HOLLYWOOD March 3, 2011 -- The Hollywood Museum celebrates Jean Harlow's 100th birthday with "Harlow At 100," the world's largest exhibit of memorabilia saluting the original "Platinum Blonde" and "Blonde Bombshell" who defined glamour and sex appeal during the early days of Hollywood's Golden Age.
WHERE: The Hollywood Museum, 1660 N. Highland Avenue, Hollywood, CA 90028
WHEN: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday
EXHIBIT INFO: March 3, 2011 to Sept. 5, 2011
PRICE: $15 for adults; $12 for seniors and children under 12.
INFO: (323) 464-7776 www.thehollywoodmuseum.com
The exhibit is feted from March 3, 2011 to September 5, 2011, and coincides with the publication of a new biography by Darrell Rooney and Mark A. Vieira due out in March from Angel City Press: Harlow in Hollywood: The Blonde Bombshell in the Glamour Capital, 1928-1937. The exhibit showcases artifacts from seven private collections and includes private letters, studio contracts, photos, posters, autographs, her childhood family Bible, favorite white fox fur cape and even her luxury car — a 1932 Packard Phaeton.
Harlow was born on March 3, 1911 and died tragically of kidney disease at age 26 in 1937. During her brief career she reigned as a queen of the silver screen and has since been named one of 50 greatest stars in the history of Hollywood by Entertainment Weekly.
"The Hollywood Museum in the Historic Max Factor Building is the perfect place to salute Jean Harlow's life since it's where she often went for hair and makeup treatments from Mr. Factor," says Museum President Donelle Dadigan. "It's where she became the Blonde Bombshell."
Museum memorabilia is grouped with Harlow items from seven collections belonging to Richard Adkins, Sharon Barnes, Cliff and Joyce Gooding, Richard and Bill Lewis, Wayne D. Murray, Darrell Rooney and Jim Kaufmann.
Some items on display include:
¢ Hal Roach Studio and MGM contracts and financial documents
¢ Letters to Motion Picture Magazine, MGM story editor Sam Marx, schoolmate friend Helen Fieger, and a 1936 birthday card to William Randolph Hearst signed by cinema luminaries such as Harlow and William Powell
¢ Posters and advertisements from Hell's Angels, Dinner at Eight, Personal Property
¢ Rare photos (many signed) and newspaper reports of Harlow's life from childhood days to super- stardom in Hollywood and her death and funeral
¢ The 1932 mural painted by noted artist V. Ignatieff that hung in the home shared by Jean Harlow and her second husband Paul Bern.
¢ Jean Harlow's 1932 Packard Phaeton
ABOUT THE HOLLYWOOD MUSEUM
The Hollywood Museum ( www.thehollywoodmuseum.com ), the official museum of Hollywood, located in the historic Max Factor Building on the corner of Hollywood & Highland, has the most extensive collection of Hollywood Memorabilia in the World. The museum features 35,000 square feet, 4 floors of breathtaking exhibits and the home of more than 10,000 authentic Showbiz Treasures: Costumes from 'Twilight: New Moon,' 'Star Trek,' 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,' 'High School Musical 2, " 'Dancing with the Stars,' 'Glee,' 'How I Met Your Mother' and more. See 10,000 real showbiz treasures, one of a kind costumes, props, photographs, scripts and vintage collectibles from your favorite movies and TV shows. The Hollywood Museum is housed in the world famous historic Max Factor Building, where Max Factor, the legend of movie make-up worked his magic on motion picture stars since 1935.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Harlow in Hollywood: The Blonde Bombshell in the Glamour Capital, 1928 to 1937 is the story of a twentieth-century icon and the places where she lived, worked, and played, from her white-on-white Beverly Glen mansion to the Art Deco sets of Dinner at Eight to the elegant foyer of the Café Trocadero. Harlow in Hollywood is written by animation director Darrell Rooney and photographer Mark A. Vieira. It is published by Angel City Press, known for its award-winning books that showcase the social and cultural history of Southern California.
The lavish Harlow in Hollywood explains the unique relationship between the star and her environment. Using previously unpublished Harlow correspondence and never before seen images of Harlow and her Hollywood in its heyday, the authors present a new perspective on Harlow and how Hollywood shaped a cultural icon.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Darrell Rooney is an artist, screenwriter, and the director of animated feature films such as Lion King 2 and Lady and the Tramp 2. He was born in Canada where his interest in Hollywood history began. He maintains a private archive of Jean Harlow photographs, documents, and ephemera. This is his first book.
Mark A. Vieira is a writer, filmmaker, and photographer. His books include Hurrell's Hollywood Portraits and Irving Thalberg.
