Clara Bow Double Feature: My Lady of Whims (1925) (Silent) / Black Oxen (1923) (Silent)

Clara Gordon Bow (1905-1965) was born to a life of poverty in Brooklyn, New York. An avid moviegoer in her teens, she entered a movie magazine's "Fame and Fortune" contest in hopes of escaping her dreary upbringing. Winning through sheer determination, she was soon cast in her first hit, Down to the Sea in Ships (1922). Several more successes followed, before Bow starred in It (1927), in which she played a shop girl turned flapper. Afterwards, she would be forever known as "The It Girl". Her bobbed haircut, shapely figure, and free-spirited lifestyle made her the role model of choice for young women in the 1920s. Whether because of the arrival of sound or unsubstantiated rumors about her personal life, Clara retired from acting in 1933 at the age of 28, but her timeless appeal still makes her beloved today.

My Lady Of Whims (Silent, BW, 1925): Prudence Severn, having lived under the watchful eye of a rich father all her life, escapes to the bohemian paradise of New York's Greenwich Village. Infuriated that Prudence is now spending all her time at jazz clubs and wild parties, the millionaire hires private eye Bartley Greer to keep an eye on his wayward daughter. Pretending to be a newcomer in Greenwich Village, the detective finds himself falling in love with the hedonistic flapper, who has no idea the handsome stranger is on her father's payroll. But when Prudence is kidnapped by a jealous suitor, Bartley is forced to reveal his identity to save the girl's life. The skintight, transparent dress Bow wears during the party sequence caused a sensation at the time of the film's release; the Cedar Rapids Tribune said it made "the eyes of every flapper bulge." Starring Clara Bow, Donald Keith and Carmelita Geraghty. Directed by Dallas M. Fitzgerald.

Black Oxen (Silent, BW, 1923): Lee Clavering, wealthy playboy, is bored by his pampered lifestyle. At a Broadway premiere, he meets the exotic Madame Zatianny, an Austrian countess. Haunted by their encounter, Clavering pursues a relationship with the mysterious beauty, only to be rebuffed at every turn. Investigating her past, he learns that Madame Zatianny is secretly Mary Ogden, a 60 year-old woman who underwent an experimental medical procedure to have her youth restored. Clavering must prove to Mary that his feelings are not merely skin deep. This unusual romantic drama with a science fiction twist was directed by Frank Lloyd, best known for Mutiny on the Bounty (1935). Starring Clara Bow, Alan Hale, Corinne Griffith and Conway Tearle.

• silent