INTERVIEW WITH DAVID STENN
PART V: HARLOW ARTIFACTS
LET’S TALK ABOUT THOSE ELUSIVE HARLOW ARTIFACTS. WHAT
EVER HAPPENED TO THE GIGANTIC STAR SAPPHIRE RING FROM WILLIAM POWELL?
I’m glad you ask. First of all -- and this is key to the mystery -- that
star sapphire was not gem quality. William Powell was known to be very tightfisted
with money, and despite its size, the ring he gave Jean Harlow wasn't expensive.
You look at it and think, "Wow, what a rock," but the truth is, a star sapphire
that isn't gem quality is like one Air Jordan shoe -- there's nothing unique
about it. So you're never going to find that ring, because there's no way to
identify it. It'd be like looking for a single Air Jordan shoe. How would you
find it, and if you did, how would you know it was THE one?
I interviewed John Gershgorn, who was Jean Harlow’s jeweler.
When she showed him the ring, he examined it and thought, "This is
nothing." He sold gem quality star sapphires to actresses like Joan
Crawford -- and he told me this was a ring he wouldn't have sold, size
or not.
As for what happened to it: your guess is as good as mine. I scoured
all of Jean Harlow's probate records, and it's not even listed in the
contents, even though other valuable pieces of jewelry are. My theory
is that Mother Jean either sold it secretly before the will was probated,
or gave it back to William Powell because, as you recall from "Bombshell," Mother
Jean stuck him with the bill for her Baby's crypt -- and $25,000 was
a fortune in those days. So she may have given him the ring to sell
as partial payment towards the crypt.
IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THERE WOULD BE MORE THAN ONE LIKE IT
-- DO YOU THINK A RING LIKE THAT WOULD BE MASS PRODUCED?
That's my point. If it was a gem quality star sapphire, it'd be in the Smithsonian
by now. Since it isn't, there'd be many -- not hundreds, maybe not even a dozen
-- but enough so you'd never know for sure which one was worn by Jean Harlow.
Hence the Air Jordan analogy. They all look alike.
WHAT ABOUT THE LIFE-SIZE OIL PAINTING? THAT'S A LITTLE MORE IDENTIFIABLE.
I traced that painting to 1968 -- and believe me, it wasn't easy... At that
point it just vanished. I looked through everybody's probate records who
owned it, but it's not listed anywhere. I even tracked down Tino Costa's
widow (he painted the portrait) but she had no idea. I have a feeling it
got left in storage. Because it was big; it wasn't something you could cart
around. So either it's still sitting there, or someone has it and doesn't
know what it is. Because if they did, chance are we would've hear about it
by now.
A PHOTO OF THE PORTRAIT HAS BEEN ADDED TO "THE PLATINUM PAGE" IN
HOPES OF SOMEONE RECOGNIZING IT.
Thanks. I did the same thing in "Bombshell," but so far, no luck.
THAT WOULD BE A GREAT FIND!
If it's still around. Something so big doesn't go unnoticed, so you wonder.
Accidents happen, things get damaged... Like her diary, which was lost in
a flood in Don Roberson's basement in the '60s along with the famous polar
bear rug. But I don't mean to whet people's appetites. I’m sure it
didn't say "Dear diary, today I found my husband dead." I'd wager it was
more creative and abstract.
SINCE SHE LIKED TO DABBLE IN WRITING, IT COULD HAVE CONTAINED ANYTHING.
Exactly.
DID YOU READ HER NOVEL "TODAY IS TONIGHT?
Of course.
ANY THOUGHTS?
There's not much to discuss. She obviously had an idea that was gimmicky --
a woman turns day into night for the love of her husband -- and she got someone
to write it for her. What's interesting about it is its heroine, who's a
far cry from the kind of roles Jean Harlow played. At the time "Today Is
Tonight" was written, she was on strike from MGM, where she'd just done Bombshell,
which is about a star who's frustrated and dissatisfied with her career. "Today
Is Tonight" seems like her way of saying to the studio, "This is the kind
of character I can relate to. This is a woman I want to portray." To me,
that's the only interesting aspect of "Today Is Tonight." During her lifetime
it wasn't even published. Then "Harlow" came out, and someone decided to
cash in on it.
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE JEAN HARLOW FILM?
Absolutely. Bombshell. It was her favorite, too -- but it was my favorite
even before I knew that. [LAUGHS] It's brilliant satire, and I don’t
think Jean Harlow's ever been better -- and that's saying a lot, because she's
great in so many movies. I think the writing is genius; [screenwriter] John
Lee Mahin's another unsung hero of mine. I mean, there's more great lines in
that film -- Lee Tracy telling Harlow, "I don’t care if he has a royal
flush in his kidneys!" or her tirade in front of her family...it's an inspired
performance because she manages to make the character funny and vulnerable
and sexy all at the same time. I showed Bombshell to the cast of 90210 and
they were floored; they couldn't believe this girl was their age (22) when
she made that film. They kept saying "How does she say all those words?" The
sheer breath control... And as anyone who watches t.v. knows, today's actors
take a looong tiiime saaaying their liiines because they think it will get
them more screen time, and make what they're saying sound more important. I
can watch Bombshell over and over. In Dinner at Eight, only her
scenes really stand out to me. Red Dust is hotter, but Bombshell's
my baby.
And the conversation continues...
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© Lisa Burks - March 30, 1997
