It never ceases to amaze me how Harlow's looks changed over the course of her career. The first picture I have posted is from 1931, and the second is from 1936. Just five years difference, but what a transformation.
She was the "platinum blonde" that Howard Hughes publicized in the early-'30s, wasted and underused in a string of lackluster films outside of her star-making turn in HELL'S ANGELS (1930). She had a few outliers where she gave good performances, such as PLATINUM BLONDE (1931), but as a rule her career was underutilized during this time. Hughes made thousands while Harlow made her weekly by-the-contract salary.
When MGM decided to buy out Harlow's contract with Hughes in 1932, studio head L.B. Mayer insisted that her "floozy" image be cleaned up to make her more suitable to be on their roster. She played a sassed up version of the vamp in RED-HEADED WOMAN (1932) and HOLD YOUR MAN (1933), while her movies RED DUST (1932) and DINNER AT EIGHT (1933) at her Pre-Code finest.
Harlow (along with contemporaries Mae West and Marlene Dietrich) were fundamental in the enforcement of the Production Code. Harlow's Post-Code image had to be cleaned up even more to meet the guidelines set by the censors. Films like CHINA SEAS (1935) show a more watered down version of her Pre-Code sass, while movies such as RECKLESS (1935) tried their best to paint Harlow as a traditional romantic lead. By 1936, studio heads decided that more drastic measures were needed. Harlow's well-known platinum halo was dyed to a darker brownish blonde the publicity department called "brownette" in advertisements. Her later films like WIFE VS. SECRETARY (1936) and PERSONAL PROPERTY (1937) promoted her "nicer" personality to the public.
Jean Harlow's career is really the perfect example of someone coming full circle.
