Sorry for that title, I really am.
Anyway, perusing Newspapers this morning I did a random search for Jean and found something totally new to me in every way.
Mr. Hauser was described as a revered “physiological chemist”, but he was really more of a food faddist when we look back at his work. Considering many of the terms used in this article don’t hold up eighty years on, I’m safe in debunking all of this as pseudoscience. I’m sure even Jean took this man’s advice with a colossal grain of salt.
Here’s the original article from The Los Angeles Evening Express, March 5, 1931. I’ve attached the original article and transcribed it as well, for ease of reading.
“Jean Harlow, cinema player, is misnamed a “Platinum Blonde”, as she is chemically of the sulphur type, says Benjamin Gayelord Hauser, Viennese physiological chemist, exponent of human chemicanalysis [sic]. He is advising Miss Harlow to eat carrots and celery, rich in the chemicals that will preserve her beauty.”
Hollywood may call Jean Harlow a “platinum blond”, but she is really of the “sulphur” type. Such is the opinion of Benjamin Gayelord Hauser, noted Viennese physiological chemist, who has just arrived here for a brief visit. Hauser explained that under his system of chemicanalysis, which classifies humans in terms of the 17 chemical constituents of the body, Miss Harlow falls among the sulphurs.
Sulphur is the element of the human composition which promotes splendor of complexion and hair, and Miss Harlow’s radiance is due to this chemical, although the film star’s associates may describe her beauty as “platinum”, Hauser declared.
Other representatives of the “sulphur” type, he said, are Elsie Ferguson, Ramon Navarro, Janet Gaynor and Mary Astor. The people of the “sulphur” classification he described as exclusive, cultured, artistic and beautiful.
Hauser told Miss Harlow she should eat lots of carrots, turnips, cabbage and allied vegetables, since they are rich in the sulphur she needs to preserve her beauty.”
Of all the pictures I’ve seen of Jean, I think this one of her awkwardly posing with a bunch of turnips is one of my new favorites.
I know that was a lot to take in. Take a moment to digest all the hoopla you just read. Breathe… exhale.
So what happened to Benjamin Gayelord Hauser, anyway? Well, he enjoyed a brief period of fame before science crashed down on him. Paulette Goddard, Gloria Swanson and Marlene Dietrich all sought him out for advice. He was a lifelong friend of Greta Garbo, and they’re together in a handful of candids.
A quick search for him reveals he maintained his popularity throughout the fifties with numerous television and radio specials. He also had a “Diet Digest”. Is anyone else thinking of Doctor Oz?
By the sixties, Hauser’s fanbase had largely fallen apart, due to being an obvious quack. He passed away in Hollywood, 1984.
On a closing note, I’m glad “sulfur blonde” and related “sulfur” ideas didn’t stick. Honestly, not the best naturally occurring element to be named after…Platinum doesn’t smell of rotten eggs.
Harlow Heaven 