PLATINUM BLONDE (Capra, 1931)

“A sparkling gem in a smart platinum setting!”

Sound film — 89 mins.
Columbia Pictures Corp. / Dir. Frank Capra

Production: August 3, 1931 — August 28, 1931 (per AFI–David Stenn’s Bombshell cites production as ending in September)
Release date: October 31, 1931
Release status: Available to watch for free online and on DVD.

Cast: Loretta Young (Gallagher), Robert Williams (Stew Smith), Jean Harlow (Ann Schuyler), Halliwell Hobbes [Smythe the Butler], Louise Closser Hale (Mrs. Schuyler), Reginald Owen (Dexter Grayson), Walter Catlett (Bingy Baker)

Summary: Stew, a reporter (Robert Williams) ignores his sob sister admirer, Gallagher (Loretta Young), in favor of a stuck-up society gal with an interesting head of hair named Ann Schuyler (Jean Harlow) he met while covering her brother’s breach of promise suit. However, after a whirlwind elopement, Stew soon finds out he’s in for much more than he thought by marrying into the Schuyler family.

Trivia:

The term ‘platinum blonde’ quite literally comes straight from the publicity campaign for this film, and was coined by Howard Hughes’ Caddo Company employee Lincoln Quarberg to drive sales around Harlow’s novel shade of hair. The film was originally named for Loretta Young’s character, Gallagher, who still retained top billing over Harlow in publicity and ad art, but was changed at the last minute to capitalize on the recent Harlow rage. The tag would define Harlow’s career and follow her for the rest of it and beyond, to her annoyance. “If it hadn’t been for the color of my hair, Hollywood wouldn’t know I was alive.”
In conjunction with the film, Caddo offered a $10,000 reward (just over $200k in 2026) to any beautician that could match the shade of Harlow’s hair; there were no wins, but plenty of hair loss.
Harlow, still under contract to Howard Hughes, came to Columbia in the fall of 1931 for a two-picture contract: there, she made Platinum Blonde and Three Wise Girls. Harlow’s gangster beau Longie Zwillman helped her secure the deal. (More on that here).
Tragic leading man Robert Williams died of peritonitis three days after the premiere of Platinum Blonde, in which he had his only leading role.
Platinum Blonde was pushed ahead of the production of Capra’s Forbidden with Barbara Stanwyck due to the star’s contract dispute with Columbia delaying the film.
Director Frank Capra was taken aback by Harlow’s sheer inexperience (and the fifteen straight takes it took her to say ‘library’ instead of ‘library’), but lauded the young actress for her perseverance and drive to learn: “I remember telling her to go home when her scenes were finished, she’d always stick around the set, watch the others, trying to learn how to become an actress.”
Costar Loretta Young noted she did not resent Harlow for stealing top billing and that she liked her. She commented on the actress’ sheer sex appeal to Edward J. Funk: “She was kind of overpowering, overwhelmingly sexy. She undulated onto the set. She didn’t even walk. And she didn’t even know she was doing it. I think that’s just the way her body moved. […] She was not in any way, shape, or form, anything like the books that are written about her. I never saw any of that, but of course, I didn’t take her out at night, either. But I saw her at enough parties, and I watched her behave, and she behaved just like the rest of us did. She looked, however, so voluptuous and ripe and ready to pluck that, she walked on the set and all the guys would go “UHHHHHHHHHH” when she walked by. Bob Riskin and Frank Capra would sit there and rewrite scenes for her just because she was so ……… she was really the first “Sex Goddess” that I’m conscious of.”