The 25+ Best Jean Harlow Movies
Ranked By
980 votes
170 voters
Voting Rules
Vote for your favorite movies, regardless of critic reviews or how big the role was.
- 1Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Mary AstorWhen earthy prostitute Vantine (Jean Harlow) arrives at Dennis Carson's (Clark Gable) rubber plantation in Indochina, she initiates a steamy affair with the rugged foreman, but is sent packing when the passion cools. Soon Dennis is joined by new employee Gary (Gene Raymond) and his classy but high-strung wife, Barbara (Mary Astor), who falls into Dennis' arms while her husband is away. When Vantine returns, Dennis must decide between the refined adulteress and the tramp with the heart of gold.
- 2Marie Dressler, Jean Harlow, John BarrymoreIn this comedic drama, an ambitious New York socialite plans an extravagant dinner party as her businessman husband, Oliver (Lionel Barrymore), contends with financial woes, causing a lot of tension between the couple. Meanwhile, their high-society friends and associates, including the gruff Dan Packard (Wallace Beery) and his sultry spouse, Kitty (Jean Harlow), contend with their own entanglements, leading to revelations at the much-anticipated dinner.
- 3Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Myrna LoyThough magazine publisher Van Stanhope (Clark Gable) and his wife, Linda (Myrna Loy), are contentedly married, Van's meddling mother (May Robson) doesn't trust his attractive young secretary, Helen "Whitey" Wilson (Jean Harlow). When Whitey helps Van undertake a top-secret plan to purchase a potentially profitable magazine from under the nose of a rival publisher, causing the pair to work long hours alone together, Linda's sudden jealousy almost scuttles both the deal and their marriage.
- 4Jean Harlow, Spencer Tracy, Myrna LoyWhen a major newspaper accuses wealthy socialite Connie Allenbury (Myrna Loy) of being a home-wrecker, and she files a multi-million-dollar libel lawsuit, the publication's frazzled head editor, Warren Haggerty (Spencer Tracy), must find a way to turn the tables on her. Soon Haggerty's harried fiancée, Gladys Benton (Jean Harlow), and his dashing friend Bill Chandler (William Powell) are in on a scheme that aims to discredit Connie, with amusing and unexpected results.More Libeled Lady
- #11 of 48 onThe 48 Best '30s Comedy Movies
- #12 of 37 onThe Best '30s Romantic Comedies
- #17 of 111 onThe 100+ Best Movies of 1936
- 5Jean Harlow, Lee Tracy, Franchot ToneFilm starlet Lola Burns (Jean Harlow) is tired of her money-grubbing father (Frank Morgan) and her scandal-chasing publicist E.J. "Space" Hanlon (Lee Tracy). After being unable to adopt a child due to Hanlon's interference, Lola flees movie stardom and meets Gifford Middleton (Franchot Tone), a millionaire who doesn't know of her fame. Just when marriage seems right around the corner for the new couple, Lola discovers that her past won't be as easy to forget as she'd like.
- 6Jean Harlow, Chester Morris, Una MerkelA gold digger (Jean Harlow) breaks up her boss's (Chester Morris) marriage and sins her way to financial success.
- 7Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Wallace BeeryDashing captain Alan Gaskell (Clark Gable) is attempting to lead a more subdued life with a new love interest, aristocrat Sybil Barclay (Rosalind Russell), when his ship is taken over by pirates while sailing the South Pacific. Alan discovers that his predicament involves his volatile former girlfriend, Dolly Portland (Jean Harlow), and her new beau, the shifty Jamesy MacArdle (Wallace Beery). This tense scenario leads to unexpected sparks between Alan and Dolly.
- 8Jean Harlow, Lionel Barrymore, Franchot ToneLeaving Missouri to find a wealthy husband in New York City, Eadie Chapman (Jean Harlow) becomes a chorus girl and soon entertains at the lavish home of millionaire Frank Cousins (Lewis Stone). Cousins proposes to Eadie, only to then commit suicide due to bankruptcy. Fellow millionaire T. R. Paige (Lionel Barrymore) defends Eadie when the police question her for having Cousins' jewelry -- but when she becomes enamored with his son, Tom (Franchot Tone), Paige declares Eadie a gold digger.
