Clara Bow, Thank You.

In a few days it will be the 44th anniversary of Clara Bow’s death. There’s nothing humorous in that, in fact there was not much funny in her life. It was her attitude toward that life that makes me smile. She did not make excuses for who she was and where she came from, she didn’t hesitate to “stick it to them” when pompous and elitist people criticised her. Pursuing her desires and laying it out there for all to see, landed her in trouble more than once. In a Hollywood where “look at me” often meant more along the lines of “look at the me I want you to see” Clara was just Clara.

Her premature passing of heart failure at 60 years pretty much sums up her time here on earth. Born in Brooklyn, New York July 29, 1905 into relative poverty, her childhood as we know it, was filled with tragedy. An abusive father and mentally ill mother could not have provided a happy environment for this only child. Clara didn’t write about her life, she just lived it as it was. In a time when having a mentally ill relative was considered shameful, she spoke openly about her experiences. Biographers seldom mention her happy times, surely she had some, I suppose the tragic times were of more interest to their readers.

As a teenager she entered a beauty contest which she won, receiving a movie part as the prize. She was made for movies, large brown eyes and a face that became the classic “Poor and naive but naughty” look seen in many of the movies of that time. Even breaking into the movies had its tragic side for her. The producer who took her to Hollywood as his “discovery” used her talents and looks for his own purposes. He paid her little compared to the money other actresses of her standing received, he also overworked her, although she apparently didn’t complain. Clara Bow became a Star, and the first true Hollywood sex symbol in life as well as the movies. She developed a reputation for her “engagements” as she called affairs. More than one wife named her as the other woman in divorce proceedings.

She used her sex appeal to great advantage, playing characters who were working class, and who liked to pursue men. With the arrival of “Talkies” Clara faced a problem, her Brooklyn accent was so broad she couldn’t overcome Hollywood’s insistence on a more general accent for the new type of movie. Clara preformed in more than 30 films, the one considered her “signature” film was “iT”, a 1927 movie directed by Clarence Badger. The “it” she had as a shop girl was sex appeal.

Clara Bow retired from the movie scene in the early 1930s; she had married Rex Bell a cowboy actor. Rex and Clara had two sons whom she loved dearly. The final tragic story of her life was the mental illness she developed which kept her from her sons for much of the time.

The first time I noticed Clara, was because of her classic silent movie looks, and perhaps because it was a silent movie, I had to use my imagination more than in watching a movie today. Following the story from images and text on the screen, we fill in the characters with personalities we perceive them possessing. Clara played parts that made us want her to succeed but at the same time say to ourselves “don’t do that Clara” when the character used her charms to grasp her desires. Now that I know Clara’s real story I’m even more on her side. Thanks Clara, for giving us so much of yourself.

Clara Bow rests at Forrest Lawn, Glendale California.

Photo from "Wings" 1927                                Return to Main Page.
JAWhite 2009