Jean Harlow Centennial Celebration at AFI Silver in Silver Spring


The 100th anniversary of Jean Harlow's birth is March 3, 2011.

To celebrate, the AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring, Maryland is having a Jean Harlow Centennial Celebration.

Sadly, according to the website, that celebration so far only consists of two Jean Harlow films: 1931's Platinum Blonde and 1936's Libeled Lady.

Frankly, Platinum Blonde (1931) is a disappointment. I realize that Jean was labeled the "The Platinum Blonde", but the film is not a masterpiece.

It is a Frank Capra flick but it's before his obvious string of hits.

And the Jean Harlow in the film is not the same Jean Harlow that you can see in other stuff like 1933's Bombshell, which I viewed at the AFI back in December.

I remember that when I finally saw Platinum Blonde (1931) on cable in the early 1990s I was almost bored with Jean despite her obvious sex appeal in the flick.

On the other hand, Libeled Lady (1936) is a lively comedy with a great cast.

Just seeing Spencer Tracy, William Powell, Myrna Loy, and Jean Harlow together on the big screen should be a treat for this fan.