Bizarre & Beautiful

Exhibitionism, kinkiness, alcoholism and sexual frivolity with both men and women were just some of the things written about Clara Bow in the 1920s and early 1930s newspapers. 

"Clara Bow Running Wild," 1988s biography of Bow was a journey into literal insanity, and how even the young, sexy and wealthy experience the bitter side of life. 

When she was 21-years-old, every studio was in violent competition for her services. She was the real thing, someone to stir every pulse in the nation. She had a heart shaped face, an hour glass figure, and thick auburn hair dyed a flaming orange-red. She was the most desirable attribute of the 1920s, she had "It," F. Scott Fitzgerald said. 

 Above, Bow when she was 16-years-old, and she won 1921s Fame and Fortune Contest, thus igniting her career in the movies. She was the Marilyn Monroe of the roaring 20s, book reviewer Dominck Dunne said. 

Bow's mom was committed to an insane asylum before she was 4-years-old, and when she was 9-years-old, her best friend Johnny burned to death in the apartment he was living in below her. Bow tried saving the him by wrapping a carpet around his burning body. Her father was an abusive drunk who raped her when she was 16, and her mother who had been released from an asylum was recommitted when she tried killing bow with a butcher knife when she was still 16-years-old. 

Bow's grandfather was very loving and caring, and he also had sole custody of her. He died of a heart attack when she was 4-years-old.

"Wings" was the first movie to win the Academy Award for best picture of the year in 1927 in which Clara Bow starred in. This movie is still available to the masses, and surprisingly to me, a lot of Bow's movies from the 20s are lost. 

Gary Cooper, also in "Wings" was no stranger to life in the fast lane. Bows homemade den of iniquity included a made to order bed with a mirror on its canopy, facing you as you layed on it, Cooper said. Both Cooper and Bow had a very active sex life, both together and apart from one another.  

"He (Cooper) had the biggest cock in Hollywood and no ass to push it with," Bow said.

Bow was an avid fan of the USC NCAA football team and attended many of their games on a regular basis, and some said she did the dance with no under pants with the entire team. Newspaper journalist frequently wrote about her wild parties thrown at her Los Angeles home and accused her of incest, bestiality, and abusing drugs and alcohol.

In the 1950s, Bow was a diagnosed sycophantic and committed to the Southern California Sanitarium and prior to that, she spent 10 months in the Institute of Living in Harford, Connecticut. By the mid 50s, she was released from the Southern California Sanitarium and found peace with herself from swimming and books. She was known to read 12 books a week in the late 50s and 1960s.  

"A sex symbol is a heavy load to carry when one is tired, hurt and bewildered," Bow said.  

Writer Elinor Glyn labeled Bow the "It," girl, because she had the looks to lure men and even some women into delicious desires, she had It! 

Bow's hit 1927 movie, "It" was a romantic comedy based on Gyn's 1926 novella with the same title. 

The writer of this biography, David Stenn said 80 percent of all the silent films were lost, and many of them were Bow movies. "It" is still available to the masses. Unfortunately, "Grit," is among one of the lost films, released in 1924. "Grit" had to be edited for showings in New York because it was said to have scenes of disgusting immorality and sordid crime.  

"Flaming Youth," a lost 1923 film was based on the book with the same title which featured women who smoked, drank and partook in free love. Bow did not star in the film, but she was in the movie. 

"Rough House Rosie" is a 1927 film starring Bow that has been lost and was said to have lots of "It" with little clothing. 

Since reading "Clara Bow Running Wild," I learned some sad facts about child abuse and why some women normalize abuse in several different forms. On a positive note, I learned many racy or risqué films made in the 1920s and early 1930s were based upon books written by women. 

Writers Elinor Glyn, Anita Loos and Dora Mack are three writers from the early 20th century, and I want to read their books now. The books "Ex  Mistress" and "Vile Bodies" by Dora Mack are two of those novels I learned about from reading "Clara Bow Running Wild."

Three and half stars is my rating for this 1988 book, another gem acquired from the local library. 

Mark Izzy Schurr