- 9Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Hattie McDanielSaratoga is a 1937 American romantic comedy film written by Anita Loos and directed by Jack Conway. The movie stars Clark Gable and Jean Harlow in their sixth and final film collaboration, and features Lionel Barrymore, Frank Morgan, Walter Pidgeon, Hattie McDaniel, and Margaret Hamilton. Jean Harlow died before filming was finished, and it was completed using stand-ins. Saratoga was MGM's biggest moneymaker of 1937.
- 10Jean Harlow, Clark Gable, Stu ErwinPetty crook Eddie Hall (Clark Gable) ducks into a random apartment to hide from police and ends up falling for its resident, bombshell Ruby Adams (Jean Harlow). Hall and his accomplice, Slim (Garry Owen), convince Ruby to help them con a married man. But their plan goes horribly awry and Hall flees the scene. When he finds out from an ex-con that his antics have landed Ruby in jail -- and that she's pregnant with his child -- he may have to choose between his freedom and making things right.
- 11Jean Harlow, Robert Taylor, Reginald OwenRaymond Dabney (Robert Taylor) returns to his wealthy family after a short jail stint for robbery, to the chagrin of his brother, Claude (Reginald Owen), who is set to marry Crystal Wetherby (Jean Harlow) in order to gain some funds for his family's ailing business. What Claude does not know is that Crystal also wants to marry for money, in order to pay her debts. When Raymond meets Crystal at the opera, not realizing that she happens to be his brother's fiancée, he is smitten.
- 12Jean Harlow, Robert Williams, Loretta YoungInvestigative journalist Stew Smith (Robert Williams) has a reputation for being merciless in his reporting. In a break from convention, after writing a tell-all story on a wealthy family of socialites, Stew becomes interested in the daughter (Jean Harlow). The two hit it off, she being a fan of his snarky turns of phrase. But when Stew is forced to quell his wild ways for the sake of her conservative family, he buckles under the pressure and finds he has eyes for a colleague (Loretta Young).
- 13Ben Lyon, Jean Harlow, James HallAs World War I breaks out in Europe, Roy (James Hall) and Monte (Ben Lyon), two brothers studying at Oxford University, enlist in the Royal Flying Corps to fight for queen and country, while their college friend Karl is drafted in Germany. A love triangle involving Monte, Roy, and Roy's girlfriend, Helen (Jean Harlow), the brothers' disparate personalities, and Monte's cowardice in the face of war soon threaten to compromise a top-secret bombing mission over German territory.More Hell's Angels
- #31 of 42 onThe 40+ Best Aviation Movies
- #2 of 19 onThe Best Movies Produced by Howard Hughes
- #37 of 87 onThe 85+ Best Movies of 1930
- 14Jean Harlow, Spencer Tracy, Una MerkelDutch (Spencer Tracy) is a fisherman, and Hattie (Jean Harlow) works at the cannery in a small town on the California coast. The two get married, but Dutch's union activities backfire and the couple are soon living in poverty. Angry and ashamed, Dutch abandons Hattie, and she takes up with Nick (Joseph Calleia), a boss at the factory. But Hattie's love for Dutch never dies, and they both struggle to overcome their fiery personalities so they can reconcile.
- 15Jean Harlow, Franchot Tone, Cary GrantWhen American showgirl Suzy (Jean Harlow) finds herself in London without work, she plans to leave her career behind and find a rich husband. Instead, she falls for brilliant but broke inventor Terry (Franchot Tone), who is developing an airplane stabilizer. When Terry is mistakenly shot by a spy, Suzy fears she will be blamed and flees to Paris, where she returns to a life of singing and marries flyboy Andre (Cary Grant). But things get complicated when Suzy learns that Terry has survived.
- 16Jean Harlow, William Powell, Franchot ToneReckless is a 1935 American musical film directed by Victor Fleming and starring Jean Harlow, William Powell and Franchot Tone. David O. Selznick wrote the story, using the pseudonym Oliver Jeffries, basing it loosely based on the scandal of the 1931 marriage between torch singer Libby Holman and tobacco heir Zachary Smith Reynolds and his death by a gunshot wound to the head.
- 17Walter Huston, Jean Harlow, Wallace FordCapt. Jim Fitzpatrick (Walter Huston) is a principled family man, but when it comes to his job with the police in Prohibition-era Chicago, he's a vicious and violent crusader for justice. When mob boss Sam Belmonte (Jean Hersholt) beats the rap for a gangland hit, Jim risks his life and career to prove his hunch. He recruits his vice cop brother, Ed (Wallace Ford), for the case, but Ed gets mixed up in a secret romance with mob girl Daisy Stevens (Jean Harlow), leading to an epic showdown.
