Clara Bow Revealed in This Week’s LiveAuctionTalk.com Column Rosemary McKittrick is a storyteller. Her weekly column weaves history and auctions into an uncommon tapestry.
News-Antique.com - Apr 04,2009 - Santa Fe, April 4, 2009-- Clara Bow was the proverbial 16-year-old with no acting experience, no money and little education who dreamed of being a movie star. It was a long shot but she entered a “Fame and Fortune” Contest sponsored by Motion Picture Magazine in 1921 and won.
From her big chest to her jiggling butt, Bows curves were everywhere. The consummate 1920’s flapper, she was hot stuff and audiences loved her. At the height of her career, Bow received as many as 45,000 fan letters in one week.
By 1933 Bow withdrew from the limelight and her career ended. She was all of 26. The actress made 56 silent and sound films.
Meanwhile, stored away in metal cabinets at the Collectors Bookstore on Hollywood Blvd., were photographic archives of Hollywood history and its movie stars encompassing 43 years. Clara Bow’s publicity photos were among them.
What has been called the most famous bookstore in the world closed its doors on Feb. 28, 2009. The archive of photos, scripts, posters, and art it housed went on the block in a single sale on Dec. 12-14.
The team at Profiles in History, Calabasas Hills, Calif., conducted the auction.
A selection of Clara Bow’s legendary publicity shots was included. Here are some current values.
Clara in a ballerina costume by Eugene Robert Richee; from Dangerous Curves; Paramount 1929; 8 inches by 10 inches; $3,163.
Clara; close up in Hawaiian garb; by Otto Dyar; from Hula; Paramount, 1927; 8 inches by 10 inches; $3,163.
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