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 Clara Gordon Bow (July 29, 1905 – September 27, 1965)



 Clara Bow is known today for being a famous actress for silent films in the 1920's. But her life wasn't always the glitz and glamor that we see in her photos. She had a very unhappy childhood growing up in poverty stricken Brooklyn, New York. She lived far from the celebrity lifestyle. Instead, she was sexually abused by her father and neglected by her mentally unstable mother. To escape her horrible life at home she would frequently go to the movies. She always dreamed of becoming a famous actress but never in a million years did she imagine that it would happen. In 1922, while still in high school, her lucky day came when she traveled to Hollywood for a beauty contest. She ended up getting a small part in her first silent film, Beyond the Rainbow. Critics noticed her charm and wit and she started to get more and more movie opportunities. Some of her most famous movies included: Down to the Sea in Ships (1922), The Plastic Age (1925), Mantrap (1926), Kid Boots (1926), and Dancing Mothers (1926). She made her footprint in Hollywood and soon became known as the "It" Girl of the 1920's. "The film starred Clara as a shop girl who was asked out by the store's owner. As you watch the silent film you can see the excitement as she prepared for her date with the boss. She was trying to use a pair of scissors to modify her dress in order to look more 'sexy'. This movie did a lot to change society's morals as there was only a few years between World War I and Clara Bow, but this movie went a long way in how society looked at itself. Clara was flaming youth in rebellion. In the film she was presenting a worldly wisdom that somehow sex meant having a good time." She is known today as America's first sex symbol.   Clara starred in fifty-eight films from 1922-1933. Unfortunately, Clara ended up becoming involved in several court battles for things like unpaid taxes and appearing in divorce court for "stealing" women's husbands. Their were many rumors and scandals going around. At 26 she married fellow actor Bell and had two sons. At 28 she decided to retire from the film world. As years went on she starting having problems with her weight and had unstable mental conditions just like her mother. She was sent to a mental institution multiple times and wasn't allowed to see her sons. On September 26, 1965 at the age of 60, she lost her life to a heart attack in West LA.

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"Clara Bow." //College of Staten Island Library//. Web. 18 Dec. 2009. .
 * __Works Cited:__**

"The Unknown Clara Bow." //Gilda's Attic//. Web. 18 Dec. 2009. .

"Clara Bow (American actress) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia." //Encyclopedia - Britannica Online Encyclopedia//. Web. 18 Dec. 2009. .

"Clara Bow (I) - Biography." //The Internet Movie Database (IMDb)//. Web. 18 Dec. 2009. .