The Platinum Blog Starring Jean Harlow

Happy 98th Birthday, Harlean!

It's that time of year again, when we remember the birth of "Our Baby" Jean Harlow, a.k.a Harlean Carpenter and this year's anniversary was marked with a very special get-together in Beverly Hills.

Party invitation featuring vintage magazine illustration

Harlean made her presence known via professional medium and spiritual counselor Sara Larkins at a 98th birthday luncheon held in her honor on Sunday, generously hosted Dr. Charles and Rebecca Chandler, the owners of her former Club View Dr. residence (Read details here.)

The spectacularly warm and sunny day however was not entirely focused on the hereafter.  It was very much about the here and now.  It was great to see so many familiar faces of friends I've met thanks to my interest in Harlean: Harlow historian Darrell Rooney, Reg Williams, Mark Vieira, Karie Bible, Scott Michaels, Ron and Maggie Hale (owners of the Paul Bern house on Easton Dr.), Cliff and Janet Gooding (owners of Jean's 1932 Packard, which they drove to the event, thank you so much!), Skip O'Neil, Bill Forbriger, Jackie Haskins and of course the Chandler family.

It also featured some virtual "six degrees of separation" meet ups between Harlow enthusiasts who until that day had only known each other via the Internet.

For my own part, it was a complete thrill and joy to finally meet Sharon Barnes and her lovely daughters Briony Barnes and Mallory Morton from Kansas.  We first connected around late 2000 or early 2001, when Briony was a teenager exploring her Jean connection online.

The wonderful Barnes family is related to Jean on the Carpenter side of the family. Sharon's great-grandfather, Earle, was the brother of Jean's father, Mont Clair.  Their website at JeanHarlow.info is a must-bookmark for anyone yearning to learn more about Jean's often overlooked paternal heritage.

  

Left: Jean photographed on the front porch of her Club View Dr. home; Right: her cousins Sharon and Mallory photographed on the same spot 70+ years later.

Briony, Darrell, Sharon and Mallory in front of livingroom fireplace

Above: Jean photographed on the stoop of her home; Below: Briony strikes identical pose there on Sunday.

Sharon and me in livingroom

Another first face-to-face meet up for me was with Jim Kaufmann, a Harlow collector and historian from Massachusetts.  This was a complete and total surprise to meet him on Sunday, having no idea he was flying in.  I'm still kind of in shock and wishing that we all had more than just a few hours together.  I think I met Jim online when I first started The Platinum Page, he was one of my earliest regular readers.  He's also a great writer.  Be sure to read his fascinating May 2006 article "The Hunt For Harlow."

  
Jim and me moments after meeting in Club View Dr. livingroom

Hats off to Rebecca Chandler for bringing her idea of a Harlow luncheon to fruition. The food was terrific, all items created from 1930s recipes including finger sandwiches, clam dip, fresh asparagus, quiche lorraine, shrimp cocktails, Toll House cookies and fresh strawberries.  Thanks to a magazine article culled from Darrell's vast (and I mean vast) collection, she learned that Jean's favorite food was apparently sauerkraut, so Rebecca came up with a clever recipe of potatoes stuffed with sauerkraut and sausage.  Dee-lish, my favorite of a spread that was mouthwatering all around.

Ron and Maggie Hale with Rebecca and Charlie Chandler

Special kudos to Darrell Rooney as well, who had a big hand in making the day special on so many levels - in particular by providing the numerous historical MGM publicity photos from his equally vast photographic archive, taken of Jean during her stay at the Club View house and including quotes that spotlighted her upbeat and friendly personality, as well as what was important to her in life.

Darrell presents Rebecca with a framed vintage image of her home

These are just a few highlights from a very memorable day in honor of Jean and the friendships shared between everyone in attendance who care about her.  I only wish every devoted Harlow fan I know could have been there, and there are many, many of you out there.  You were there in my heart in spirit.

I was so busy gabbing with everyone that I didn't take as many photos as I usually do, but the ones that did get snapped may be viewed on my Flickr Photo Album of the day.  I'm looking forward to reading  stories from other attendees to learn more about their own personal experiences and recollections.

My heartfelt thanks to the Chandler family for once again welcoming me into their home and sharing Harlean-inspired moments.  It feels so good to know how much you enjoy this house and that it's truly a home where the best of Jean Harlow is remembered and appreciated.

