| − | Clara Bow (born June 29, 1905 - died September 26, 1965) was a silent film star and one of the leading box office draws of the 1920s. Born in Brooklyn, New York to an alcoholic father and a mother with serious psychiatric illness, Bow entered and won a magazine contest which included a small part in a motion picture. Subsequently she was placed under contract to producer [[B.P. Schulberg]] (the father of [[Bud Schulberg]], who would later write the screenplay for [[On the Waterfront]]). Bow made a great many films during her relatively brief career, many of which have been derided by critics for their low production values. Her best known film today is [[It]], which is available on DVD in versions which differ as to musical soundtrack. The title of this film refers to an undefineable sex appeal supposedly possessed by certain persons and not by others, but the plot of the film itself is a typical romantic comedy familiar to viewers from that time to this. Thereafter Bow was referred to as "The 'It' Girl", a title still associated with her in the present day. | + | Clara Bow (born June 29, 1905 - died September 26, 1965) was a silent film star and one of the leading box office draws of the 1920s. Born in Brooklyn, New York to an alcoholic father and a mother with serious psychiatric illness, Bow entered and won a magazine contest which included a small part in a motion picture. Subsequently she was placed under contract to producer [[B.P. Schulberg]] (the father of [[Bud Schulberg]], who would later write the screenplay for [[On the Waterfront]]). Bow made a great many films during her relatively brief career, many of which have been derided by critics for their low production values. Her best known film today is [[It]], which is available on DVD in versions which differ as to musical soundtrack. The title of this film refers to an undefineable sex appeal supposedly possessed by certain persons and not by others, but the plot of the film itself is a typical [[romantic comedy]] familiar to viewers from that time to this. Thereafter Bow was referred to as "The 'It' Girl", a title still associated with her in the present day. |
| | Author [[F. Scott Fitzgerald]], who was already considered the voice of the new generation of the [[jazz age]], described Bow as the quintessence of the [[flapper]]. | | Author [[F. Scott Fitzgerald]], who was already considered the voice of the new generation of the [[jazz age]], described Bow as the quintessence of the [[flapper]]. |