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Today is Tonight
Today is Tonight is the title of a novel written by Hollywood actress Jean Harlow in the mid-1930s but not published until 1965.[1]
According to Harlow's close friend Arthur Landau, in his introduction to the novel's first paperback edition by Dell Publishing, Harlow had expressed interest in writing a novel as early as 1933–1934 and completed a manuscript before her death in 1937. After her death, Landau writes, her mother sold the film rights to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and retained the publication rights, but no film was made and the novel itself remained unpublished until the mid-1960s when a family friend (who had been passed the publication rights by Harlow's mother), made an arrangement to have it published. It was published in condensed form in the July 1965 issue of Mademoiselle,[2] in hardcover in July 1965 by Grove Press[3] and in paperback later in 1965 by Dell Publishing.[4] At the time of publication, press coverage stated that screenwriter Carey Wilson assisted Harlow with the book.[2]
The novel is set in the 1920s, amongst the opulent living of the Hollywood jet-set, and focuses on one couple, Peter and Judy Lansdowne.
Source: Wikipedia
According to Harlow's close friend Arthur Landau, in his introduction to the novel's first paperback edition by Dell Publishing, Harlow had expressed interest in writing a novel as early as 1933–1934 and completed a manuscript before her death in 1937. After her death, Landau writes, her mother sold the film rights to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and retained the publication rights, but no film was made and the novel itself remained unpublished until the mid-1960s when a family friend (who had been passed the publication rights by Harlow's mother), made an arrangement to have it published. It was published in condensed form in the July 1965 issue of Mademoiselle,[2] in hardcover in July 1965 by Grove Press[3] and in paperback later in 1965 by Dell Publishing.[4] At the time of publication, press coverage stated that screenwriter Carey Wilson assisted Harlow with the book.[2]
The novel is set in the 1920s, amongst the opulent living of the Hollywood jet-set, and focuses on one couple, Peter and Judy Lansdowne.
Source: Wikipedia
- GenresFiction
Paperback
First published January 1, 1965
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 18, 2011
I originally sought out "Today Is Tonight" after hearing that it is not a book ABOUT the legendary '30s screen actress Jean Harlow, but rather--and incredibly--a NOVEL written BY her! Indeed, in the book's introduction, Harlow's agent and close friend, Arthur Landau, tells us that the story came to the actress in a dream, and that she wrote her book sometime after 1933 or '34; her heyday. (The novel unfortunately got tied up in a legal battle with Harlow's studio, MGM, and went unpublished for over 30 years, until 1965.) Halfway through reading this entertaining novel, however, I happened to peruse David Stenn's biography of Harlow, "Bombshell," and was disappointed to learn the truth. Yes, the story of "Today Is Tonight" WAS Harlow's, but the book itself, apparently, was penned by Hollywood publicist Tony Beacon, and polished up later by screenwriter Carey Wilson. So the novel doesn't quite give us the glimpse into Harlow's mind that I had been hoping for, but still does reveal much.
In the book, we meet a young, attractive couple, Peter and Judy Lansdowne, on the occasion of their third anniversary, in September 1929. With a rich stockbroker husband, a house in Westchester on Long Island Sound, and loads of rich friends to have drunken parties with, life certainly does hold much promise for Judy. Everything changes for the two, however, when Peter is blinded in a freak equestrian accident and the Lansdownes lose everything in the Stock Market crash. Now paupered and living in the relative squalor of Manhattan's East 63rd Street (!), Judy embarks on a doubly duplicitous course of action. She not only decides to keep the knowledge of the crash from her husband, as well as their impecunious state, but also confuses Peter's sense of time, so the blind man will think day is night and vice versa (hence, the novel's title). Thus, she feels free to work nights at a Broadway bawdy club doing a Lady Godiva act, bringing home some bacon to her befuddled hubby. And if this high-wire act of double juggling strikes the reader as being impracticable, imagine what it does to poor Judy, who must also sort out her feelings for the kindly Bill Reynolds, Peter's ex-partner, on top of everything else! It is an interesting story, and the Lansdownes are a bright, witty and likable pair. The book is often racy, never dull, and provides a fascinating glimpse of life amongst the once-rich set in early '30s New York.
