Tag Archives: Clara Bow

“I had not directed anything before. In fact I hadn’t told anyone to do anything before.” — Dorothy Arzner

“I’d rather do a picture for a small company and have my own way than a B picture for Paramount.” — Dorothy Arzner It’s her birthday today. Here’s an excellent interview with her from 1974. I have written quite a … Continue reading

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December 2019 Viewing Diary

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019; d. Marielle Heller) This is a really good film. Thoughtful and deep. I love Marielle Heller’s work so much and so psyched to see whatever it is she chooses to do next. The … Continue reading

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The Original “It Girl”: Clara Bow in It (1927)

In 1927, novelist and author of erotica, Elinor Glyn, popularized the term “It”, “it” being sex appeal, sexuality. Because Glyn was so respectable (she looks like a society matron, with braids coiled around her head, and long flowing gowns) her … Continue reading

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The Essence of Old-School Female Stars

Pretty faces. Kay Francis as a platinum blonde! Some of my faves there. Sylvia Sidney, too. They’re all so individual, aren’t they? You would never mistake Clara Bow for Barbara Stanwyck. It would be impossible. There can be a sameness … Continue reading

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The Books: “Cooper’s Women” (Jane Ellen Wayne)

Daily Book Excerpt: Entertainment Biography/Memoir: Cooper’s Women, by Jane Ellen Wayne This is not an “important” biography. It’s not a biography at all, really. It is a list of Gary Cooper’s many conquests, written in a chatty movie-magazine style, and … Continue reading

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