Harlow in Rochester, 88 Years Ago

Jean Harlow’s tumultuous personal appearance tour would last from December 1931 to April 1932, when she finally returned to Los Angeles to claim an MGM contract.

In just about four and a half months, Jean visited Loew’s theaters all over the central and eastern United States, promoting her recent string of loan outs. Focus was on The Beast of the City, which critics recognized as her best work to date. Rumors also flew about her involvement with the production of Red Headed Woman; her official screen test for the role of ‘Lil’ would be made only days after this interview, March 9, in New York. As you can see, Jean drops hints for reporters.

In late February and early March, Jean bounced around Dayton and Columbus, Ohio. Just days later her personal appearance tour moved to Baltimore, and by March 4, she arrived in Rochester, New York. Quite a lot of travel, not a lot of rest! I at least hope her twenty first birthday was enjoyable.

On March 5, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle published a great little article on the platinum blonde’s arrival; at this point, fans followed her so closely she required protection in the form of two police officers. Yeesh. Also included is a great, incredibly rare portrait of Jean applying her powder in a handheld mirror. Funnily enough, the newspaper print causes her to look dark-haired. Here’s the portrait and accompanying article:

‘Force’ Envies Assignment of Two Husky Mates with Jean Harlow

Platinum Blond of Screen Fame, at Rochester, Tired Of ‘Bad’ Parts, Wants Something Different — Always Wanted Red Hair, She Says

Jean Harlow, the lady of enchanting beauty and much publicized platinum blond hair, is appearing at Loew’s Rochester Theater this week, and there are two members of the Rochester police force who will not be changing places with lesser mortals.
Officers Raymond Hirschman and Victor Dombroski are Miss Harlow’s official escort during her stay in town and whenever she has a hankering to go to from the theater to the hotel or around the corner for an ice cream soda they just clear the way. Miss Harlow, they aver, is a young woman for whom it’s a pleasure to clear the way.

Wants Good Plot

She is even more glamorous in person than on the screen, with that lustrous pale hair and wide-set eyes. She’s direct and gracious and rather quiet, with a sense of fun that in a woman approximates with a sense of humor.
Miss Harlow likes these personal appearances, but she does not speak of her “dear public.” Frankly she’s tired of playing ‘bad women’ and she’s weary of poor stories.
“I don’t know just what kind of roles I’m going to do, but I’m through with the ‘bad woman’ type,” she explained, “It would be interesting to work in a picture that had a good plot. There’s been some talk of my doing “The Red Headed Woman”, the Katharine Brush novel, you know. I’d like it tremendously, because that woman has always interested me and because Anita Loos is making the film story. The characterization needs the kind of humor Miss Loos can give, I think.”
About the “red-headed” part, Miss Harlow has no doubts. She’d wear a red wig, of course, and she’d enjoy wearing a red wig because she has always wanted red hair. Well, that’s what she said anyway — running her fingers through that silky crest of hers.
“Why not change the name and keep your hair?” the reporters queried.
“But the title is perfect. It’s a hit,” murmured Miss Harlow, adjusting a pert green hat over the right eye and pinning a brilliant clasp in its proper place.
She arose, and the two traffic officers pulled in their belts and went out to do their pleasant duty of opening the door for her.

And that’s where it ends. What a funny little insight into Jean’s tour; she clearly wasn’t too fond of these (uncredited) reporters, and I wouldn’t be either, with that last question.

Harlow’s run at the Rochester Loew’s, which ran concurrent with their screening of The Beast of the City, lasted until the eleventh. In the meanwhile, Jean’s image continued to appear in the Democrat and Chronicle:

All this seems befitting to the “avalanche of publicity” Jean bemoaned the previous year. It must have been a real relief to finally go home, over a month later, and start a new career phase. In 1934, Jean revealed she had been suffering from the aftereffects of burnt corneas during this time –a consequence of blazing Klieg lights on the set of Hell’s Angels. Instead of resting, she braved numerous personal appearance tours and more half-baked film roles. She wouldn’t receive the news that she’d passed the window for serious eye damage until that very year –1934. The girl could never catch a break!