The book also comes with its share of problems, however, and reveals some of the deficiencies of the tyro novelist. There are numerous instances of fuzzy writing, a tendency to show off with $2 words, and some repetitious turns of phrase (as in "blind, unseeing eyes"). Many characters are introduced in the novel's opening chapters, never to be heard from again. And then there is that doubly preposterous central plot device! Still, despite all, "Today Is Tonight" remains fascinating, for the simple reason that it IS Harlow's brainchild, and because she felt the part of Judy Lansdowne would be the ideal screen role for her, if and when the novel ever made it to the silver screen. (It never did.) Indeed, reading the book, one can very easily picture Harlow in the lead, with someone like Franchot Tone playing Peter, and perhaps Jack Carson or Ralph Bellamy portraying Bill. It certainly would have made for a clever--albeit implausible--dramedy, leavened with a goodly share of sex and romance. If anything, the novel demonstrates that the world lost not only a superbly gifted actress when Harlow died in 1937, at the age of 26, but a promising young writer as well. The book is assuredly recommended to all her fans.
In the book, we meet a young, attractive couple, Peter and Judy Lansdowne, on the occasion of their third anniversary, in September 1929. With a rich stockbroker husband, a house in Westchester on Long Island Sound, and loads of rich friends to have drunken parties with, life certainly does hold much promise for Judy. Everything changes for the two, however, when Peter is blinded in a freak equestrian accident and the Lansdownes lose everything in the Stock Market crash. Now paupered and living in the relative squalor of Manhattan's East 63rd Street (!), Judy embarks on a doubly duplicitous course of action. She not only decides to keep the knowledge of the crash from her husband, as well as their impecunious state, but also confuses Peter's sense of time, so the blind man will think day is night and vice versa (hence, the novel's title). Thus, she feels free to work nights at a Broadway bawdy club doing a Lady Godiva act, bringing home some bacon to her befuddled hubby. And if this high-wire act of double juggling strikes the reader as being impracticable, imagine what it does to poor Judy, who must also sort out her feelings for the kindly Bill Reynolds, Peter's ex-partner, on top of everything else! It is an interesting story, and the Lansdownes are a bright, witty and likable pair. The book is often racy, never dull, and provides a fascinating glimpse of life amongst the once-rich set in early '30s New York.
The book also comes with its share of problems, however, and reveals some of the deficiencies of the tyro novelist. There are numerous instances of fuzzy writing, a tendency to show off with $2 words, and some repetitious turns of phrase (as in "blind, unseeing eyes"). Many characters are introduced in the novel's opening chapters, never to be heard from again. And then there is that doubly preposterous central plot device! Still, despite all, "Today Is Tonight" remains fascinating, for the simple reason that it IS Harlow's brainchild, and because she felt the part of Judy Lansdowne would be the ideal screen role for her, if and when the novel ever made it to the silver screen. (It never did.) Indeed, reading the book, one can very easily picture Harlow in the lead, with someone like Franchot Tone playing Peter, and perhaps Jack Carson or Ralph Bellamy portraying Bill. It certainly would have made for a clever--albeit implausible--dramedy, leavened with a goodly share of sex and romance. If anything, the novel demonstrates that the world lost not only a superbly gifted actress when Harlow died in 1937, at the age of 26, but a promising young writer as well. The book is assuredly recommended to all her fans.
May 23, 2017
If I were living in the 1930s I may say something like, "What kind of cock-eyed racket is this?"
I enjoyed this book, if not the first half more than the last. Definitely reads like Jean Harlow in the lead, which she intended since she wanted this to be a movie starring her. It's a bit sad.
