They say Jean Harlow's second husband killed himself

They say Jean Harlow’s second husband killed himself after just two months of marriage.

I took a closer look at this and I’m not so sure the official story stands up.

I’d love to know your thoughts and whether or not there is more to this story.

Jean Harlow is a fascinating and enduring sex symbol and actress from the 1930s.

She was known for her feistiness and obvious sensual connection with her co-stars.

Harlow was, in many ways, the Marilyn Monroe of her day – except with a lot more edginess.

She died of kidney failure which was a complication of other health issues she’d been dealing with for a number of years. She was just 26 years old.

In this article we are going take a brief look at Harlow’s three marriages which an emphasis on Paul Bern.

In my opinion, I think there might be something else going on here.

This was the 1930s. The Great Depression. Prohibition. Mob gang rules in cities like NYC and LA. It was a dangerous time for many reasons.

So let’s look at some facts about Jean Harlow and her marriages…

Harlow’s first marriage was to Charles McGrew (m.1927– d.1929)

At age 16, Harlow eloped with a wealthy young heir. The marriage quickly deteriorated due to their differing lifestyles. Harlow was a budding young starlet and not interested in staying and being a housewife – even to a wealthy young man.

Harlow and firs husband Chuck McGrew below…

The second marriage was to MGM executive and screenwriter, Paul Bern (m. July 1932 – d. September 1932)

First, let’s get a little background on the marriage between Bern and Harlow.

Jean Harlow told the press on June 26, 1932 that she was marrying Bern because he was a “fine gentleman,” and that she’d known him for several years. He’d proposed to her after a long drive together just one week earlier.
Bern was known in Hollywood as the “Father Confessor.” Someone who quietly loved and supported up-and-coming actresses for years without ever committing to marriage before Harlow. This seems to be evidence of his real love for her.

One account (secondhand, from a contemporary) claims Harlow was famously indifferent to sex — “the absolute epitome of frigid” — and that this was part of why she married Bern. Apparently, Bern struggled with impotence so wasn’t pressuring her sexually.

*(An interesting side note – it was said Marilyn Monroe was not particularly interested in sex either, as it was ‘not that important to her.’)*

Harlow and Bern on their wedding day, below…

The Death of Paul Bern

Bern was found dead of a gunshot wound two months after his marriage to Jean Harlow on the morning of September 5, 1932 (Labor Day), in the couple’s home at 9820 Easton Drive in Beverly Hills, California.

His butler, John Carmichael, discovered the body around 11:30–11:45 a.m. Bern was lying nude (unclothed) on the floor in a dressing closet/alcove or dressing room off his private/upstairs bedroom, in a pool of blood.

He had a gunshot wound to the head (right temple; described as a close-contact wound consistent with suicide). A .38-caliber revolver (from which one shot had been fired) was found by his side or clutched in/near his right hand; some accounts mention a second unfired gun nearby. The suicide note was found at the scene (on a table or in a guest book).

The suicide note read:

“Dearest Dear: Unfortunately this is the only way to make good the frightful wrong I have done you and to wipe out my abject humiliation. You understand that last night was only a comedy. – PAUL.”

Jean Harlow said afterwards she has no idea what Bern meant by “frightful wrong” or “abject humiliation.”

That Bern was impotent seems to be an MGM invention. It was done, in part, to protect Jean Harlow both legally and for the sake of her reputation.

It seemed that people inferred from this letter that Bern was on regular occasion, impotent. There are no medical records to confirm this nor any verbal or written accounts from past lovers.

All of these circumstances put into question who exactly wrote the letter.

Other interesting and mysterious facts about the case:

Apparently rigor mortis already set in, as an officer had to pry the gun from Bern’s hand.
Outside near the pool, police found an empty champagne bottle, a flute, and a broken glass — but no Jean Harlow, who wasn’t home at the time. She had stayed at her mother’s the night before.
During this time, Bern had financially supported a common-law wife, Dorothy Millette, who had a history of mental illness. Apparently, Millette died by suicide when she jumped from a ferry two days after Bern’s death.

Cops Were NOT The First To Be Called

It’s very interesting to note that the first calls, after Bern was found dead, went to MGM executives (including Irving Thalberg) rather than the police.

Studio personnel arrived and spent time at the scene before authorities were notified.

It was at least an hour or more that studio execs and fixers were there going through documents and destroying them.

Additionally, details of the exact body position and room vary slightly across contemporary reports. Later accounts (where he was found, in the bedroom vs. dressing closet/alcove off the bedroom; gun placement) etc.

