Jean Harlow’s 1931-2 Horoscope

A few weeks ago I was scrolling through eBay, as one does, and came across a delectable vintage magazine title I’d never seen before. Screen Stars’ Horoscopes, the cover read, with an even better byline—And Portraits! The year: 1931.

As a classic film fan that loves the thirties and dabbles semi-seriously with astrology, how could I resist? Sold.

Even better: among the dozens of famous faces featured in the cover’s zodiac wheel was Jean Harlow, representing Pisces.

Behind the horoscopes is a mysterious astrologer, “Wynn” (née Sydney Kimball Bennett) a cartoonist who enjoyed a brief period of success predicting the futures of movie stars. He was married to fellow noted astrologer Marion Meyer Drew, who published her predictions in the Daily News for a number of years and personally served FDR, of all people.

The magazine opens with a list of facts about the author, claiming he was a former Hollywood hopeful who sold his home to William deMille and went back East after producing three movies that were “perfect flops”. Apparently, Wynn kept a finger on the Movieland pulse by reading horoscopes.

Fittingly, the opening article is called Your Chances in Talkies, in which the author describes desired astrological placements which should bring about guaranteed screen success. Looks are of “practically no value”, claims Wynn—as long as you have Neptune at your Ascendant or Midheaven!

He goes on to lament the legions of hopefuls like himself who crash Hollywood without checking their charts for this key trait—that is, if there are no “bad configurations of planets” involving your Ascendent, Midheaven, Fifth or Twelfth Houses. If you’re unlucky enough to have both, you’ll get somewhere, but your stay before the camera will be “too brief for profit”.

Without further ado—what’s Wynn got to say about Jean Harlow, who had skyrocketed to fame just the year before?

He’s wise enough to recognize the Platinum Blonde was no fad—he opens his reading with a correct assertion.

“If you, or anyone else, thinks that Jean Harlow is just a flash in the movie pan you’d better think again. Venus at the Mid-Heaven, the Sun ruling her Second (Money) House in trine to Neptune at her Ascendant, promises her a worthy success in the movies. Her ruling planet, the Moon in Aries in the Tenth, indicates success and much popularity in the long run.

She will have to learn to control her emotions, however, or she may ruin some very excellent opportunities. Jean must be careful in her marriage selection. She has already had one taste of happiness that did not last. To achieve happiness which does last, says Wynn, she should marry an older man for love and love alone. For the next five years, however, she has a period of uncertain emotions and it would be well for her not to make any emotional decisions during this period.

Financially her life is likely to be a series of ups and downs. Her chart indicates that she will be lucky but that she is something of a spendthrift. This, of course, can be easily avoided if she will be careful. Her health, too, is likely to be hurt by over emotionalism. She must be very careful on this score. She should avoid risk of danger, temper and quarrels during the last half of June and the first half of November, 1931. Also the first ten days of March, 1932.

If you were born at the same time as Jean you might like to know that you could become successful—with the proper training, of course—as an artist or musician. This is quite apart from the acting talent which you should have if you are ambitious to become an actress. Incidentally, she is the type of person who is liable to be misunderstood except by those who know her well.”

Like the reader has probably also noticed, my interest was piqued by Wynn’s warning about Jean’s health—obviously, we know a level temper can’t replace dialysis, but it’s intriguing that he brought up emotions in regard to her health—enough to say she must be “very careful”.

As a fellow water sun/Aries moon, I can relate—though Harlow, a consummate professional, was much better at masking inner turmoil than I.

I’m of course pleased that Wynn saw past the Platinum craze of ‘31 and recognized Harlow’s talent, even if on account of arbitrary astrological placements. His conjecture that her emotional state was too volatile to marry for five years also wins approval from me—though, obviously, things didn’t unfold that way.

Further comments: Harlow’s mother and stepfather were the spendthrifts, not her. This doesn’t mean she wouldn’t have gone overboard if given access to her own funds, though—who knows! Harlow doesn’t strike me as an extravagant selfish spender—if anything, I feel like she’d blow it on others.

Also of interest is Wynn’s comment regarding the avoidance of danger, temper and quarrels through the first ten days of March 1932—funnily enough, Harlow officially signed with MGM on March 3, 1932, her twenty-first birthday.

I agree with Wynn’s closing statement—Harlow is certainly the type to be misunderstood by strangers. I feel like that was a major theme throughout her life and career—he’s not wrong.

As somebody who was tickled to find many similar placements to Harlow in my own chart, I’m thrilled to own a piece of film and astrology memorabilia that tells me about my favorite star in particular.

Speaking of which, here’s a few other famous names from the magazine. I have many thoughts… let’s know yours: