Jean Harlow, thee original blond bombshell, died at the height of her career in 1937 at the age of 26. Her short career was plagued with scandal and personal pain. She made less than twenty films, six of them were with one of her favorite leading In addition to their obvious sexual chemistry, the two also worked well comedically which gave MGM more opportunities to pair them. Harlow wasn't afraid to play a variety of roles, even if it meant taking a back seat to Myrna Loy in "Wife vs. Secretary" or Rosiland Russell in" China Seas" . As a result, it gave the respective films more "star power".
men-Clark Gable. They were first paired in 1931's "The Secret Six", but it was 1932's blockbuster hit "Red Dust" that made the duo box office dynamite. Both Gable and Harlow had tremendous sex appeal that, when put together, exploded on screen. MGM quickly paired the two again in 1933's comedy/drama "Hold Your Man" . In this film, Harlow was given the opportunity to flex her acting ability and proved to be a first rate actress while still going toe to toe with Gable.
Tragically, it was during the filming of "Saratoga" in 1937 that Jean Harlow Although it has never been confirmed, there has been wide speculation that Gable and Harlow were romantically linked
suddenly fell ill and died ten days later. Clark was devastated by her death. The film was completed using a stand-in and creative camera angles. Needless to say, it was a box-office flop.
during their short time together. No big surprise knowing Gable's reputation for romancing his leading ladies! They did, however, have "lingering" love scenes that lasted long after the director yelled cut! Their relationship was playful but respectful. Who knows how many more wonderful films the two would have spun out had Jean not died so young. She was a trailblazer, just as Clark was, who paved the way for women in film.