March 03
Jean Harlow's Birthday
The American Film Institute ranked Jean Harlow as one of the greatest movie stars of all time. She was discovered by the legendary Howard Hughes while re-shooting his film, Hell's Angels (1930) from silent into sound. When the original star's (Greta Nissen) accent was too strong for the talkies, Hughes needed a new star. He had a brief meeting with Harlow and hired her on the spot and signed hr to a five-year contract. Harlow quickly emerged as the sex symbol of the 1930s. The Los Angeles Times had one word for her = “Sexquisite.” She was often referred to as "Platinum Blonde" and the "Blonde Bombshell" in all the columns due to her famous platinum blonde hair. Hughes convinced the producers of the film Platinum Blonde (1931) to rename it from its original title of Gallagher in order to promote Harlow's image. MGM executive Paul Bern convinced his friend Irving Thalberg, production head of MGM, to buy Harlow's contract from Hughes for $30,000. Harlow married Bern shortly thereafter. MGM assigned Harlow movie roles to show off her beauty and her comedic talents comedy and she soon became a superstar. It was during the making of the film Red Dust that Paul Bern found shot to death in the house. Bern’s butler found his body in his wife’s all-white bedroom. He was nude, sprawled in front of a full-length mirror and drenched in Jean’s favorite perfume, creating a scandal. After it was officially ruled that his death was a suicide, Harlow survived the ordea and became more popular than ever. Her films continued to make huge profits at the box office, even during the middle of the Depression. Some credit Harlow's films with keeping MGM profitable. While filming Saratoga (1937) with Clark Gable, Harlow collapsed on set and was rushed to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with uremic poisoning and from which she died eight days later. She was buried in the negligee that she had worn just weeks before while filming a scene for Saratoga. After her death, there was a wide-spread rumor that bleach from her hair seeped into her brain and killed her.
So to celebrate Harlow's birthday, watch
Platinum Blonde and bite into some tasty Platinum Blondies. |
Platinum Blondies
1 large egg
1 TB vanilla extract
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1&1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
2 TB grated orange rind
8 ounces white chocolate, chopped, or 1&1/2 cups white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325° F.
- Lightly butter an 8-inch square baking pan with sides at least 1&1/2 inches high.
- Using an electric mixer or mixing by hand,
beat together the sugar and egg until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Add the vanilla and butter and beat to mix well. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, orange rind, baking soda, and salt and add to the butter mixture, beating until just incorporated. - Stir in the white chocolate.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pan o smooth the topwith a spatula.
- Bake the blondies for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is dry and golden and a knife inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached (not wet, but not perfectly dry).
- Remove the pan from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Cut the blondies into 2-inch squares.