Deadly Illusions

by Samuel Marx

"With an extraordinary cast of characters that ranges from Mayer himself to F. Scott Fitzgerald, DEADLY ILLUSIONS rips the lid off the studio cover-up with compelling evidence that Bern was murdered--and why."--from the front flap. From Publishers weekly: The death of Hollywood producer Bern has remained a mystery since his nude body was found near his swimming pool in 1932. MGM's Louis B. Mayer's declaration that Bern had committed suicide because he was impotent and could not satisfy his young wife, Harlow, was echoed in the official finding. MGM story editor Marx, one of the first people on the scene, and actress-ballerina Vanderveen here present their version of what happened. Interviewing those who knew the victim, Harlow and Mayer, and researching grand jury files, they conclude that Bern was murdered by a former lover, Dorothy Millette, and that Mayer covered up the crime to protect Harlow's career. A lively but helter-skelter account.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Film, Biography, History, Crime, Biography Memoir

Hardcover

First published September 19, 1990

Reviews

[Rama Rao · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jean Harlow and Paul Bern

This is an outstanding book, well investigated and beautifully written about the death of producer Paul Bern, the husband of actress Jean Harlow. This is a gripping story that engages the readers as the author unfolds the scandals behind it. The author Sam Marx is a MGM insider and its story editor for many years and also a producer who knew Paul Bern and Jean Harlow personally and he was one of the first to arrive at the Bern-Harlow estate on Easton Drive of Benedict Canyon on Labor Day of 1932. By this time police were not yet called but Louis B. Mayer, the MGM boss had already come and gone. Los Angels Times reported that Bern's death is mystifying and stated that there were variances in servants accounts. The crime scene investigation revealed that there was a suicide note, but the author concludes that it was an apology written by Bern to Harlow few days ago for a minor domestic altercation. The crime scene details also casts doubt on the theory that he shot himself since the position, blood splatter, and the position of gun found at the scene does not support this theory. But Paul's death added an extra dimension to the constant and frenzied wheeling and dealing of picture making at MGM. Studio bosses were at the Bern estate for six or seven hours before cops rolled in. They knew something others did not, and they were covering up something before it became a big scandal and blow in the face of the studio. The studio executives concluded that Bern's death is a suicide and the suicide note would support this theory. The studio also obtained a medical certificate from studio physician that Bern had medical problems related to impotence and he no longer could satisfy his beautiful wife, so he committed suicide. It was felt that this story is least likely to hurt the studio. This theory is countered by several other studio managers who argued with executives that Bern had been with many women and some of them could testify about his virility. In addition Bern was married to Dorothy Millette and had been cohabitating for several years. On the night of Bern's death, Dorothy Millette who had been in coma for several years in NY recovered and had been in San Francisco and she was visiting Bern in his house in LA, in spite of the fact he didn't want to see her and she knew he is married to Harlow. Harlow was unaware of his first marriage and hence to avoid embarrassment, he shot himself. This was the first theory of the author based on his understnding of the case, but he changes that to murder by Dorothy Mellette who was scorned by Bern. It is also her mental condition that may have contributed her sudden murderous rage. Two days after Bern's death Millette committed suicide by jumping from a ferryboat traveling from San Francisco to Sacramento. Paul Bern apparently used his secretary in the studio's to send Millette the bank checks for years to support her. And he also visited her when he went to NY.

Marino Bello, the husband of mother Harlow may be another suspect. Apparently he was an opportunist who was using Harlow's connection with MGM to make him big in movie industry, but the executives strongly disliked him. Before she became a star, he even persuaded her to date mafia in NY. He had connections with bad guys. The author recalls that Bello was jealous about a much older Paul Bern marrying his beautiful step-daughter, but this theory doesn't have strong support.

There is also plenty of history written in the book about the rise of Jean Harlow to stardom and the difficulties she faced with reluctant MGM studio bosses Irving Thalberg and Louis B. Mayer to cast her for first successful movie, Red Headed Woman. The author also recalls the struggles in movie making business, the politics and briefly touches upon the work life of other MGM stars like; Buster Keaton, Marie Dressler, Wallace Beery, Norma Shearer, Clark Gable, and Joan Crawford.

[Samantha Glasser · Rating 4 out of 5]

The death of Paul Bern is most often cited as a suicide, and history books chalk it up to his impotence. This book examines the details of Bern's death such as the information hidden by MGM, including the fact that the was not impotent after all.