The plot is pretty simple at first: couple lives happily until husband Peter is thrown from his horse and goes blind. He falls into a funk and his wife, Judy, decides she is going to protect him from the outside world. Now here's where she starts to make mistakes.
Naturally, October 24, 1929 comes shortly thereafter wiping out Peter's business he has with his best friend, Bill, whom Judy has always sort of loved. Instead of saying, "Honey, I'm so sorry the business is gone," she says, "Bill sold the business!" causing poor Peter, blind and brooding, to chuck out his best friend and be all alone to sulk in silence. What a nice thing for a wife to do.
Now, since they apparently didn't have a radio (which she mentions, but come on....) he never finds out about the stock crash. Judy also decides that she must start making some money. After playing Lady Godiva in a charity gala she is asked by a night club owner to play her every night... for $250 a week! Now only to convince Peter.
But no, she doesn't use language, she decides that she must turn day into night! So by confusing his schedule, she cooks dinner at 6 in the morning and puts them to bed. She is wrecked with worry he may discover. Good thing he doesn't notice the morning birds chirping, or the sun through the window. And thank God they don't have a radio.
Eventually he finds out, after leaving his apartment and befriending a taxi driver. They discover she is out all night, and start searching clubs for her (I am not sure why they thought she would be there...). Eventually they find their Lady Godiva, and all is resolved in a nice little bow, but not before Judy says she is leaving him for Bill. But they do make up, and Bill leaves them in each others arms.
I enjoyed this book, if not the first half more than the last. Definitely reads like Jean Harlow in the lead, which she intended since she wanted this to be a movie starring her. It's a bit sad.
The plot is pretty simple at first: couple lives happily until husband Peter is thrown from his horse and goes blind. He falls into a funk and his wife, Judy, decides she is going to protect him from the outside world. Now here's where she starts to make mistakes.
Naturally, October 24, 1929 comes shortly thereafter wiping out Peter's business he has with his best friend, Bill, whom Judy has always sort of loved. Instead of saying, "Honey, I'm so sorry the business is gone," she says, "Bill sold the business!" causing poor Peter, blind and brooding, to chuck out his best friend and be all alone to sulk in silence. What a nice thing for a wife to do.
Now, since they apparently didn't have a radio (which she mentions, but come on....) he never finds out about the stock crash. Judy also decides that she must start making some money. After playing Lady Godiva in a charity gala she is asked by a night club owner to play her every night... for $250 a week! Now only to convince Peter.
But no, she doesn't use language, she decides that she must turn day into night! So by confusing his schedule, she cooks dinner at 6 in the morning and puts them to bed. She is wrecked with worry he may discover. Good thing he doesn't notice the morning birds chirping, or the sun through the window. And thank God they don't have a radio.
Eventually he finds out, after leaving his apartment and befriending a taxi driver. They discover she is out all night, and start searching clubs for her (I am not sure why they thought she would be there...). Eventually they find their Lady Godiva, and all is resolved in a nice little bow, but not before Judy says she is leaving him for Bill. But they do make up, and Bill leaves them in each others arms.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 4, 2012
I'm not convinced she wrote it, but I'd like to think she did.
Peter and Judy Landsdowne are in the early years of a blissfully happy marriage in September of 1929. Before the very quick 200+ pages go by, this changes in several ways large and small, with consequences for the young couple and those who love them. I can see this terribly romantic, dramatic book being written by a woman in her early 20s. It encompasses romance that Jean Harlow, in her real life, had problems maintaining. It contains dramatic features that most young writers indulge in when they are jotting down their stories. The novel, according to the foreword, was held for thirty years and released in the mid-1960s (probably to provide a push to the paperback release of Irving Shulman's biography of Harlow and the Carroll Baker film based on it).
I would not be surprised if Jean Harlow drafted this piece before her untimely death in 1937. I would be surprised if she wanted anyone else to see it before she herself had had a chance to refine it, possibly after she'd grown a bit older and wiser. It is a page-turning read, but it is in an occasionally over-wrought style, one that she might have wanted to polish if she'd lived long enough.
