Classic Film : Your favourite Clara Bow films?

One of the greatest leading ladies of the Silent era. Clara could do it all; from drama to comedy, she was always convincing and you just can't take your eyes off her.

One of the era's most beloved stars, Clara's fame sadly faded after a scandal hit the papers, and her increasing psychological difficulties led to her leaving the film industry. She made a few Sound films, and given her performances in them; I think she would have continued to have a successful career in the talkies. Sad that circumstances led to her early retirement.

Clara is so natural on screen, and steals every scene she's in. I love her in the following films the most.

Call Her Savage
Get Your Man
It
Wings



Go to bed Frank or this is going to get ugly .

It
Call Her Savage

---

Liberty E Pluribus Unum In God We Trust

---

I've liked her in every movie of hers I've seen:

Down to the Sea in Ships
The Plastic Age
Dancing Mothers
Kid Boots
It
Wings
Hula
The Wild Party
Paramount on Parade
Call Her Savage
Hoop-La

Favorite performances:
Wings
It

"The answers to all of life's riddles can be found in the movies."

Mantrap
"It"
My Lady of Whims
Call Her Savage
Kid Boots
Wings
The Plastic Age
Hula
Get Your Man
Black Oxen
Hoop-La
The Wild Party
The Saturday Night Kid


God save Donald Duck, vaudeville and variety

Rollo! Great to see you back. Not seen you around here for ages. Hope you are well and had a great Christmas.

A few there on your list that I haven't seen. I really want to see Black Oxen and Mantrap.



Go to bed Frank or this is going to get ugly .

Maddy, Black Oxen can be found, but unfortunately the last reel is still missing.

If you should feel especially adventurous one day, spring for this box set which has Mantrap in an excellent print, with lots of other vintage goodies.

https://www.filmpreservation.org/dvds-and-books/treasures-5-the-west


God save Donald Duck, vaudeville and variety

Clara Bow appeared in so many movies, but have seen so few. There are those that are lost, others available but so few that have appeared on television. I can't honestly say that the ones I've seen are not favorites, but can say that the ones I've seen I liked. The list is as follows:

DOWN TO THE SEA IN SHIPS (1922) Seen on PBS in 1975, later on VHS and DVD ***
FREE TO LOVE (1925) Seen on Nostalgia Television in 1994. Print was shabby with piano score. **
DANCING MOTHERS (1926) Seen on PBS in 1972, later on video cassette in the 1990s. ***
IT (1927) Seen on A&E cable TV in 1988, later on video with piano score from Paul Killian collection. Possibly her best known movie that classified her as the IT girl. ***
WINGS (1927) First seen on VHS in 1980s with Gaylord Carter organ score. Pretty prestigious with memorable battle scenes in the air. Clara Bow received top billing but her scenes were limited to Richard Arlen and Buddy Rogers, yet Gary Cooper with only a few minutes on screen benefitted from his cameo. Later shown on Turner Classic Movies with Carter organ scoring until recently when it was rescored with orchestration. ***1/12
THE WILD PARTY (1929) Heard this one was distributed to home video in the 1980s, but only watched it as part of the Clara Bow tribute on Turner Classic Movies around 1997. Bow's first talkie. A little stiff but good to hear her voice recorded on screen and acting opposite newcomer by the name of Fredric March.
PARAMOUNT ON PARADE (1930). An all-star musical revue first seen on public television in 1983 and later American Movie Classics in 1988. Sad to say all circulation prints are edited, leaving out several scenes involving skits with Nino Martini, Gary Cooper, and few others. Fortunately Clara Bow's "True to the Navy" number survives and one of the diverting moments of this somewhat dull review. Sure would look forward to restoration of this movie with color sequences and all. ***
CALL HER SAVAGE (1932). I would rank this Clara Bow's best talkie, this, her next to last movie and first for Fox Films. Initially viewed on the Fox Movie Channel around 1995. So good it should be shown more often. ***

Heard HOOPLA (1933), her last, was pretty good, but never seen to judge.

I don't think Hoopla is among her best films, but it is far from bad. Definitely worth a watch. It's available on YouTube.

I think it is a real shame that her career ended when it did. Judging by her talkies, I think she would have continued to have enjoyed a successful career.





Go to bed Frank or this is going to get ugly .

I always thought she was miscast in WINGS, even though it's one of my all-time favorite movies.
IMO, Betty Bronson or Esther Ralston would have been much better in the role of Mary Preston.

But she was big box-office at the time, while the other actors were unknownsespecially Gary Cooper.

Hi Maddy!

I don't konw if it's available on Youtube anymore., were she sings with a few men (dancers) clothed as sailors, were she is perky, sweet and very cute and most of all had a good voice. Sadly she went out of fashion

so many movies - so little time

I don't know why but I've never been a big Clara Bow fan and I'm usually a fan of her type of movie star but I really enjoyed her performances in Call Her Savage, It, and The Saturday Night Kid.