There has long been speculation about possible scene alterations by MGM studio people.

The core facts thought (as above) are consistent in primary newspaper coverage and standard summaries.

Theories / disputed claims, not established fact:

MGM writer Samuel Marx believed Bern was actually killed by Millette. One account claims powder burns on his head suggested she held the gun to his temple — but this is an interpretation, not a forensic finding confirmed at the time.
Claims that MGM (via Louis B. Mayer) staged or altered the scene before police arrived come from a chain of secondhand testimony. This is a fairly unreliable story as it went through many people before it submerged.
The claim that D.A. Buron Fitts was bribed to suppress evidence rests on a secretary’s account of a phone call using vague “cooperation” language, though no further supporting evidence has been offered.
It’s said Louis B. Mayer was the one who came up with the impotence story to try to protect Harlow and give an explanation as to why Bern would kill himself.

Jean Harlow and her second husband Paul Bern below…

Jean Harlow’s Third Husband was Cinematographer Hal Rosson

Harold “Hal” Rosson – Harlow’s third husband (m. September 13, 1933 – d. March 1935)

Rosson was a cinematographer who became one of Classical Hollywood’s most respected talents when it came to filming.

Rosson was the cinematographer for The Wizard of Oz (1939) and Singin’ in the Rain (1952).

He was fifteen years older than Harlow and had worked as the cinematographer on most of her MGM films. Their relationship grew out of that working partnership.

They married in Yuma, Arizona in September of 1933, after their collaboration on the 1933 film Bombshell. The divorce was finalized in March of 1935 after he recovered from a bout of polio.

A Rocky Road

The marriage was brief and rocky. Divorce papers were filed and Harlow separated from him in May 1934, accusing Rosson of being “rude, sullen and irritable.”

Sadly, soon after Harlow filed for divorce, Rosson fell ill with polio. The divorce was only finalized after he recovered in March of 1935.

Some accounts frame the marriage as a rebound or a rushed decision for Harlow and even Rosson, who had been married once before (and would be again after Harlow).

Some biographers say it was the MGM executives who threw the two together. Their motive being that they wanted to arrange a quick marriage for Harlow thereby defusing the lingering scandal from Bern’s death the year before. (This account is often disputed though).

Jean Harlow with 3rd husband, Hal Rosson below…

Engagement to Actor William Powell

By the time her divorce from Rosson was finalized, Harlow had already begun an affair with William Powell, her co-star in Reckless. In fact, MGM producer David O. Selznick deliberately cast Harlow in Reckless opposite Powell specifically to capitalize on their real-life romance for publicity. Ironically, the plot echoes Harlow’s own life — the female lead’s husband dies by suicide, mirroring Paul Bern’s death two years earlier — which made Harlow reluctant to take the role.
Powell and Harlow made one more film together afterward, Libeled Lady (1936).
Their relationship lasted about two years, ending only with Harlow’s death.
On Christmas 1936, Powell gave her a 150-carat sapphire ring. However, Powell didn’t formally propose. Harlow reportedly called it her “unengagement ring.” Press coverage widely treated them as engaged. It was MGM’s contract restrictions on Harlow which prevented her from marrying any time soon.
In 1936, Harlow was 25 years old. If she had married Powell that would have been her 4th marriage. The studio was trying to prevent one of their biggest money making assets from crashing and burning.

Harlow’s Health Was Flagging

At the time of her death, Harlow’s health had already been declining for years.

She’d had appendicitis in 1933, recurring pain and fatigue through 1934–35, a near-fatal reaction to anesthesia during dental surgery in 1936 — all this, along with rumors of “incipient alcoholism.”

So although her death came as a shock, she had been struggling for many years with other health conditions.

William Powell Was Devastated By Her Loss

Her funeral took place at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, California.

She was laid to rest in the pink negligee she’d worn in Saratoga (1937) and in her hands was a white gardenia along with a note that Powell had written, which read, “Goodnight, my dearest darling.”

An emotional William Powell being supported by his mother Nettie (right) at Jean Harlow’s funeral, 1937.

Harlow and Powell in better times.

My sense is, this would have been a good marriage and hopefully a lasting one.

They Say Jean Harlow’s Second Husband Killed Himself

So let’s look at some facts about Jean Harlow and her marriages…

Harlow’s first marriage was to Charles McGrew (m.1927– d.1929)

Harlow and firs husband Chuck McGrew below…