There is one other reason that I would buy the premise that Jean Harlow wrote at least the first draft herself. It is written in a very "cinematic" style. As I read it, I could see the scenes as they would play out on a movie screen. As an actress, and a particularly astute one at that, it would be natural for Miss Harlow to structure her story in such a way, perhaps with herself in the leading role (though the film that would have come from this book would never have made it past the Hays Code).
Peter and Judy Landsdowne are in the early years of a blissfully happy marriage in September of 1929. Before the very quick 200+ pages go by, this changes in several ways large and small, with consequences for the young couple and those who love them. I can see this terribly romantic, dramatic book being written by a woman in her early 20s. It encompasses romance that Jean Harlow, in her real life, had problems maintaining. It contains dramatic features that most young writers indulge in when they are jotting down their stories. The novel, according to the foreword, was held for thirty years and released in the mid-1960s (probably to provide a push to the paperback release of Irving Shulman's biography of Harlow and the Carroll Baker film based on it).
I would not be surprised if Jean Harlow drafted this piece before her untimely death in 1937. I would be surprised if she wanted anyone else to see it before she herself had had a chance to refine it, possibly after she'd grown a bit older and wiser. It is a page-turning read, but it is in an occasionally over-wrought style, one that she might have wanted to polish if she'd lived long enough.
There is one other reason that I would buy the premise that Jean Harlow wrote at least the first draft herself. It is written in a very "cinematic" style. As I read it, I could see the scenes as they would play out on a movie screen. As an actress, and a particularly astute one at that, it would be natural for Miss Harlow to structure her story in such a way, perhaps with herself in the leading role (though the film that would have come from this book would never have made it past the Hays Code).
May 30, 2012
This is the story of a newlywed couple, the Landsdownes, who are rather glamorous and lead a life of luxury. One day, Peter falls off of his horse and strikes his head. He will live, but he will never see again. His wife Judy is devestated, and even moreso because of Peter's deep depression. They also begin to struggle financially, so Judy, knowing that Peter would not approve of her working, tricks him into thinking that the daytime is the nighttime and vice versa so she can work. She does her best to give him a normal life, but being awake all day and night begins to take its toll, and Peter becomes suspicious of how much time Judy spends away from the house.
The obvious reason to read this is because of the author, actress Jean Harlow who seemed to have been able to accomplish quite a bit in her 26 years. The story is mediocre and the characters are pretty standard, but the story oozes the frivolity of the 1920s, which makes it a nice little piece of history, and quite entertaining.
The obvious reason to read this is because of the author, actress Jean Harlow who seemed to have been able to accomplish quite a bit in her 26 years. The story is mediocre and the characters are pretty standard, but the story oozes the frivolity of the 1920s, which makes it a nice little piece of history, and quite entertaining.
December 1, 2014
This was not a good book. I don't know if it was really written by Jean Harlow but it reads like an amateurs attempt. Over 220 pages and really only three things happen; Peter goes blind, they go broke, and Judy gets a job at a club. The rest is filled in with really long, unnecessary, flowery descriptions about everything that is not important to the story. For example while mentioning that there is a full audience for a show it goes off into a summary of the life of a random person in the audience for no reason at all. The person was never mentioned again and had no effect on the plot. The characters are not likable at all either. Judy is over-dramatic and immature, Peter is a cocky jerk, and Bill is two-faced. I would not read again and do not recommend at all.
September 26, 2012
finished this yesterday and must say I really enjoyed it. A nice melodrama, nothing really too heavy even though the husband Peter becomes blind due to an accident. Like I wrote previously it describes the beginning of the Great Depression well and how the upper class survived when it was taken away. There is talk of how Jean Harlow had help writing the book, regardless of that I think she did a very good job with this. Its just too bad it was her only one.
