August 11, 1933: Jean Harlow models a phenomenal gold lamé costume in publicity for Bombshell (1933), crafted by Adrian for Lola Burns, the flighty, exuberant heroine of the same movie.
The high in Los Angeles on this day was an apparent 92 degrees, which renders Harlow (and everyone else at the studio that day) a trooper for suffering long sleeves and hot lights. Also worn here by Harlow is a “bob bandeau”, a short-lived hair fad from ninety years ago that is, essentially, a backwards headband. It appears in the film and was also worn in a glamour portrait of fellow blonde comedian Carole Lombard. In the news in 1933:
“The ‘bob bandeau’ introduced by Jean Harlow in ‘Bombshell’ is predicted as setting a new vogue for hair ornamentation. It is a narrow jeweled band, posed above the curls at the back of the head, and ends in tiny jeweled stars over the ears.”
Bombshell, a thinly veiled roman à clef of Clara Bow’s frenetic surroundings that also painted a picture of Harlow’s own life, is also one of my top favorite Harlow films. It should really be one of everyone’s top Harlow films; those unlucky enough to have not seen it are missing out on some impeccable screwball, though it’s definitely funner for the screwball veteran. Its appeal can be succinctly explained by one of my favorite period reviews for the New York Herald Tribune, by fellow forerunning Harlow fan Richard Watts, Jr.:
“For those of us who are enthusiasts for the increasing talents of the distinguished Miss Harlow, Bombshell is chiefly important for the fact that it provides the first full-length portrait of this amazing young woman’s increasingly impressive acting talent. As a new bewildered, hectically-living film star, who combines a love of exhibitionism with a certain wistful desire for home and babies—a part which might easily have been transformed into an orgy of embarrassing sentimentality—Miss Harlow reveals again that gift for an amalgamation of of sophisticated sex comedy with curious honest innocence which is the secret of her individuality. There can be no doubt now that she is a distinguished performer. Bombshell is important as another step in Miss Harlow’s brilliant career.”
Harlow Heaven 