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Clara Bow's on screen charm, beauty and sensuality earned her a permanant place high on the list of legendary Screen Divas. She is by far the most searched and viewed Diva on this website. However, her success could not heal her. Poor Clara's origins were tragic. Born in 1905 in poverty, her father left her mother shortly before Clara was born. Her mother was mentally ill and epileptic. She actually hoped that the terrible heat wave that cloaked New York City that summer would kill her and her baby. Her father hung around and was physically abusive. Her best friend burned to death and died in her arms when she was 10. Clara survived her bleak childhood and persued her asperations to be in movies. She entered every beauty and magazine contest she could until she won. Thereafter, she worked her way from a contract movie "slave" into stardom. Unfortunately, the movie business in those days was very cut-throat, with little or no protections. Clara was ripped off and underpaid at nearly every turn by notorious scam artists that made good money exploiting "stars" of the day. When she signed with Paramount, rather than finding the security she might have hoped for, studio executives exploited her private life to sell movies. As the popularity of many "Jazz Age" figures waned in the aerly depression years, Clara was also daunted by personal, financial and legal problems. After appearing in more than 50 films, she married cowboy star Rex Bell and left show business. She had two children that she treated well, and loved dearly, breaking the cycle of neglect she inherited from her own parents. However, because of mental problems she was frequently institutionalized and separated from her family. Her life continued with such difficulties until she died, completely forgotten, in 1965 at the age of 60. Since her death, her popularity has been re-invigorated, and many of her films have been restored. There will only ever be one Clara Bow. I hope that somehwere out there she knows how much we love her.
(c) 2006 Randolf Smallwood Unfortunately, it appears that most of Clara Bow's films are out of print or difficult to find. Of those that are in print, there are several available on VHS and only a few on DVD. Click Here for an itemization of all Clara Bow products currently available on Amazon.com. |
Clara Bow filmography
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Featured DVD! |
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Why is the latest hot movie star sometimes refered to as the "It Girl"? Thanks to Clara Bow, and her role in the 1927 film! This DVD includes a light hearted documentary with many Clara Bow movie clips. |