- 18James Cagney, Jean Harlow, Mae ClarkeTwo young Chicago hoodlums, Tom Powers (James Cagney) and Matt Doyle (Eddie Woods), rise up from their poverty-stricken slum life to become petty thieves, bootleggers and cold-blooded killers. But with street notoriety and newfound wealth, the duo feels the heat from the cops and rival gangsters both. Despite his ruthless criminal reputation, Tom tries to remain connected to his family, however, gang warfare and the need for revenge eventually pull him away.More The Public Enemy
- #40 of 94 onThe 90+ Best Mafia Movies Of All Time
- #1 of 83 on80+ Movies And Shows With Enemy In The Title
- #27 of 52 onThe 50+ Best Pre-Code Movies
- 19Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Ralph BellamyThe Secret Six is a fast-paced 1931 American Pre-Code crime film starring Wallace Beery as "Slaughterhouse Scorpio", a character very loosely based on Al Capone, and featuring Lewis Stone, John Mack Brown, Jean Harlow, Clark Gable, Marjorie Rambeau and Ralph Bellamy. The film was written by Frances Marion and directed by George W. Hill for MGM.
- 20Jean Harlow, Stan Laurel, Oliver HardyDouble Whoopee is a 1929 Hal Roach Studios silent short comedy starring Laurel and Hardy. It was shot during February 1929 and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on May 18 of that year.
- 21Jean Harlow, Mae Clarke, Walter ByronFed up with her tiny hometown, the lovely Cassie Barnes (Jean Harlow) packs up and splits for New York City, where she rooms with her pal Dot (Marie Prevost). Cassie takes a series of disappointing jobs before her friend Gladys (Mae Clarke) gets her a modeling gig. Then Cassie begins a romance with Jerry (Walter Byron), who initially seems like the perfect man. Unfortunately, it turns out that he's married. He tries to tell Cassie that his marriage is already ending, but she's not convinced.
- 22Jean Harlow, Stan Laurel, Oliver HardyLiberty is a 1929 short comedy film starring Laurel and Hardy as escaped convicts who, while trying to change pants, wind up on a skyscraper in construction.
- 23Jean Harlow, Spencer Tracy, Billy BartyGoldie is a 1931 black-and-white romantic comedy film. The script was written by Paul Perez and Gene Towne, and directed by Benjamin Stoloff. It was made before the Hays Code was rigidly enforced. It is a remake of Howard Hawks' 1928 silent film A Girl in Every Port.
- 24Jean Harlow, Lew Ayres, Mike DonlinIron Man is a 1931 American sport drama film directed by Tod Browning and starring Lew Ayres, Robert Armstrong and Jean Harlow. In 1951, Universal remade the film with Jeff Chandler, Evelyn Keyes and Rock Hudson, directed by Joseph Pevney.
- 25Jean Harlow, Stan Laurel, Oliver HardyBacon Grabbers is a 1929 silent comedy short starring Laurel and Hardy.
- 26Jean Harlow, Jean Arthur, Clara BowThe Saturday Night Kid is an early talking romantic comedy film about two sisters and the man they both want. It stars Clara Bow, Jean Arthur, James Hall, and in her first credited role, Jean Harlow. The film was based on the play Love 'Em and Leave 'Em by George Abbott and John V. A. Weaver. This movie still survives.
- 27Jimmy Durante, Stan Laurel, Oliver HardyWhen celebrity manager Knapp learns that audiences are bored with the aging lions in his client Schnarzan's (Jimmy Durante) once-popular series of jungle-themed movies, he throws a lavish party at Schnarzan's mansion, where he tries to convince adventurer Baron Munchausen (Jack Pearl) to sell him the new lions he needs to revive Schnarzan's failing career. Liondora (George Givot), the star of a rival movie franchise who fears he may suffer the same fate, crashes the party to disrupt the sale.
- 28Jean Harlow, Constance Bennett, ZaSu PittsThis Thing Called Love is a 1929 American romantic comedy film starring Edmund Lowe, Constance Bennett, Ruth Taylor, Roscoe Karns, Zazu Pitts, and Jean Harlow. Harlow appears in a cameo role, as she was not yet famous. The film is based on the play This Thing Called Love, a Comedy in Three Acts, by Edwin J. Burke. This Thing Called Love was recorded in RCA Photophone and featured a two-tone Technicolor sequence. No complete copy of this movie survives, only the Technicolor sequence.