Photographs from Hollywood’s Golden Age by George Hurrell.
“During the 1930s and early 1940s, George Hurrell (1904-1992) reigned as Hollywood’s preeminent portrait photographer. Hired by the publicity department at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) when he was only twenty-five, Hurrell advanced rapidly to become the studio’s principal portraitist. With a keen eye for artful posing, innovative lighting effects, and skillful retouching, he produced timeless portraits that burnished the luster of many of the ‘Golden Age’s’ greatest stars. ‘They were truly glamorous people,’ he recalled, ‘and that was the image I wanted to portray.’
“In 1933, Hurrell left MGM to open a photography studio on Sunset Boulevard. There, he created some of his most iconic portraits of MGM stars as well as memorable images of leading actors from the other major studios. After closing his Sunset studio in 1938, Hurrell worked briefly for Warner Bros. and Columbia Pictures before serving with a military film production unit during World War II.
“Following the war, candid photographs, made with portable, small-format cameras, rose to replace the meticulously crafted, large-format studio portraits that epitomized Hurrell’s style. For George Hurrell, Hollywood’s ‘Golden Age’ had come to an end. ‘When we stopped using those 8 x 10 cameras,’ he declared, ‘the glamour was gone.’” [From the text accompanying the exhibit]
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“Jean Harlow personified freewheeling sexuality in the movies that made her a star. Debuting in minor roles, she caught the attention of producer/director Howard Hughes, who cast her in his World War I epic ‘Hell’s Angels’ (1930). Acquiring Harlow’s contract in 1932, MGM capitalized on her sex appeal and flair for comedy in hits like ‘Red Headed Woman’ (1932) and ‘Bombshell’ (1933). But after changes to the Production Code in 1934 led to increased censorship of sexual content, the studio was obliged to tone down Harlow’ screen persona.
“When ‘Vanity Fair’ published this portrait in 1935, it noted that Harlow had ‘astounded her public by developing from the platinum blonde siren of ‘Hell’s Angels’ into an expert comedienne who, in ‘Red Dust’ and ‘Dinner at Eight,’ became simultaneously a box office sensation and the critics’ delight.’ Sadly, Harlow died two years later at the age of twenty-six.” [Text accompanying her portrait]
