Paul Bern

Bern pursued a career in acting on the stage and studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He later pursued other aspects of theater production. He eventually moved to Hollywood and worked as a writer and director for various, smaller film companies. This led to his working full-time as a producer at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the major studio of the time. Read Less

Two months later, on September 5, he was found dead, from a gunshot in the head, in their home on Easton Drive, Beverly Hills, California. The coroner ruled his death a suicide.<br /><br /> Police discovered a note at the scene that read as follows: <br /><br /> "Dearest Dear, Unfortuately sic this is the only way to make good the frightful wrong I have done you and to wipe out my abject humiliation, I Love sic you. Paul You understand that last night was only a comedy" <br /><br /> Authorities viewed this as a suicide note signed by Bern.<br /><br /> To the police, and before a grand jury, Harlow's only statement was that she "knew nothing". Harlow never publicly spoke on the matter. She died in 1937.<br /><br /> Bern is buried at Inglewood Park Cemetery, in Inglewood, California.<br /><br /> In the November 1960 issue of Playboy, screenwriter Ben Hecht questioned the official verdict of Bern's death causing renewed interest in the case. Hecht suggested that Bern was murdered by an unnamed woman, and that Bern's death investigation was a "suicide whitewash". Hecht went on to say that the explanation of Bern's suicide "would be less a black eye for their MGM's biggest movie making heroine. It might crimp her Harlow's box office allure to have her blazoned as a wife who couldn't hold her husband". The article prompted Los Angeles County District Attorney William B. McKesson to reopen the case, but McKesson later closed it stating, "When I ordered the record check I assumed Hecht was still a responsible reporter. Read Less