Evening star., 1937-06-08

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1t was confirmed, its unbelievability
& persona. sense of loss People in
show business here knew Jean not
merely as two -dimensional image on
the screen, but as person. She had
been here twice. She was friendly
Every one wanted to meet her, met
her, and liked her
They did not think of her death in
terms of irreparable box office loss.
Nor as a mortal wound from the ar
tistic standpoint. No, it was quite a
personal thing, One couldn't help
thinking Of it that way Which un-
doubtedly is precisely the way Jean
Harlow took things like that. Close
up. she gave one first and last the
impression Of being a human being
VINO tried to deceive no one, was by
no one deceived She was warm and
womanly, and if not the wisest men,
Der of her sex, she knew the part she
was playing in life. And she i'm
pressed you with that knowledge in
short order. She wouldn't fool you,
and you couldn't fool her And Wash
ingtonians who knew her liked her
for that. They couldn't help it if they
tried.
Jean HarloW's artistic worth to the
movies depends upon what one means
by artistic merit. w. S. Van Dyke,
one OF M-G-M's greatest directors, has
defined screen acting necessities as an
arresting personality, plus a photo
graphable face. Jean met both those
requirements superbly. She was one
of the most arresting personalities
Hollywood uncovered in the period of
Its greatest development. It was
within her power to arrest fans of all
ages, all classes. The Harlow audience
knew no boundaries. Neither in
Washington, nor elsewhere. Glamor
works like that, and Jean was glamour
In the most complete Hollywood sense
Of the word.
X X X *
4 REFLECTION Of the wisdom of
Jean Harlow is to be found in a
review of her pictures. Had she de-
ceived herself, had she been inspired
to regard herself as the great ar
tiste," she might have blown Holly
wood to bits in an explosion of
temperament over some Of her assign
ments. Like her frocks, they were
tailored to reveal Jean Harlow; never
to explore the enigmas Of the uni
verse. Miss Harlow never had to
build character in her plays. She
simply moved unprotestingly into the
part built specifically for her. She
was that kind of motion picture
actress. and of the kind, she was one
of the best.
The high light in her career from
an artistic standpoint, as this depart
ment remembers it. was her perform
ance in Dinner at Eight There she
met up with such artistic talents as
those of Marie Dressler, the Barry
mores, John and Lionel, Madge
Evans and others. Did their per-
formances shade that of Miss Har-
low? They did not If any one
stole that all-star show, it was plati-
mum Jean. Artstically, it was her
big chance. She made the most of it.
There will be other glamour girls.
There are other glamour girls. But
the number one spot in the glamour
business is open today. Harlow is
dead!
THE movies have a new dignity to-
day. Maybe you've seen it. It
Is a new magazine. Cinema Arts, a
sort OF combined Fortune and Stage,
winch is one Of the first periodicals
to recognize that there might be a
motion picture reading public not
necessarily interested in Who-was-
seen with whom where last night It
Is first a handsome thing. pictorially
and geographically; as handsome as
anything you will see on anv news
stand. Between the covers there is
quality of text that should be lust
the thing for which you've been look
Ing II the average fan magazine gets
none OF your money or attention,
benjamin De Cassere, Richard Watts,
Irene Kuhn, Jim Tully, Homer Croy,
Norman Anthony and Reuben Mann
oulian made the first months issue
And Charley Washburn was there, too
WIN a tWo-page spread. Get the
Idea? Glass; And high!
X X
VARIETY CLUB went solemnlv
about the business yesterday of
electlng three new members of the
Board OF Governors. When all the
votes were in, Hardie Meakin, Harry
Lohmeyer and Archie ingalls, were the
ne" hgner-ups 1t was the last
luncheon Of the season A. Julian
brylaWskl and Hardie Meakin were
kings for the day :. While Raw Bell
Sam Galanty and Charley Kranz were
counting ballots, Carter Barron. chief
barker, was explaining as how the club