Marx, a friend of both Bern and his wife Jean Harlow, gathers the evidence and asserts that he was murdered. The account is chronologically jumpy, and the author uses direct quotes which degrades the validity of the information a bit. However, it brings up many facts that I had not heard before, like the fact that Bern was married before to a woman named Dorothy and that soon after his death, she was found floating in a river.

A fascinating read, and further proof of the corruption of Buron Fitts and the LAPD at this time.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting novel for many reasons. Although there is no real proof of his murder, certain methods the studio did to make successful cover-ups to protect their star's reputation remains a fact of that era. Once you learn of the facts that emerged years later and read what they believed to have actually happened during the time of Paul Burn's murder it starts to make a lot of sense. This novel was very intriguing to say the least!

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, so if you like murder mysteries AND Hollywood (like I do) you'll enjoy this informative look into 1932 and the mysterious death of Jean Harlow's second husband Paul Bern. He was found in his home shot to death (in the head); an apparent suicide. Or was it??! VERY interesting stuff. It was written by Samuel Marx who worked at MGM for many years as a story editor. He was at the house that morning when Paul was found. Lots of suspicious activity going on in Hollywood, lemme tell ya. I think most people know by now that Louis B. Mayer (head of MGM from about 1924-1951) was a total scumbag, but did you also know that his assistant, Irving Thalberg, Hollywood's "boy genius", was also a scumbag? Yeah, I sure didn't. Lots of shocking stuff in this book. Jean Harlow died only 5 years later and never spoke to ANYONE about Paul's death. It's all very mysterious and intriguing. I couldn't put it down. (Reading a big, thick book in one week is pretty fast for me.) Anyway, I highly recommend it to anyone who likes this sort of thing... Non-fiction eye witness accounts that this man spent years gathering and piecing together. I love that kind of stuff.

[Maranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book worth reading for all old film lovers. It is especially interesting to those of us that love Jean Harlow. The author actually knew Paul Bern and worked with him, giving the book insider knowledge.

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting read about a time when studios could do anything. did it all really happen that way? Marx made his case if everything he says is true.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always searching for more info on the strange marriage of Harlow and Bern

[Susan Liston · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 1/2. I was intrigued by this book at first. To my surprise the author was writing from first hand experience, he was a screenwriter at MGM at this time and actually went to the house and milled about with Irving Thalberg, etc., the morning Bern's body was discovered. Hearing his experiences and impressions of these people was interesting. I had always heard the standard story, Bern married the much younger Harlow in the hopes that her inherent hotness would cure his impotence, and when it didn't, he shot himself in humiliation. But the theory here is, that was just the dramatic studio line. The truth was that Bern had a common law wife, who had been in and out of mental hospitals, was about to lay public claim to him, and ruin Jean's career by revealing that she had married a bigamist. He picked a fight with Jean that night knowing she would run home to mommy, invited the ex to the house to reason with her, and SHE put a bullet in his head with his gun. Then she went to Sacramento and jumped off a riverboat and drowned. It took a looooong time to lay out this theory and I got a little impatient by the end. And there is no concrete proof of any of this, everything written about his case is speculation, so it ends up a bit frustrating as well.

[Amber the vintage girl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating book. They lived in the same house as Jay Sebring would later live & where his girlfriend at the time Sharon Tate saw Paul's ghost and a premonition of her own future death when her and Jay would be murdered by the Manson family but they were murdered in her house not his. This book doesn't mention any of that but thought I would leave it in my review for those who didn't know. If you like true crime and old Hollywood I suggest this book.

[Malcolm Broderick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read for lovers of early Hollywood and one that will put the rumors surrounding the Paul Bern death to bed. Marx worked for Paul Bern who worked under Irving Thalberg, Louis B. Mayer's creative genius at MGM, and so had intimate knowledge of the people involved at the time. There are plenty of connected side stories that will surprise and delight early Hollywood fans. It's well written and remains a page-turner to the end.

[Craig · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting story, but not well-written so I'm sure there's more to the story I'm missing. But it does interest me in the actress Jean Harlow, who died at a very young age in a life filled with mystery.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book makes you believe Paul Bern was murdered rather than committing suicide as was thought at the time.. it was a long time ago.

[Carleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this insightful look into old Hollywood and its darker side.

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice peek into old time Hollywood, and the fascinating Jean Harlow. Written by two people who are actually there.

