Probably the most famous lady of the silent era of movies that you've never heard of. Clara was Hollywood's 'IT' Girl of the 1920s. She was the quintessential flapper of the decade.
Clara Bow was born in Brooklyn, New York on July 29 1905 without a birth certificate. Clara's mother had lost two children before and was hoping that Clara would die at birth, so she didn't bother with a birth certificate. The only other person present at the birth was Clara's grandmother who was mentally unstable, along with Clara's mother.
Clara once told of a haunting event that happened in her childhood. When young Clara expressed an interest in being a film actress, Clara's mother stood over her bed with a knife and told her she was going to kill Clara. She then hid in her closet until her father returned home.
Clara did get away from her troubled childhood by going to see moving pictures. She would often imitate her idols in front of her mirror. When the magazine Motion Picture announced a contest where the winner would have a small role in an upcoming film she entered a photgraph of herself. Clara won and her picture debut was in Beyond The Rainbow. Unfortunately, her scenes were left on the cutting room floor. She did rise up again, starring in a film called, Down To The Sea In Ships. In 1923 she was signed to Preferred Pictures and making many films every year. Once she starred in films such as Mantrap and It her popularity rose. She acquired more fan letters in a week then any other film star and had the largest audiences going to see her films. To take advantage of her popularity she was often put in low budget films, knowing that people would see her in anything. This, I think, was a big reason why she wasn't taken seriously and then forgotten about in a small matter of time.
When sound sneaked it's way into films Clara was beyond frightened. The microphone was her biggest fear. She would have to force herself to get through scene after scene. And the transition from silents to talkies was very quick for her. She only had two weeks to prepare, and with her Brooklyn accent, was afraid she wouldn't sound up to par.
When her contract was up she left Hollywood altogether. She married actor, Rex Bell and moved to Nevada. She did return for two more films, Call Her Savage (1932) and Hoopla (1933). She then retired for good at the age of 28.
