The great Jean Harlow would have turned 100 today. The term "platinum blonde" was actually coined just for her. Known as "The Blonde Bombshell," she created the mold for subsequent stars, such as Betty Grable, Marilyn Monroe, Madonna and many others. Though she was, frankly, quite awful in her early films, she did her homework and became a fresh and wonderful comedienne, often starring opposite Clark Gable in several MGM classics. When she died in 1937, at the age of 26, it was the banner headline of newspapers all over the world, as she was one of Hollywood's most beloved stars (the story has persisted through the years that her mother wouldn't allow her to seek medical treatment, as she was a Christian Scientist, and Jean died of uremic poisoning--though she could have been saved by medical intervention). She's still considered one of the all-time great film stars, and with good reason: Watch her in Dinner at Eight or Blonde Bombshell and you'll see how she practically jumps off the screen. Here's a photo tribute to her:
The Hollywood costume designer who went by one name, Adrian, would be 107. One could comfortably make the argument that he was the greatest costume designer in Hollywood history. He dressed most of the major female stars of the 1930's (Jean Harlow among them) and was married to one--Janet Gaynor--for many years.
Actress Mayo Methot would be 107. One look at that hard-as-nails mug and a wise man (or woman) would know not to mess with her. She's not known for her film roles; rather, she's remembered as Mrs. Humphrey Bogart, one half of "The Battling Bogarts," as they were known. They were famous for their knockdown drunken brawls, which the Hollywood police were often invited to intercede in. Bogart and Methot were still married when he met the 19-year old Lauren Bacall on the set of To Have and Have Not. And the rest, as they say.....
Diana Barrymore would be 90. The daughter John Barrymore of American acting's "royal family," Diana, sadly, couldn't live up to the family's acting legacy and took a tragic and bumpy rough road to alcoholism, all chronicled in the nation's tabloids (her niece, Drew Barrymore, looks startlingly like her in her younger days). Her autobiography, Too Much Too Soon was made into a film in 1957. It had a happy ending of recovery and romance. Sadly, her real life did not.
Another troubled Hollywood figure, child star Bobby Driscoll, would be 74. He had a meteoric and brief career in films, and was the first "live action" Disney child star, playing the leading role in Song of the South. Puberty robbed him of his "cuteness," and he ended up penniless and drug addicted in New York's Lower East Side, where he died at the age of 31.
Alexander Graham Bell would be 164. The man invented the damned telephone! What more is there to say?
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