful) accounts by classmates in reference to Harlow's early years and the extent to which her mother not only influenced her but isolated her. The book is crammed with bits and pieces of information such as the mother figuratively and literally eliminating Jean's father from her life. The book provides an interesting look at Harlean Carpenter(aka Jean Harlow) who appeared to be an accomplished cook and hostess and essentially a mid-west gal at heart who hung around with a lot of ordinary people when away from the Hollywood glamour. It also provides a view of Harlow as a consumate professional who soldiers on despite her second husband's questionable death and the potential scandal surrounding that death and a fatal illness during the filming of Saratoga, and the non-stop demands of her mother and grifter stepfather.Harlow's life story is organized and presented in chronological order and is quick paced, comprehensive, and consistently interesting. The writing is very good. It is obvious that this book was a labour of love and it shows.PHOTOS AND ILLUSTRATIONSAlso assembled within the text in chronological order, is the most comprehensive collection of personal photos, studio candids, publicity and glamour shots, and Harlow ephemera that I have seen. Among the pictures included are then and now shots of Harlow's homes and car, a mural from her one-time home on Easton Drive (which had actually made it to Ebay),and the results of a quasi-erotic shoot at Griffith Park. The inner binding of the front and back covers has a '30's era star style map of Hollywood and the surrounding area which captures the flavor of that era which was so associated with Jean Harlow. Most impressive to me are the pictures of the unadorned Harlow. Without make-up she was absolutely gorgeous. The pictures of Harlow in the final months of her life are sad in retrospect because she clearly was ill.LAYOUTA great book deserves a unique style. The design of this book echoes the art deco style which was another hallmark of Harlow.....the all white rooms and out there opulence. It looks like great coffee table fare with its clear glossy pictures and wonderful cover. It invites people to open it, read, and feast on the pictures. The spacial/linear design commands attention. If there is a special award for design this book deserves one.On a personal level, I've been a Harlow fan since I first saw DINNER AT EIGHT on tv. I was hooked and have spent a lot of time reading numerous books and articles about Harlow and hunting down websites on the internet for Harlow information. This book is very satisfying and answers a lot of questions while telling a great story about the blonde that defined the term BOMBSHELL.

A beautiful, lavish photo book of the legendary star, Jean Harlow, that includes her interesting biography and splendid high resolution photographs. There are several candid shots of the star and several of her famous studio portraits, showcasing her physical style and transformation throughout her short but spectacular film career.The original blonde bombshell, Jean Harlow rose to stardom after Howard Hughes cast her in his epic 1930's block-buster "Hell's Angel's". Although Harlow's acting was criticized during her first feature films, by the time she starred in "Red-Headed Woman" in 1932, she had developed into a sharp tongued, witty comedian with an almost flawless delivery while her on-screen charisma and sex appeal made her a star. The book deals mostly with her image, since Harlow was one of the first major sex symbols, and the town that created her - Hollywood. What is interesting when reviewing pictures of Harlow is that her look changed drastically throughout the years. Her earlier studio shots show a rather unique looking blonde, with big eyes, pouty lips and stylish, platinum hair. Her look was fairly unique and uniquely hers and it should come as no surprise why she stood out from the rest of the fresh faced starlets of the time period. What made Harlow's look different in the early phase of her career is her natural eye brows, before they were plucked and drawn in. Her real brows really did change her face. Once the studio took over, the brows were gone and her hair style changed along with it. In the mid 30's when the production code came into effect and Harlow was forced to change her bad girl image, her platinum locks were gone and she became a "brownette" changing her look considerably. You clearly see this transformation in the photos, along with intimate details in her biography. There are also some poignant photographs included here such as the ones dealing with Paul Bern's death and the last pictures taken of Harlow during the filming of "Saratoga" in 1937 shortly before her untimely death. There is one photograph that is touching and it is a picture taken, I guess for the promotion of "Saratoga" as it showcases the ailing Harlow and her co-star, Clark Gable. Taking up 2 full pages, the 2 actors are captured warmly with Harlow looking very serene and despite her illness, quite lovely but they are surrounded by black/darkness (The right side/page is completely black). I guess you can say it was fitting since Harlow did not have long to live when that picture was taken and it is an image that is incredibly poignant when viewed today.Jean Harlow fans should love this book. Every page is loaded with images, some take up the entire page, many are striking while others show us the private side of the young star. The authors of this book are clearly fans of this actress and much care and love went into the project. My main complaint? Well, this may come as a bit of a shocker considering the book is loaded with pictures, but I do wish more would have been included considering the wealth of images on the subject that have yet to make it into any book. With that said, the book is excellent. It is large and hard-covered, with thick, glossy pages and the photographs, the main draw here, are splendid. Fans and collector's of the legendary blonde and of Hollywood should not hesitate in buying this, even though the price is a bit high, this is most definitely worth saving up for. Now can we have a Harlow picture book Part II?

Excelente reedição com fotos e informações da famosa VENUS PLATINADA que morreu precosemente. Vale o investimento; frete isento para quem é PRIME.

アップデート版の新しい画像は思っていた以上に少なく期待はずれでした！！

It's about time! I'm sure I'm not the only one who has waited YEARS for something like this to come out.This book is absolutely beautiful and I'm really glad I decided to purchase it. At first I thought the price was a bit steep to be honest but now I realize that it's worth every penny. If you're a fan of Jean Harlow or Classic Hollywood in general, you'll definitely want to add this to your home library. This book is packed with never-before-seen photos (most of the them black and white, obviously), both personal and studio orchestrated. As I flipped through the pages for the first time, by the time I got to the end, I literally had tears in my eyes. Her life seemed so carefree and enchanting, and it's terribly sad how it all ended so suddenly and so quickly. A beautiful book for a beautiful woman.

I purchased this book because i am a big fan of old hollywood and recently became interested in Jean Harlow. I was not disappointed. It is a beautiful book which captures the essence of 1930s Hollywood due to its glamorous original photos of Harlow and its informative text about the places she lived,worked,played and partied. The photos are high quality and are printed on glossy paper. For anyone interested in the fashion of this period it is also a welcome addition to your library This book will not fail to impress.

I read other reviews prior to purchasing this book and was not disappointed. Beautifully presented, top quality materials. Wonderful selection of well known and rare photographs. Thoroughly enjoyed the read and the style in which it was written. The only disappointment was when I came to the end of it. I will treasure this book.