Deadly Illusions: Jean Harlow and the Murder of Paul Bern (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author), Joyce Vanderveen (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The death of Hollywood producer Bern has remained a mystery since his nude body was found near his swimming pool in 1932. MGM's Louis B. Mayer's declaration that Bern had committed suicide because he was impotent and could not satisfy his young wife, Harlow, was echoed in the official finding. MGM story editor Marx, one of the first people on the scene, and actress-ballerina Vanderveen here present their version of what happened. Interviewing those who knew the victim, Harlow and Mayer, and researching grand jury files, they conclude that Bern was murdered by a former lover, Dorothy Millette, and that Mayer covered up the crime to protect Harlow's career. A lively but helter-skelter account. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

In 1932, three months after his marriage to film star Jean Harlow, Hollywood producer Paul Bern was found shot to death. The verdict was suicide, and the motive was alleged to be Bern's despair over his sexual immaturity and impotence. Marx, Bern's contemporary at MGM, refutes this negative characterization of his friend and argues that Bern was murdered and that MGM executives engaged in a cover-up. The authors implicate a former lover of Bern who committed suicide herself shortly after his death. Despite the passage of time, they present a persuasive case with all the loose ends neatly--perhaps too neatly--resolved. In any event, this book is recommended for that audience fascinated by Hollywood scandals. --Gregor A. Preston, Univ. of California Lib., Davis
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Dell (September 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440211271
• ISBN-13: 978-0440211273
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 3.7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #430,580 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Hollywood Mystery Solved, April 10, 2002

By	Gary F. Taylor "GFT" (Biloxi, MS USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Deadly Illusions: Jean Harlow and the Murder of Paul Bern (Hardcover)

Even Hollywood's earliest scandals are frequently raked over today: the infamous Arbuckle trials, the William Desmond Taylor murder case, and the questionable suicide of actress Thelma Todd are but a few examples of 1920 and 1930s scandals still being discussed into the new millenium. One of the most famous of these tales concerns Paul Bern, an MGM producer, who was found dead of a gunshot wound in his Beverly Hills some two months after his marriage to Jean Harlow. Word quickly spread that Bern was sexually inadequate and he had taken his life when even marriage to Hollywood's reigning sex goddess failed to arouse him. His death was quickly ruled a suicide and that was that.

Or rather, that would have been that except for one little thing: the whispered rumor Paul Bern was murdered. Over the decades that whisper has enticed a great many writers, but none approach the subject with such dogged determination as Samuel Marx and Joyce Vanderveen. Making use of Marx's insider connections (he was an MGM story editor), the two piece together a somewhat speculative but extremely credible tale of insanity, bigamy, police corruption, studio power, murder, and suicide to considerable effect. The cast of characters in this 1930s scandal are fascinating in and of themselves, and although the style in which it is written is a bit simplistic DEADLY ILLUSIONS makes for a great rainy-day read; fans of true crime, Hollywood scandal, and Jean Harlow will find it a must have. Recommended.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Case closed....or not?, May 4, 2003

By	Wendy-Marie Chabot "The Bad Gwen" (Central CT) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Deadly Illusions: Jean Harlow and the Murder of Paul Bern (Hardcover)

Two Hollywood murder cases wrecked havoc on the lives of those closest to the victims. One was William Desmond Taylor. The second was Paul Bern.

When Paul Bern was found dead one morning, suspicions flew and continued to haunt his young bride Jean Harlow until her own tragic end. Did Paul Bern kill himself? Did Jean Harlow do it? Did he really beat poor Jean to a pulp, pushing her to the edge? Or was another force at work?

Like William Desmond Taylor before him, Paul Bern had a secret life that Hollywood knew little about. A woman, Dorothy Millette had lived with Bern as man and wife before his Hollywood glory days. Could Dorothy have reappeared in Bern's life and pulled the trigger on her former lover/common law spouse before ending her own life mere days later?

The only people who will truly ever know what happened at those in the room the night of Bern's death. But Samuel Marx builds a strong case for Paul Bern being murdered and not at the hands of his young wife. If Dorothy Millette was the real murderer, the rumor mill of 1930s Hollywood and a certain Harlow biographer of the 1960s did Jean Harlow and Paul Bern a great injustice and insult.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Insider's Conclusion, December 28, 2001

By	William Hare (Seattle, Washington) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Samuel Marx was hired at MGM by producer Paul Bern and became a close friend. He ultimately rose to the position of chief story editor during the busiest period of the industry. When Bern, who married MGM's blonde screen bombshell Jean Harlow, died of what was ruled a suicide, a skeptical Marx began sleuthing, unwilling to believe the conclusion that had been reached.

"Deadly Illusions" represents Marx's effort to solve what has become a longstanding mystery in Hollywood, with many unconvinced, as was the MGM story editor, that Bern had died of a self-administered gunshot wound. Marx concludes that MGM executive Eddie Mannix, operating as studio boss L.B. Mayer's troubleshooter, rigged the suicide attempt to cover up a dark secret about Bern's past, which resulted in his being murdered. To reveal more would be to give away the suspense which should be the reader's discovery.

This is a book that depicts Hollywood during a glorious period of productivity. Marx was a busy on the scene participant and makes you as a reader feel that you were an intimate part of it as well.