Most of all, thank you and Happy 98th Birthday to "Our Baby" whom we all felt present in one way or another on Sunday.

Bathed in the sunlight that Jean herself enjoyed while living in the Club View residence. Photo by Jim Kaufmann, who saw the moment and captured it so nicely - Thanks, Jim!

Jean's Message To Her Fans: "I am not pathetic!"

On Sunday, March 1, 2009, I attended a special gathering of Jean Harlow fans held at one of her former Los Angeles homes and the party turned into a surprise one of sorts when one of the guests revealed that she had a message for us all -- and that it was from Jean herself.

The afternoon get-together was hosted by Dr. Charles and Rebecca Chandler of Club View Dr. in Beverly Hills, to mark what would have been Jean's 98th birthday on Tuesday, March 3.  

Jean's thoughts on such a shindig? Right on!  But, according to Sara Larkins, a professional medium and spiritual counselor in attendance, Jean had a serious request to make when it came to keeping her memory alive:

"Don't you dare feel sad for me,  I am not pathetic."

Sara was invited to the party by her friend, Harlow historian, Darrell Rooney.  She said that although she's known Darrell for twenty years, she knew next to nothing about Jean's life story. 

She explained that two weeks earlier she had spent some quiet time at the residence in order to do her specialized brand of homework.  "The less I know the better," Sara told us, explaining her "starting with a clean slate" approach.

Sara tells party goers about what she learned from Harlean's presence, seated in the same livingroom chair where she experienced it all two weeks earlier

Seated alone in the living room and without touring the house, Sara said she began picking up images of the layout of the home and in particular, places that seemed to mean something to Jean in the relatively short time she lived there.

Among them were the kitchen pantry and a small closet nearby to where Sara was sitting.  She got the sense that Jean, along with a tall, good looking man with dark hair (my immediate thought was her cousin Donald Roberson) and a dog, spent time giggling there together while purposely ditching apparent parties going on in the house. 

According to Sara, Jean used these places in the house to intentionally hide from people who were in her home but were not guests of her own choosing and the "the obligation of being a dog and pony show" that came with such situations.

Another room appearing as meaningful to Jean, another place to hide out, was an upstairs front room with several windows.  This room, as later verified with MGM publicity stills, was Jean's bedroom.  According to Sara, Jean enjoyed the view and especially loved to leave the windows open to let the air and sunshine in.

Across the hall things didn't feel so light and breezy to Sara, filled instead with oppression and manipulation.  In it Sara saw a "mean, squatty lady and a dark-haired man who were married but did not sleep together."  This room which indeed contained separate beds during their time in the house, again verified with historical photographs, was shared by Mother Jean and her husband, Marino Bello.

Sara described Jean's presence as being "the sweetest soul" who had been manipulated by what she could only describe as something maniacal, someone who Jean had really given her heart to, but who manipulated her naivete in order to get what they wanted for themselves.

"Someone envied her talent, and used it against her," said Sara, who also spoke of Jean feeling double-teamed with subtle mind games in the home, as if she was getting dual messages.  She felt put down when it came to her personal creative aspirations but then boosted up to fulfill the creative aspirations of someone else who had their own agenda. Throughout the emotional turmoil, Jean was on a quest to "just be herself."

Like hiding away at parties, Jean seemed to have a real need to escape in order to feel "like a normal person with nothing to prove to anyone, freedom and a sense of normalcy."  Indications of alcohol abuse, flirtations with prescription drugs, possibly sleeping pills, and driving around in cars all seemed to point to ways she tried to get away from a lot of arguments and pressures that were coming at her from every which way, and the overall feeling that people were "messing with her head."

By this point in her homework, Sara said she felt an overwhelming sadness for Jean's apparent tragic life.  And it was at this moment, said Sara, that "Jean showed up," appearing next to her in the living room with the message that she was not pathetic.

Instead, said Sara, Jean told her that she had loved acting because it was something she became good at.  "I'm a proud, gifted person," Jean told her, adding that she wanted to be thought of as a "talented, gifted actress up for the challenge of pursuing her craft."  One unrealized challenge that Jean revealed to Sara was the desire to act on the stage. 

Photos of Jean taken in the Club View home were strategically placed in the exact locations where they were shot, and included quotes by Jean that illustrated her sense of humor and what was important to her.  Sara said that this idea came from her brief conversation with Jean because Jean said it was important to her that guests at the birthday party have a sense of who she was as a person.

