Jean Harlow: Tarnished Angel (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Jean Harlow was an enigma, the original Blonde Bombshell, completely uninhibited. She made no secret of the fact that she never wore underwear, bleached her pubic hair to match that on her head - and was never afraid of showing this to journalists, if they asked. On the screen she epitomised the fun-loving, wise-cracking tart-with-a-heart yet away from the spotlight she was nothing like the public perceived her to be. In this new biography, David Bret uncovers an unhappy upbringing by an unloving mother and sexually abusive step-father, her love of older men and the mistreatment she suffered at their hands, her progression from movie slut to screwball comedy star, her special relationship with William Powell, how she was ripped off by the studios, and more. Jean Harlow: Tarnished Angel is a compelling portrayal of the enigmatic star. David Bret was born in Paris. His acclaimed books include biographies of Marlene Dietrich, Morrissey, Freddie Mercury and Edith Piaf among many others.

About the Author

David Bret was born in Paris. His acclaimed books include biographies of Marlene Dietrich, Morrissey, Freddie Mercury and Edith Piaf among many others.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: JR Books Ltd (April 2009)
• ISBN-10: 1906779341
• ISBN-13: 978-1906779344
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #304,396 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Tarnishing all in sight, May 24, 2009

By	PatrickJS (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This unfortunate biography is another scurrilous slander-fest by the notorious David Bret, [...]

This book, "Tarnished Angel", is basically a copy-and-paste job from a fictionalized, borderline-pornographic tell all on Harlow written in the 1960s by Irving Shulman, called "Harlow". This is because all the information presented in Bret's book mirror the fallacies in the Shulman book.

Harlow was no slut, she had no filthy secrets to conceal. She was a caring, loving young woman, partial to fuzzy sweaters, golf and kittens, who died tragically of kidney failure. Her mother, known as "Mother Jean" (NEVER as "Mama Jean" as is presented in the Shulman/Bret books) never denied Harlow medical care. She received round-the-clock care on her deathbed.

In 1937, when Harlow died, there was no such thing as dialysis or a kidney transplant. Harlow was doomed. She was not doomed because her mother prevented her from medical care, as Bret foolishly states.

I shan't go on because I need not to; I need only inform you, the reader of this review, to skip this tarnished book and instead read the truth on Harlow - read "Bombshell" by David Stenn, a meticulously researched and accurate book on Harlow's life (and death).

In conclusion, what truly astounds me is not slandering Harlow, but slandering a woman who has been dead for 70+ years and whose small community of fans already know the truth on her, and will NOT be pleased by a book like this.

What did Bret hope to achieve by writing this book? What reaction/sales did his publisher expect to receive? None of the stars from Harlow's day are still with us. The small community of fans classic stars do have know the truth about their idols. Bret is only going to make more enemies by continuing to write these trashfests and more trees will be cut down to provide fodder for lies.

Please read this book for the truth on Jean Harlow: Bombshell: The Life and Death of Jean Harlow

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't waste your money!!!, May 21, 2009

By	F. Kaplan (edmonds, WA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is just very bad. This book is full of major untruths, errors and spelling mistakes. Mr Bret gives Jean a 'grand chapeau bas to Jean Harlow, for having lived' in this book, but he seems not to be a fan of hers. This is pretty much a rehash of Irving Schulman's trashy and much discredited "Harlow: An Intimate Biography". What little reaserch was done can be seen in the rather skimpy bibliography. If you want to read a good biography of Jean Harlow, read Eve Golden's "Platinum Girl" or David Stenn's "Bombshell". Both of these books are excellent and well researched. The photographs are nice, but all are just scene stills we've all seen a thousand times before. There are no childhood or candid photographs at all. This book is just trashy. I haven't read any other of Mr. Bret's books, but after reading this one, I'll pass on his others.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Garbage, May 5, 2009

By	Herbert N. Steele (alabama) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I find this book garbage, too many misspellings and not a very accurate account of Jean Harlow's life. I feel Mr. Brett has not researched his book as well as he should have. This book is too much like the Shulman book Harlow written back in the 1960s. Anyone being a Jean Harlow fan should know the real truth as I do.

JMO
Herbert