I don't know about you, but I can find myself spending hours getting lost in time clicking from one Jean Harlow video on YouTube to the next. You can find tributes, filmclips, documentaries and other assorted materials devoted to Our Baby.
Having made three Jean Harlow-related videos myself (two tributes, Remembering Our Baby and A Dream In Color plus The Great Mausoleum Six which features Jean) I can thoroughly appreciate the thought, creativity and time it takes to put YTpresentations together.
Tributes that fans set to music are my favorite. I love seeing Jean from other perspectives. The crafted videos tell me a lot about the fans who created them ~ how they feel about Jean and how they want the world to see & remember her based on the photos, clips and music they've chosen and how they weave all the material together.
That said, The Platinum Page presents (in no particular order) some of our Favorite Jean Harlow Tributes found on YT:
Lots of people have asked me why in the world didn't Turner Classic Movies celebrate Jean Harlow's 100th birthday yesterday.
The short answer? Their annual "31 Days of Oscar" festival ran from February 1 to March 3 this year.
The bigger picture? TCM has named Jean Harlow its Star of the Month for March 2011. This means viewers will enjoy 20 of her films over the next four weeks, programmed in blocks of 4-6 at a time, each Tuesday night.
If my memory is correct, this is only the secod time that TCM has bestowed the honor on Jean since the cable network launched in April 1994. I didn't start getting TCM until 1999, so correct me if I'm wrong, please and thank you!
Back in 2001 they acknowledged her 90th birthday a month late, in April, because at that time "31 Days" was a March-long event. Then she was named Star of the Month in May. So, we've come a long way in ten years.
Host and film historian Robert Osborne wrote a great article about Jean for TCM's Now Playing viewer's guide magazine, which you can read online here.
TCM has also produced this great video, hosted by Mr. Osborne, to promote Jean's month-long tribute:
Alternatively, here's a direct link to the video on the TCM site.
*Drumroll* Here's the line-up for March. All times are US Eastern, adjust according to your local time zone. Canadian fans, see this schedule.
Tuesday, March 8
8:00 PM Red-Headed Woman (1932) - An ambitious secretary tries to sleep her way into high society. Cast: Jean Harlow, Chester Morris, Una Merkel. Dir: Jack Conway. BW-80 mins, TV-PG, CC
9:30 PM Three Wise Girls (1932) - Three models try to snag husband's but the ones they find are already married. Cast: Jean Harlow, Mae Clarke, Marie Prevost. Dir: William Beaudine. BW-69 mins, TV-G
10:45 PM Riffraff (1936) - Young marrieds in the fishing business run afoul of the law. Cast: Jean Harlow, Spencer Tracy, Joseph Calleia. Dir: J. Walter Ruben. BW-94 mins, TV-G, CC
12:30 AM Suzy (1936) - A French air ace discovers that his showgirl wife's first husband is still alive. Cast: Jean Harlow, Cary Grant, Franchot Tone. Dir: George Fitzmaurice. BW-93 mins, TV-G, CC
2:15 AM City Lights (1931) - In this silent film, the Little Tramp tries to help a blind flower seller to see again. Cast: Charles Chaplin, Virginia Cherrill, Harry Myers. Dir: Charles Chaplin. BW-87 mins, TV-G (Note: not sure why they're including this in the mix. Jean worked as an extra in the party scene. Don't blink or you'll miss her!)
Enanched/Photo Source: The Films of Jean Harlow. Bonaza Books, NY: 1965
Tuesday, March 15
8:00 PM The Public Enemy (1931) - An Irish-American street punk tries to make it big in the world of organized crime. Cast: James Cagney, Edward Woods, Jean Harlow. Dir: William A. Wellman. BW-84 mins, TV-PG, CC, DVS
9:30 PM Bombshell (1933) - A glamorous film star rebels against the studio, her pushy press agent and a family of hangers-on. Cast: Jean Harlow, Lee Tracy, Frank Morgan. Dir: Victor Fleming. BW-96 mins, TV-G, CC
11:15 PM Libeled Lady (1936) - When an heiress sues a newspaper, the editor hires a reporter to compromise her. Cast: Jean Harlow, Myrna Loy, Spencer Tracy. Dir: Jack Conway. BW-98 mins, TV-G, CC, DVS
1:00 AM Reckless (1935) - A theatrical star gets in over her head when she marries a drunken millionaire. Cast: Jean Harlow, William Powell, Franchot Tone. Dir: Victor Fleming. BW-97 mins, TV-PG, CC
2:45 AM Personal Property (1937) - The bailiff charged with disposing of a financially strapped widow's estate pretends to be her butler. Cast: Jean Harlow, Robert Taylor, Reginald Owen. Dir: W.S. Van Dyke II. BW-84 mins, TV-G
Tuesday, March 22
8:00 PM Wife vs. Secretary (1936) - A secretary becomes so valuable to her boss that it jeopardizes his marriage. Cast: Clark Gable, Myrna Loy, Jean Harlow. Dir: Clarence Brown. BW-88 mins, TV-G, CC
9:45 PM Red Dust (1932) - A plantation overseer in Indochina is torn between a married woman and a lady of the evening. Cast: Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Mary Astor. Dir: Victor Fleming. BW-83 mins, TV-G, CC
