One of Hollywood’s earliest and brightest stars was Clara Bow. Ms. Bow was one of the first actresses who caught the attention of moviegoers at a time when the studios tried to keep the names of their stars out of publicity materials to avoid having to pay them larger salaries. Audiences, however, insisted on knowing the names of the stars they adored and thus the first Hollywood A-Listers were born. One of the biggest A-Listers to spring out of this frenzy was Ms. Bow.
Clara knew from an early age that she wanted to be an actress. Her mother resisted, but her father gave her his full support. Ms. Bow won an acting contest at age 16 and soon found her way to Hollywood, starring in over 40 silent films, including 1927’s It.
Ever wonder when the term “It Girl” became a thing? It was in 1927 and it was all because of this film. Clara Bow caught the world’s attention and became the very first “It Girl”. Ms. Bow would go on to make the transition from silent pictures to talkies, even starring in the very first best picture winner- Wings. Her fame would end in 1933 when Clara retired from acting, going out on top and settling down with her husband on a ranch in Nevada.
