The Washington times., 1937-06-14

career of Jean HGrloU, film
donI's platinum blonde. The
series tDGS Dritten By AdelG
Rogers st. Johns, famous rovel-
tSt and netDSpGpeTtDonlGr
BY ADELA ROGERS ST. JOHNS
AS I write of Jean Harlow to-
day, 1t has suddenly come over me
that I shall not see her again.
That, somehow, seems to me i'm
possible. For there has never been
a time when I went back to Holly
wood, as I 60 several times year,
when I didn't see Jean. Maybe
only for a moment, maybe for one
of our long talks that were al
ways a joy to me, maybe even for
a real visit.
But when 7 go home again, she
won't be there and I cannot think
of it without feeling cold and
rather lonely inside.
don't know whether you feel
as do, but it is a great JOY to
have thoughtful friends.
Her ThOughtfulness Noted
It was Jean Harlow's philosophy
of life to do things for her friends
day by day. Perhaps she realized
that her time among US wasn't
to be as long as we expected.
But it is truth that I must
set down here that she did SO
many little, thoughtful, kindly
things every day. She wrote
Christmas notes with her own
hand-and in personal words. She
never forgot birthday.
I never left Hollywood that
there wasn't some gay little part
ing gift-never returned that 1
didn't find a telegram OF welcome.
Small things, Of course.
Not perhaps to be taken into
consideration in the final analysis
of q character. Yet how much
happier life would be for all Of us
if we did all those little things.
And I believe that thoughtfulneSS
like that is part of character, and
hat it is lovely thing.
New Place Vacant
We shan't any of us see Jean
Harlow again. Her place upon the
screen is vacant-and no one will
ever fill it. For she had that in
definable quality which makes for
screen greatness and WITHOUT
which no amount OF ability or
beauty registers.
Now that she is gone, We may
understand and judge her more
sairly than we did when she was
here-for it wasn't in the cards
ever to separate her screen per
sonality and the real woman
Jean knew that and expected 1t.
But is was an unhappiness for her
and part of the price she paid
FOR that screen fame which she
owed so well.
Next to her mother, the most
important person who ever came
nto Jean Harlow's life was Paul
yern, the man she married and
-ho killed himself two months
fterward.
A Strange Character
Even now, even when time has
ciyen me a perspective Of him, I
lind it difficult to understand and
estimate Paul Bern. For he was
a strange and complex character,
and his death and the manner OF
it, contradicted everything that
his life had been.
Once, years age, I crossed the
continent with Paul. 1t was
long journey and there happened
to be no one else on the train that
either of us knew. So we spent
much time and many hours in
talk, as two people will on a train,
and I came to know something OF
his background and of the deep
hurts of a poverty-Stricken and
lonely childhood which had made
him so sympathetic to struggling
human beings.
He was born with q love OF
beauty-and with little else. He
knew cold and actual hunger and
hardship all the early years OF his
life. But that hunger for beauty
drove him on until he became one
of the great powers of the motion
picture industry and one of the
most cultured men ever knew.
ConfessOr to Hollywood
They called him the father con-
fessor of Hollywood-and so he
was. In time of trouble, he was
always there. When anyone was
lin bad" he could always count on
Paul Bern.
Yeti do not know If I can
make you understand this-there
always seemed to me to be some
thing a little morbid in his char
ity. He did for everyone-but it
was as though he dramatized it all
to himself.
He seemed instinctively to seek
sorrow and pain, rather than joy
and happiness. I am taking
nothing from all he did when I
say that his natural atmosphere
seemed one of tragedy-he seemed
more at home in it.
He had greatly loved Barbara