Clara Bow, the “It Girl”, Falls From Grace
June, 1931 - In two short years, Clara Bow has gone from being voted America's most popular female star to being released from her contract with Paramount Pictures. Her scandal-ridden private life has ultimately led to a sad and sudden fall from grace. 
Clara's image as the "It Girl" (it, referring to sex appeal) was continually enhanced by her various and multiple off-screen romances with leading men such as Gilbert Roland, Gary Cooper, John Gilbert, John Wayne, Bela Lugosi, and Director Victor Fleming.
Add to these affairs the pay off of a doctor's wife for "alienation of affections," a large Lake Tahoe gambling debt, a court case involving a former secretary charged with embezzlement who testified to Clara's liking of booze, drugs, and gigolos and you have the recipe for career disaster thus causing Paramount to release her.
Tragically, as a result of her fragile emotional health and a case of shattered nerves, Clara Bow ended up spending some time in a sanatorium. After a period of recovery she made two films for the Fox Film Corporation. Although they were successful, she choose to retire from acting, married cowboy actor Rex Bell, and had two sons.
However, there was no happy ending for the “It Girl”. After a suicide attempt, and increasingly bizarre behavior she was diagnosed as a schizophrenic and again spent some time institutionalized. She lived the remaining years of her life modestly and under the care of a nurse.
Tags: bela lugosi, clara bow, gary cooper, gilbert roland, it girl, john gilbert, john wayne, victor fleming