[Michael Thomas Angelo · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have been intrigued with the story of Jean Harlow and her gay suicidal husband Paul Bern since I was a tween. The blond sexpot forced into a loveless marriage by studio kingpins only to get tangled up in a web of mystery and murder is Hollywood Babylon's best. Some say Bern died at his own hands resulting in poor self esteem that stemmed from his insecurities about his mediocre member. Reports propose that he was never comfortable in the role he suddenly had to fulfill, that of a husband to America's sex symbol fantasy. How could his lackluster love vitriol satisfy the sexual cravings of this siren of screen legend? Others say he was murdered as a pawn in studio politics and subsequently covered up and hushed. The tale left many loose ends when it occurred at the pinnacle of Hollywood's golden age. Jean Harlow had just come into her own after Howard Hugues displayed her tits to new heights. She was the first peroxide blond manufactured within studio walls. Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield would follow suit among other ladies, such as Judy Holiday, offering a comic portrayal of the bleached bimbo. At 26, when she dropped dead form toxic shock syndrome, she had already lived through a husband's death, an era enjoyed as Clark Gable's gal, at least on screen, and a string of hits. Dinner at Eight was one of her comedic achievements.
The characters of Harlow and Bern comprise enough gritty detail to warrant a delicious read. That supposition just isn't so with this book. It reads like a dry, unintelligible discourse of legalese bereft of alacrity and style. It was the most completely boring, dull, dreck I've ever found bound. I would understand if the subject matter was akin to the bloated bombast likened to the history of Chinese financial streams in third world market economies. But this was Babylon. How could you fuck that up?

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've had this book for years and finally got to it. Samuel Marx investigates the death of his friend Paul Bern with his colleague Joyce Vanderveen. There's a spoiler alert right in the title of the book but there's remarkable information throughout. Looking back at what happened 90 years ago, it's difficult to understand why LB Mayer cooked up a deceptive storyline and didn't let the truth be discovered at the time. Why wouldn't he allow the rest of the world to know what happened in the first place? Mayer has not been remembered fondly by history. Changing evidence to cover up a murder is wrong. In the very final pages, Marx tells us about the most remarkable thing of all that Jean Harlow did without taking any credit. In my opinion Jean did not need any protection from the truth. Her fans loved her and they have Paul Bern to thank for allowing her sparkling personality to come through in her films. This is a great book.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, a well-woven tell-all that involves MGM, private dicks, Paul Bern and a very young Harlow. And the first, sorta, Mrs. Bern.

Ben Hecht was loud about Paul's apparent suicide; Bern allegedly shot himself because he was impotent with Harlow, a death that Groucho Marx quipped something like, "Poor fella, I know how he felt. Same thing happened to me once." In DEADLY IILUSIONS, there are quotes aplenty as Roddy McDowell gave it a "Tsk, tsk" and housekeepers and reporters all had a statement... after hte fact.

Dorothy Millette, the mysterious common-law wife of Bern was well-documented as she was demented in this wonderful, gossipy read. Strangely, Millett was found dead, Bern was found dead and within a few years as Harlow's flame was going out, the young platinum blonde was dead to kidney failure.

Want cover-ups and sleuthing? Marx, an MGM insider at the time, nails it.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great inside scoop from someone who was there at the time and even, if the author is to be believed, on site the day after the killing of Paul Bern. Apart from the speculation and the revelation of new info, there is ample detail about the creation of the career of Miss Harlow and fascinating glimpses into her own all-too-brief life. Remarkably little is said of Mr. Bern's previous life in most accounts of the man and his death (and even then, much of it is incorrect), but Mr. Marx was his friend and can reveal quite a bit. Just fans of the movie biz, Irving Thalberg and the glory days of MGM should find this book interesting, aside from the central subject.

[Phyllis · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a fascinating topic: a Hollywood producer's sudden death, possibly suicide, possibly murder at the hands of a former love, or possibly murdered by a young and glamorous starlet. The author knew the producer and was there at the house within hours of the shooting. But the book is horribly written with no real reasons for the conclusions it, at long last, draws. I hope a real writer tackles this subject some day.

[Nancy Loe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another take on the turbulent lives of Jean Harlow and her third husband, Paul Bern, who killed himself shortly after they were wed. The mystery that surrounds Bern's death to this day is largely due to studio coverups.

[Laini · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this case was always said to be suicide, but according to a Hollywood insider working years after the fact, Paul Bern was murdered by the woman who was his common-law wife before Jean Harlow.

Not bad. A juicy read for fans of old Hollywood.

[Karen Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book is about the death of Paul Bern, Jean Harlow's husband. MGM covered up the crime, the thinking being that his murder would somehow taint Harlow's career, even though she wasn't involved. Both writers knew Bern and Harlow.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of the MGM cover-up of the murder of jean harlow's husband, Paul bern.

[Mollie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story, but a bit choppy.