December 13, 2019
This book is really incredible to read, knowing the author is Jean Harlow herself is totally amazing! Now I know there is speculation as to if she wrote it, but I truly believe it is her story, and it reads like one of her movies. There is drama and wit and lots of romance. The lead couple have a tendency to verbally spar and banter, and that is much in line with the 1930’s films that made Harlow a star. The story itself is very sweet and sentimental. The jokes are reminiscent of Anita Loos, who wrote films that Harlow starred in, as well as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. I know that had she lived longer she could have had a career as a writer as well as an actress.
September 4, 2011
Can someone tell me how many pages this book really has? My copy ended at 223, and say, abruptly, leaving me hanging and with an insatiate feel of a proper ending.
November 17, 2017
I tried to like this book but it was so bad I gave up pretty quickly. Jean Harlow was a great movie star, but she sure wasn't a great writer!
September 16, 2018
Whether Jean Harlow authored this or not, it is alright; it basically reads like a film synopsis.
March 13, 2019
Very much like a pre-Code movie script - one that would have made a decent film, but is a pretty ridiculous book. I'm surprised it was never filmed.
February 13, 2022
Today is Tonight, is "a novel of deep enduring passion that reveals the seemingly tough blond bombshell as a sensitive, tender, infinitely wistful woman," as Mademoiselle magazine proffers.
I have heard of the legend of the novel Jean Harlow American Actress 19111937 wrote, and for years, I was on a quest. This month (February 2022), I found it in abbreviated form in the 1964 edition of Mademoiselle magazine.
Today is Tonight, and tonight is a nightmare.
What else can I say that although the basic idea of Today is Tonight is intriguing, Jean Harlow's writing style is sometimes fun, sometimes heartfelt, and sometimes gut-wrenching, i.e., difficult to absorb.
The writing is sometimes so bad, it is good.
(It is said that Cecile B. DeMille of MGM put a stop to Harlow's book, that is, no publication, no movie made from it, as her mother wanted. The only reason I can surmise it is DeMille did not want MGM's name besmirched. Who really knows but DeMille himself?)
Overall, I enjoyed the idea of Jean Harlow's novel, but not her writing style as much, yet it still readable.
⚪️Internet Archive.
I have heard of the legend of the novel Jean Harlow American Actress 19111937 wrote, and for years, I was on a quest. This month (February 2022), I found it in abbreviated form in the 1964 edition of Mademoiselle magazine.
Today is Tonight, and tonight is a nightmare.
What else can I say that although the basic idea of Today is Tonight is intriguing, Jean Harlow's writing style is sometimes fun, sometimes heartfelt, and sometimes gut-wrenching, i.e., difficult to absorb.
The writing is sometimes so bad, it is good.
(It is said that Cecile B. DeMille of MGM put a stop to Harlow's book, that is, no publication, no movie made from it, as her mother wanted. The only reason I can surmise it is DeMille did not want MGM's name besmirched. Who really knows but DeMille himself?)
Overall, I enjoyed the idea of Jean Harlow's novel, but not her writing style as much, yet it still readable.
⚪️Internet Archive.
January 9, 2021
Tengo una debilidad por las novelas baratas y basurescas hechas con tópicos y ganchos facilones cuando había un público especializado en este tipo de novelas. Son como una especie de telenovelas en los cuales se pueden leer los grandes temas tabúes que le interesaban a una sociedad: amor, dinero, infidelidad, vida nocturna soft, glamour y decadencia de las clases altas que devienen en redención gracias a un cursi romanticismo chafa. Esta novela es tan inverosímil, dramática y tragicómica porque sus personajes sonen exceso torpes, pendejos, hipócritas y mal pedo que no pueden sino recordarte a la realidad y que desgraciadamente así es el mundo. Entonces, si es una novela mala no es porque la ficción y la construcción literaria sean malas (aunque tiene capítulos ilógicos e inverosímiles) sino porque reproduce tal cual la realidad que choca. Igual tiene parrafitos chidos que explican cosas simples de la vida.
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