Descriptive Summary
Access
Publication Rights
Preferred Citation
Acquisition Information
Collection Scope and Content Summary
Biography
Arrangement of the Collection
Indexing terms
Descriptive Summary
Abstract: The collection includes clippings, reviews, and publicity materials for CALL HER SAVAGE (1932), DANGEROUS CURVES (1929), HOOPLA
(1933), IT (1927), MANTRAP (1926), THE PLASTIC AGE (1926), RED HAIR (1928), and WINGS (1927). The subject files consists of
clippings, correspondence, and fan mail. Of particular interest is Bow’s fan mail, ranging in years from 1926 to 1965.
Collector:
Bow, Clara
Dates: 1926-1965
Dates: 1926-1935
Dates: 1950-1964
Collection number: 511
Collection Size:
3.5 linear ft. of papers
Repository:
Margaret Herrick Library. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
Access
Available by appointment only.
Publication Rights
Property rights to the physical object belong to the Margaret Herrick Library. Researchers are responsible for obtaining all
necessary rights, licenses, or permissions from the appropriate companies or individuals before quoting from or publishing
materials obtained from the library.
Preferred Citation
Clara Bow papers, Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Rex Bell Jr., 2002
Collection Scope and Content Summary
The Clara Bow papers span the years 1926-1965 (bulk 1926-1935 and 1950-1964) and encompass approximately 3.5 linear feet.
The collection includes production and subject files. The production files contain clippings, reviews, and publicity materials
from some of Bow’s biggest box office and critical successes, including CALL HER SAVAGE (1932), DANGEROUS CURVES (1929), HOOPLA
(1933), IT (1927), MANTRAP (1926), THE PLASTIC AGE (1926), RED HAIR (1928), and WINGS (1927). The subject files consist of
clippings, correspondence, and fan mail. The clippings, both domestic and foreign, include articles, portraits, and magazine
covers with annotations by Bow. There are also clippings regarding the trial of Daisy DeVoe, Bow’s former assistant, and clippings
from the "Los Angeles Examiner" of a multi-part biography of Bow written by Louella O. Parsons in 1931. Also included are
non-career related clippings that Bow collected during her life. Among the correspondence are cards and letters from Clarence
Badger, Harry Richman, Gilbert Roland, Barbara Stanwyck, and Bow’s husband, actor Rex Bell. Of particular interest is Bow’s
fan mail, ranging in years from 1926-1965.
The photograph series of the Clara Bow papers includes production, biography, and subject series. The majority of materials
are photographic prints, but there are also 40 postcards across all series. The motion picture production series contains
37 items from a wide range of films, including RED HAIR (1928), DANGEROUS CURVES (1929), and WINGS (1927). The biography series
contains 121 items, the bulk of which is Clara Bow and her family, including husband, actor Rex Bell. Other notable people
include James Garner and President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The subject series contains 31 photos of residences, pets, and the
1939 World’s Fair.
Biography
Clara Bow (1905-1965) was born Clara Gordon Bow in Brooklyn, New York. An American silent film actress, Bow embodied the Roaring
Twenties and was personified as “The It Girl.” Bow’s acting career began in January 1921 after she won a movie role in the
"Fame and Fortune Contest" sponsored by "Motion Picture Magazine." Even though Bow’s part in the film BEYOND THE RAINBOW (1922)
was cut, she continued to pursue an acting career. Bow’s screen debut arrived with her next film, DOWN TO THE SEA IN SHIPS
(1923). Although Bow was only a supporting player, many New York film critics singled her out for her exceptional performance.
Shortly thereafter, Jack Bachman, a partner with B.P. Schulberg in Preferred Pictures, an independent production and distribution
company based in Hollywood, offered Bow train fare to California and a three-month trial at $50 a week. A week before her
18th birthday, Bow departed New York's Grand Central Station for Hollywood. Initially unimpressed by Bow’s looks, B. P. Schulberg
reluctantly granted Bow a screen test, but her natural acting ability changed his mind. In 1924 Bow was named a WAMPAS baby
star by the Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers, the highest honor of the day for an aspiring screen actress.
Bow worked constantly over the next few years, making more than 20 films before THE PLASTIC AGE (1926) made her a star. In
1926, when Schulberg was appointed head of productions at Paramount Pictures, he brought Bow with him and paired her with
top talent and better directors. Her big break came with MANTRAP (1926), directed by Victor Fleming, which opened to rave
reviews and big box office. Paramount then signed Bow to a five-year contract. Bow reached the height of her popularity as
a shopgirl who seduces her employer in IT (1927), adapted from Elinor Glyn's novella. Bow was consequently dubbed “The It
Girl”- “It” being a euphemism for sex appeal. Bow's next film, WINGS (1927), became one of the biggest successes of the silent
era, winning the first Academy Award® for Best Picture. Although Bow was one of Paramount’s biggest silent film stars, her
fame waned after she appeared in Paramount's first sound film, THE WILD PARTY (1929). At the height of her career, Bow was
besieged by fan mail, with thousands of letters arriving each month. The media documented her numerous personal problems including
her broken engagements and a damaging public court trial involving her former assistant, Daisy DeVoe. In 1931, Bow took a
one-year hiatus from acting and married actor Rex Bell. Bow signed a two-picture deal with Fox Film Corporation in 1932 and
returned to the screen with two successful films: CALL HER SAVAGE (1932) and HOOPLA (1933). Bow then retired from the screen
at age 28 and devoted the rest of her life to her husband and two sons.
Arrangement of the Collection
1. Production files; 2. Subject files; 3. Oversize
Indexing terms
Bow, Clara
Actresses