Hollywood's original blonde bombshell only lived to be 26 years old. But she made 20 films that make her worth showcasing as Turner Classic Movies' star of the month on Tuesdays through March. And 75 years after her death, movie mavens still know -- and love -- Jean Harlow.

Exuding sex the way she did, Harlow might have been offputting to women; but no. We love her just as much as the guys do. She's a gal's gal, too. That sense of fun. That vivacity. Those street smarts. That voice.

The guys are probably a bit more entranced by the body, as showcased especially in that legendarily slinky gown in Dinner at Eight -- so tight, she couldn't sit down and had to lean between scenes against an upright board.

You know Dinner at Eight -- the one where dowager Marie Dressler does that double-take-of-all-double-takes when Harlow mentions during pre-eat chit chat that "I was reading a book the other day." And you know Dressler's line, after Harlow reports the book says that machines are taking over human roles: "Oh my dear. That's something you'll never have to worry about."

But Harlow's hot in hoards of other flicks, too. TCM salute kickoff Red Headed Woman (March 8 at 8 p.m. ET) is a pre-Code sizzler, even if she isn't her usual platinum blonde. Fully bleached earlier, she was oddly cast in 1931's James Cagney breakthrough The Public Enemy (March 15 at 8 p.m. ET), as a high-falutin' society dame -- and she's stiff as a board, too -- but Harlow still has, well, sumthin', that's for sure.

Her other sumthin' was talent, which would shine bright by the time five years later when she made Libeled Lady (March 15 at 11:15 p.m. ET). MGM's all-star comedy smash also starred Spencer Tracy, William Powell and Myrna Loy as all the co-respondents in a messy would-be divorce case instigated amid a headline-hunting newspaper war. (Remember those? Didn't think so.)

Harlow is hilarious, glamorous, plucky and more than a match for the vaunted Tracy, playing the fiance who ends up asking her to marry another man so he can sell scandal. Lady is fast-paced screwball froth that's perfect for her skills.

But it's on March 22 that Harlow really heats up, opposite frequent foil Clark Gable in steamy stuff like Wife vs. Secretary, Red Dust (shower scene!), Hold Your Man, China Seas, The Secret Six and Harlow's final film, Saratoga, completed by a double after her 1937 death from kidney failure.

And finally, on March 29, comes that other all-star parade of Dinner at Eight.

Visit TCM's web site for smart essays on all the Harlow happiness heading your way.

She's a corker.