Born on this day: George Cukor (July 7, 1899 — January 24, 1983), a venerable contributor to the world of the Woman’s Picture who helped Jean Harlow breathe life into Kitty Packard, her iconic role in his Dinner at Eight (1933).
Shown here on the set together in two photos; one posing with Harlow on the leaning board, the second with two Edmunds, visiting director Edmund Goulding and cast member Edmund Lowe.
Cukor was influential in the fine-tuning of Harlow’s ability, and she further blossomed as a comedienne under his famously attentive tutelage. This was a welcome change from being neglected by director after director, and having her performances critically panned a result. Red-Headed Woman marked the beginning of her redemption arc, so to speak; Dinner at Eight not only furthered it, it solidified her place as a comic in pop culture forever.
Cukor on Harlow from the George Cukor Oral History, as published in this passage from David Stenn’s Bombshell:
“Cukor gave her a lot of aid,” says assistant director Joseph Newman. “He gave her an understanding of the role, which was the exact opposite of her personality.” Cukor himself declined all credit.
“When I first saw her in Hell’s Angels, she was so bad she was comic,” he recalled. “People laughed at her; she got big laughs where she didn’t want them. Then she did Red-Headed Woman and Red Dust and was marvelous. She was unique among actresses, she had that rare quality of speaking lines as though she didn’t quite understand them.” On Dinner at Eight, Cukor realized that Harlow “knew exactly what she was doing” and let her do it. “I don’t think you can teach people how to be funny,” he explained.”
“You can make suggestions about how to speak a line or get a laugh, but it has to be in them.” Harlow, concluded Cukor, “played comedy as naturally as a hen lays an egg.”
Harlow Heaven 