Clara Bow essays

Clara Bow essays When she was 14 her father encouraged her to enter a Fame Contest in which she won the chance to appear in a motion picture. The motion picture she obtained a part in was called Beyond the Rainbow, her part however was cut out of the film until much later. Determination and director Elmer Clifton, who saw her picture in a magazine, lead her to her next picture; Down to the Sea in Ships. For her role she was mentioned favorably in several reviews. After this her father took her to Maxine Alton, a New York actress-playwright-agent, who managed to induce J.G. Bachman, the partner of B.P. Schulberg in Preferred Pictures, to give her a three-month contract at $50 a week, plus the fare to Hollywood. When introduced to Schulberg, Bow was pathecically dressed and mannered and was about to be written off when Alton urged him to test her personality. He ran her through a range of emotions and when she on command went from later to full out tears he through up his arms and told Alton, You win. Next came Clara Bows stepping stone to fame, a role in Black Oxen (Frank Lloyd Productions, for First National, 1924) in which she was given fifth billing and received good reviews. Her first Paramount film was Dancing Mothers (Famous Players-Lasky, 1926). Clara had third billing and played a flapper daughter. This as well as her past in Mantrap established Bow as the flapper. Then It! (Paramount Famous Lasky Corp., 1927) put her at the top, making her name. Because of It, Clara became one of the five top box-office attractions and was immediately put to work simultaneously in Wings (Paramount Famous Lasky Corp., 1927) , and Children of Divorce (Paramount Famous Lasky Corp., 1927)! . By the time she shot Three Weekends in 1928 (her 47th film) she was Paramount's strongest asset. Clara Bow worked hard to accomplish fourteen films in 1925, eight in 1926, and six in 1927. With the start of a new era, ...