I'm a fairly open-minded person, and while I've never seen a ghost much less conversed with anyone beyond the grave, I have to say that Sara's revelations certainly have me thinking "anything's possible!"

With so many people still intrigued with Jean and her life more than 70 years after her death, is it possible that this Harlow-focused energy we've collectively generated in this world truly has kept her alive on the other side, tethered to the here and now?  Enough so that she's compelled to have a say in what we're doing when given a channel to speak?

Human beings are the products of what we experience in our own lifetimes. Jean certainly had her share well-documented challenges, and it's been a natural response for many of us to feel love and a sense of protection toward her.  As a celebrity, she has also become a product of other people's lifetime, quite literally, in books, photos bought and sold, memorabilia, souvenirs and yes even websites.  Branded as a commodity.

If nothing else, it's a great reminder that Jean Harlow was not a commodity but a real person with thoughts of her own about who she was -- born Harlean Carpenter, on March 3, 1911 in Kansas City, Missouri.   And what Baby wants for her birthday, The Platinum Page delivers.

Happy Birthday, Harlean, a proud, talented and gifted person - cheers!

 

Home Sweet Harlow Homes

Monday, July 2, marked the 75th anniversary of Jean and Paul Bern's wedding.  Of course, their union was tragically short-lived, but that's a post for Labor Day.  The 4th of July holiday is a time to recall happier days.

As I mentioned earlier here, I commemorated the 70th anniversary of Jean's passing this year with special friends.  The events included the opportunity to see inside the Club View home where Jean and Paul were married, and to stand in the living room (the very spot, actually) where this famous wedding photograph was taken:

Many thanks to Dr. Charlie for his incredible hospitality!  He and his family purchased the home in 2005 and I'm happy to report that they truly appreciate the Harlow-historical significance of the place they now call home. 

I took some snapshot that day but for privacy reasons will be keeping those off-line for now. I hope to file a more in-depth story about Dr. Charlie, the Club View house history and to show-and-tell you more about the interior in a separate post later this year. 

Speaking of Harlow houses, I'm sad to report that my friends Mark & Nancy have completed the sale of Jean's (well, their) Palm Drive home.  They will be leaving soon to be nearer to family in South Carolina and will be greatly missed.

Mark & Nancy on second floor landing overlooking the living room (Jan'07)

Fortunately, they tell me that while the new owners have assured them that while they will do some remodeling, they will not be tearing it down (as is the trend in Beverly Hills these days, like what happened to Jimmy Stewart's house, ugh!)

Mark & Nancy threw a "last hurrah" party there on June 6th to say goodbye to friends and also to honor Jean on the anniversary of her death.  It was an incredible evening, highlighted by the appearance of Jean's 1932 Packard, courtesy of its current owner, Cliff.

I doubt that any previous owners of the Palm Drive cared about Jean as much as Mark & Nancy did.  While there was a tinge of sadness in the air, realizing how sick Jean was during her last hours in the home, but there was also a lot of love generated that night.  I choose to believe Jean was there in spirit, and appreciated the festive way in which she is still remembered and loved.

Yes, it was an honor and a thrill to be able to visit with Mark & Nancy inside the last house Jean lived in, it was incredible to stand in Jean's room for the first time and visualize how sad it must have been back then, but what I will truly miss is the opportunity to spend time with this wonderful, generous and fun couple.   Happy landings in your new home, Mark & Nancy!  I look forward to your return visits to Los Angeles.

And speaking of that Packard...wow, is it gorgeous!  Many thanks to Cliff for sharing his treasure with us, not only that evening at Palm Drive, but the following day when a few of us met up at the Club View house to recreate this MGM publicity portrait of Jean taken on the day that she bought the car:

Jean and her 1932 Packard at her Club View home ~ April 1933
(Colorized print, gifted to me by a generous friend and fellow Harlow fan who wishes to remain anonymous)

Here's the result....

Me & Jean's Packard at her Club View home ~ June 8, 2007

The car, which is in pristine condition and purrs like a kitten, has been repainted since Jean's day when it was cream-colored.  It's been seen by fans over the years at car shows and at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.  Cliff told me it's even been to Paris!  It's a beauty.

That's it for this post.  Stay tuned for more installments of (what I guess I'll call) "Harlow's Hollywood Today!" :)