11:15 PM Hold Your Man (1933) - A hard-boiled babe and a con man wear down each other's rough edges. Cast: Jean Harlow, Clark Gable, Stuart Erwin. Dir: Sam Wood. BW-87 mins, TV-PG, CC
1:00 AM China Seas (1935) - A sea captain caught in a romantic triangle has to fight off modern-day pirates. Cast: Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Wallace Beery. Dir: Tay Garnett. BW-87 mins, TV-G, CC
2:30 AM The Secret Six (1931) - A secret society funds the investigation of a bootlegging gang. Cast: Wallace Beery, Clark Gable, Jean Harlow. Dir: George Hill. BW-84 mins, TV-PG, CC
4:00 AM Saratoga (1937) - A horse breeder's daughter falls for a bookie. Cast: Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Lionel Barrymore. Dir: Jack Conway. BW-92 mins, TV-G, CC
Tuesday, March 29
8:00 PM Dinner At Eight (1933) - A high-society dinner party masks a hotbed of scandal and intrigue. Cast: Marie Dressler, John Barrymore, Jean Harlow. Dir: George Cukor. BW-111 mins, TV-PG, CC, DVS
10:00 PM The Girl From Missouri (1934) - A gold-digging chorus girl tries to keep her virtue while searching for a rich husband. Cast: Jean Harlow, Franchot Tone, Lionel Barrymore. Dir: Jack Conway. BW-72 mins, TV-PG, CC
11:30 PM Platinum Blonde (1931) - A heartless heiress seduces a hard-working reporter into a disastrous marriage. Cast: Robert Williams, Loretta Young, Jean Harlow. Dir: Frank Capra. BW-89 mins, TV-G
1:15 AM The Beast Of The City (1932) - A police captain leads the fight against a vicious gangland chief. Cast: Walter Huston, Jean Harlow, Wallace Ford. Dir: Charles Brabin. BW-86 mins, TV-14, CC
Singer-songwriter Michael Ubaldini, who was introduced here back in June, recently made an early morning (6:45 a.m.!) live television appearance on KDOC-TV's "Daybreak OC"where he rocked the studio with "Jean Harlow." Kudos, Michael! Here's the video of that performance. Enjoy!
Los Angeles based singer-songwriter Michael Ubaldini contacted me via YouTube.com this weekend, with an invitation to view the video of his song "Jean Harlow," inspired by the actress who he considers "the best."
Not only did I completely enjoy this original rockin' bluesy song, I was very curious to know how a singer described by critics as a "rebel, poet, philosopher, hopeless romantic, storyteller, guitar slingin' outlaw in black" became inspired to write as song about a girl like Jean.
Michael Ubaldini, with muse Jean Harlow nearby, at work (Photo courtesy Michael Ubaldini MySpace)
According to Michael, one day he was out and about and a thought occurred to him, that there were no classy "movie stars" anymore, like Jean Harlow, James Cagney, Clark Gable, and Carole Lombard.
"It was odd because amongst the crowd in a crowded place, I saw a girl
that looked out of place, but stood out," Michael recently explained to The Platinum Page.
"Just like the song says, she
looked like Jean Harlow. It was almost like I was seeing things, but
then I turned to look again and she was gone. It's true," he added.
"I couldn't get that picture out of my mind, so I went home and wrote it in ten minutes, the words just came," said Michael.
Being a fan of old movies, such as "Public Enemy," "Red-Headed Woman" and "Hell's Angels" helped. "I always felt that Jean was
the first cool 'Blond Bombshell' and that she deserved a cool song," he emphasized.
And now she does have one! Thanks, Michael! Experience it now....
This new video comes with very special thanks to Jean Harlow fan, Michel Portelance, who sent me the digital images of Harlean that made this video interpretation possible. The glorious colorization was created by talented, longtime Platinum Page contributor, Victor Mascaro.
The spirit of the song, "Dream in Color," performed by the remarkable Regina Belle, is as close to my heart as Harlean is.
Dream big, and dream in color. Have a great weekend, everyone! xoxo
It's coming up on June 7th again, Jean's Angel Day. 71 years now since she left this world.
I'm absolutely blown away by the quantity and quality of all the Harlow film clips and video tributes that have cropped up on You Tube in the past year. Not to mention the love that goes into everyone's work. Bravo! What a wonderful resource for fans to continue to keep her memory alive.
Having recently begun learning how to use Microsoft Movie Maker and Photo Story tools myself, I can't resist jumping on the bandwagon. What better time to premiere my Jean tribute than Memorial Day weekend?
Jennifer1003 has done it again with this fabulously fun video tribute to Jean, featuring the vocal stylings of No Doubt's Gwen Stefani, who portrayed Jean in The Aviator. Enjoy!
For your audio-visual enjoyment, a lovely tribute to Jean by Jennifer1003:
Thank you, Jennifer!
To see more Jean Harlow-related videos on YouTube.com, click here.
By Lisa Burks
Welcome to the companion blog for The Platinum Page, a non-profit fansite dedicated to keeping my favorite classic film actress Jean Harlow's memory alive.
Here you will find news items, posts based on my own research, plus links to Jean-related products and fan-networking opportunities.
