Before dying at the tragic young age of 26 due to kidney failure, actress Jean Harlow rose to superstardom thanks to her performances in such classic films as 1930’s Hell’s Angels and 1933’s Hold Your Man. An aspect of the actress’s life that is rarely talked about is her short-lived marriage to MGM executive Paul Bern. And which ended with his death two months after the ceremony. Though the death ruled a suicide thanks to a note that found on the scene by a fellow MGM executive that called in before the police. And many speculate that this note actually forged in order to cover up a murder. Join Facts Verse as we explore the truth about Jean Harlow’s murdered husband.
Although actress Jean Harlow only lived to be 26 years old, she found more success in her lifetime than most. The beloved actress from Hollywood’s Golden Age became a movie star in her early 20s after her breakout role in 1930’s hit film Hell’s Angels. She had blonde hair and a curvy body, making her a precursor to Marilyn Monroe. Coincidentally, both of them would die when they were much too young.
When Jean was at the beginning stages of her superstardom. She found herself caught in a struggle between her good looks and her desire to taken seriously as a dramatic actress. MGM executive Paul Bern positioned himself as a mentor for the fledgling star. And promised that he would help get her roles that could demonstrate her true talents. Paul legitimately believed that Jean had more to offer than just her looks. And he also happened to have fallen in love with her! Paul convinced Jean to sign to MGM, and the two became married a short time later.
It is said that you should never mix business and pleasure. And which is an adage that the short-lived marriage of Jean Harlow and Paul Bern arguably supports. Only two months after the two became married, Paul found dead from a gunshot wound to the head. The death ruled a suicide, and it remains officially classified as one to this day. However, many have their doubts about whether or not Paul actually killed himself. Believing he may have been killed.
The dead body of MGM executive Paul Bern found naked on the floor of his bathroom by his butler. Trained in the art of Hollywood protocol, the butler knew that he needed to call Paul’s fellow executives at MGM before phoning the police. Studio head Louis. B. Mayer rushed over to the scene. And it was him that presented the suicide note that solved the case to the authorities. Of course, many have theorized that Louis forged the note. And there are multiple reasons that he may have done so.
The suicide note that presented to the authorities by Louis upon their arrival to the scene two hours after him consisted of a vague and poorly worded apology to the absent Jean Harlow. Jean would claim that she had no idea what the apology supposed to mean. And that’s essentially all that the actress ever spoke upon the matter of Paul’s death before her own death years later.
The reason Louis B. Mayer had called onto the scene by Paul’s butler instead of the police was so that the studio head could perform damage control. He needed to make sure that nothing found at the scene would cause damage to either MGM or Jean Harlow’s reputation. The studio head not found to have tampered with any evidence. But it’s doubtful that the authorities thought much about it. They took the scene at face value and took Louis at his word, declaring the death of Paul Bern a suicide and moving on.
Although the authorities have maintained that Paul Bern’s death was a suicide, many have maintained their doubts. The presence of Louis B. Mayer at the scene before the arrival of the police means that we will likely never known the truth about how the scene looked before authorities arrived. Jean Harlow had not present, so she was not considered a suspect. She had been spending the night at her mother’s house on the night of her husband’s death.
The prevailing theory at the time as to why Paul Bern had killed himself that embarrassed by his impotence when it came to his relations with his new wife. Paul allegedly couldn’t please Jean in bed. And he was so embarrassed by the fact that he would wail up and down the halls of his mansion about it. He subsequently took his own life because of the shame. And though the decidedly esoteric suicide note doesn’t exactly substantiate this theory. If you’re enjoying this video so far, be sure to hit the like button to show your support! Also, subscribe to the channel if you’d like to be among the first to know when more Facts Verse videos are on their way!
Of the people that think that MGM executive Paul Bern murdered. And there are few that think Jean Harlow was the culprit. Instead, most point to a third party. This third party is a woman by the name of Dorothy Millette. And who Paul actually married to by common law at the same time that he married to Jean! Paul died married to both Jean and Dorothy. And there is evidence that Dorothy could have been at Paul’s place of residence on the night of his death.
According to Paul’s cook, she saw a woman on the property the night of Paul’s death that she couldn’t identify. There subsequently two glasses found by the poolside. Along with a swimsuit that couldn’t identified as belonging to Jean. When you add in the fact that Jean was verifiably at her mothers. It seems obvious that there was someone visiting Paul that night that no one has ever identified.
Many believe that this unidentified visitor was, in fact, Dorothy Millette. As it turns out, Dorothy was even visiting California at the time on Paul’s dime. And she took a ferry out to sea and committed suicide by jumping into the ocean after the announcement of his death. Paul and Dorothy had met while the two were aspiring actors living in Canada. In the early 1920s, Dorothy had to committed to a sanitarium due to failing health. Given that Dorothy was his common-law wife, Paul paid her expenses up until the time of his death. Many question whether Dorothy’s suicide after learning of Paul’s death was out of desperation for losing her husband. And guilt for committing the crime of his murder, or fear of what would happen without someone to pay her way.
It is uncertain why Paul had planned for Dorothy to visit him. Though their communications seem to paint a portrait of two people that were still honestly in love with each other. It remains even more uncertain, then, why Paul had become married to Jean Harlow. Although Paul and Jean had claimed that they were getting along well during their two months of marriage, the stories of impotence don’t back this up. Furthermore, a gardener on their property claimed that the two never quite got along during the time they were together.
Although the death of Paul Bern pronounced a suicide. And the authorities did make an attempt to track down Dorothy Millette before her own subsequent suicide. She was their only lead as far as foul play. And the chance of learning the truth of what happened to Paul Bern arguably died alongside her. Many wonder why Louis B. Mayer would’ve covered up the crime of Paul’s murder if Jean Harlow had not been the one to commit the crime. It remains uncertain what exactly Louis saw when he arrived at the scene. Or what he knew about the strange love triangle that Paul involved in.
Louis B. Mayer’s goal had simply been to make things look as uncomplicated and innocent as possible. And a vague suicide due to impotence certainly seemed a lot less complicated than a possible homicide as a result of a love triangle involving a famous movie star, a studio executive, and a sanitarium denizen. This stands as more than enough justification for the forgery to many.
Although the surviving executives at MGM were afraid that the death of Paul Bern was going to affect their beloved star’s career, Jean Harlow went on to more success than ever! She decided to never speak on the matter of her late second husband’s death, or his alleged impotence. In 1933, she starred in her biggest hit yet, performing alongside Clark Gable in the film Hold Your Man. The film was a box office success. And despite the controversy that had resulted from the possible murder in Jean’s personal life. As well as a scene in the film that featured the actress bathing.
Despite the fact that Jean Harlow only lived to be 26 years old, Paul Bern was only one of three husbands that she was married to over the course of her lifetime. Jean’s first husband had been a man by the name of Charles McGrew. She married him in 1927, and they divorced in 1931. Jean married Paul a year later, and they were only married for two months before Paul’s supposed suicide. Finally, Jean married a man by the name of Harold Rosson in 1933, and they divorced a year before her 1937 death. Jean Harlow died of kidney failure at the age of only 26.
Though the cause of Paul Bern’s death continues to be officially classified as suicide, it’s hard for anyone that learns about the story to have their doubts about whether or not there was actually some outside foul play involved. Now it’s time to hear from you: do you think that there was foul play involved in the death of Jean Harlow’s husband, or do you think that it was truly a suicide? As always, like this video to show your support, and subscribe and hit the notification bell if you’d like to be among the first to know when more Facts Verse videos are on their way!
