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A page from the Carpenter family Bible,
documenting the marriages of the Carpenter
brothers
Earle (E.B.), Arden (A.H.) and Mont Clair.
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| There has been a general assumption that
Jean had very little contact with her father Mont, much less the rest of
the Carpenter family. This letter from Earle Carpenter (Mont's brother)
to his daughter Elsie (who preferred to call herself Natalie) in New York
disproves the theory. Evidently, letters from Jean to her father
were not so rare that he minded enclosing at least one in a letter to his
own mother, to share with everyone else. Note that Mont's parents
and older brothers usually called him Monte; most other family members
(my mother included) called him Uncle Mont.
This letter is dated Wednesday, Oct. 13,
1932, and was written about a month after the death of Paul Bern; it refers
to the filming of "Red Dust" with Clark Gable.
Elsie penciled her comments (often cynical
or downright rude) on the original letter and returned it. This habit
no doubt irritated her father, but is a treasure to us! Her reply
here implies that she had been in contact with her famous cousin.
See a typed version of the text below. |
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| "A letter from Monte to Mother with a
letter from Harlean to Monte acknowledging is advice and promising to come
to him Xmas & have a long talk, and saying (3) she had
to work long hours every day, committing to memory page after
page of dialogs & then they would change it & add and add, &
she was nearly crazy at times but had to go on to
make good -- etc = No wonder she wouldnt encourage you --" |
(Elsie's penciled comment) "but she
did you know"
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| Many years after Jean Harlow's death,
this snapshot of Mont and Maude Carpenter was taken at their home in 1965.
Mont's love for his only daughter, Harlean, is obvious -- her image still
hung on their living room wall. |
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