Clara Gordon Bow (1905 - 1965)

Born 29 Jul 1905 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States

Ancestors

Wife of George Francis (Beldam) Rex Bell — married 3 Dec 1931 in Las Vegas, Clark, Nevada, United States

Died 27 Sep 1965 at age 60 in Culver City, Los Angeles, California, United States

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Biography

Clara Bow is Notable.

Clara Bow was an American actress who rose to stardom in silent film during the 1920s and successfully made the transition to "talkies" in 1929. Her appearance as a plucky shop girl in the film It brought her global fame and the nickname "The It Girl". Clara eventually came to personify the Roaring Twenties and is often considered to have been the leading sex symbol of her generation.

Birth and Childhood

Clara was born 29 Jul 1905, in Brooklyn, New York. She was the daughter of Robert Bow and Sarah Gordon.^[1][2][3] Clara suffered a traumatic childhood, with an abusive father who often left the home for long periods of time, and a mother who suffered from severe mental disorders. ^[4]

Career

Clara took to watching movies as an escape from the horrors of home and eventually dropped out of school. At 16, she entered a magazine's beauty contest and won a small part in the film Beyond the Rainbow (1922), although her scenes were initially cut. Even while facing resistance, Clara persevered, continuing to audition at New York studios. She eventually received a part in the film Down to the Sea in Ships (1922).^[5]

Over the course of her career, Clara appeared in 46 silent films and 11 talkies, including hits such as Mantrap (1926), It (1927), and Wings (1927) - winner of the very Academy Award for Best Picture. A tp box-office draw, her presence in a motion picture was said to have ensured investors of a safe return by odds of almost two-to-one. At the apex of her stardom, she received more than 45,000 fan letters in a single month (January 1929)."^[6]

Marriage and Children

Clara married actor Rex Bell, 3 Dec 1931, in Las Vegas, Nevada.^[7] the couple settled on a 6000 acre ranch in Nevada. Two years later, Clara retired from acting to begin raising a family. Her final film, Hoop-La, was released in 1933. Together Clara and Rex had two children. Her final film, Hoop-La, was released in 1933. The couple had two children.^[8][9]

Death

Clara died of a heart attack, 27 Sep 1965, in Culver City, California. She was sixty years old..^[10] Her remains were interred in the Freedom Mausoleum, Sanctuary of Heritage at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.^[11]

In 1994, the US Postal Service isssued a stamp in her honor^[12].

Sources

1. ↑ New York State Archives; Albany, New York; State Population Census Schedules, 1915; Election District: 29; Assembly District: 11; City: New York; County: Kings; Page: 23.
2. ↑ 1920; Census Place: Brooklyn Assembly District 10, Kings, New York; Roll: T625_1159; Page: 3B; Enumeration District: 551; Image: 353.
3. ↑ Biography Clara Bow.
4. ↑ Biography Clara Bow.
5. ↑ Biography Clara Bow.
6. ↑ Wikipedia article for Clara Bow.
7. ↑ Clara Bow Married to Rex Bell, Witnesses Say, but He Denies It, Dallas Morning News, Saturday, Dec 05, 1931, Dallas, TX, Page:, One.
8. ↑ Register-Republic, Wednesday, Dec 19, 1934, Rockford, IL, Page: 18.
9. ↑ Clara Bow Has 3 Cowboys to Look After, Dallas Morning News, Wednesday, Jun 15, 1938, Dallas, TX, Page: One.
10. ↑ "California, County Birth and Death Records, 1800-1994", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGR3-4W2L : 22 October 2019), Clara Bow Beldam, 1965.
11. ↑ Kit and Morgan Benson, Find A Grave: Memorial #119.
12. ↑ Smithsonian National Postal Museum https://postalmuseum.si.edu/exhibition/women-on-stamps-part-4-theatre-and-dance-stars-of-the-silent-screen/clara-bow

• 1930; Census Place: Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California; Roll: 124; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 0822; Image: 246.0; FHL microfilm: 2339859.

• Assim Era Hollywood (in Portuguese) https://assimerahollywood.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/atrizes-clara-bow/