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UCLA Film & Television Archive and the Hugh M. Hefner Classic American Film Program present

Harlow Before the Code

Platinum Blonde (1931)
August 5, 2011 -
August 27, 2011
In-person: 
Authors Darrell Rooney and Mark A. Vieira, "Harlow in Hollywood: The Blonde Bombshell in the Glamour Capital, 1928-1937" (8/6).

Unabashedly sexual, Jean Harlow’s blonde tresses and scandalous décolletage became the signifiers of a new morality, far from the church pews of Kansas City where she was born. Harlow came to Hollywood in 1928 and, several nude photo shoots and casting couches later, got her big break with Howard Hughes in Hell’s Angels (1931). Her pairing with Clark Gable in Red Dust (1932) made her a superstar and kept MGM out of bankruptcy. While Harlow defined “the blonde bombshell,” she was also a gifted comedian, popular with male and female audiences. Never in good health, Harlow died in June 1937 of kidney failure, a mere 26 years old, a Hollywood icon forever after. This series presents a selection of Harlow’s pre-Code films in celebration of her centennial.

Past Programs & Events

Title Date and Time Location
Three Wise Girls (1932)

Three Wise Girls (1932)

Saturday, August 27, 2011 - 7:30 pm Billy Wilder Theater
Goldie (1931)

Goldie (1931)
Bombshell (1933)

Friday, August 26, 2011 - 7:30 pm Billy Wilder Theater
Red Dust (1932)

Iron Man (1931)
Red Dust (1932)

Sunday, August 14, 2011 - 7:00 pm Billy Wilder Theater
Platinum Blonde (1931)

Platinum Blonde (1931)

Monday, August 8, 2011 - 7:30 pm Billy Wilder Theater
Hold Your Man (1933)

Hold Your Man (1933)
Red-Headed Woman (1932)

Saturday, August 6, 2011 - 7:30 pm Billy Wilder Theater
Hell's Angels (1930)

Hell's Angels (1930)

Friday, August 5, 2011 - 7:30 pm Billy Wilder Theater