After "It"

CALL HER SAVAGE-(1932)-This is a must see early talkie pre-code drama featuring former silent star Clara Bow (The "It" Girl of the '20's) in her second to last movie. Although like a lot of early talkies this suffers from the stilted acting of the supporting cast, Bow carries the whole thing with her stand-out performance!



Bow plays Nasa "Dynamite" Springer, the spoiled daughter of a rich Texan who's real father is the "half Breed" Indian Moonglow (Gilbert Roland who in in real life was actually Mexician). After rejecting a rich suitor hand picked by her father (Willard Robertson) she marries her sleazy boyfriend (Monroe Owsley) who dumps her for the equally trashy Sunny (Thelma Todd, who had been in 2 Marx Bros. around the same time). Nasa lives wild life on her husband's money but he tries to rape her when she visits him at a sanatorium. After losing her millions and having a baby she turns to prositution to support herself. After her baby is killed in a fire she inherits her grandfather's fortune. When she goes to NYC, she hires a guy to show her around. He takes her to a gay bar in Greenwich Village where she starts a small riot!

Clara Bow lead a wild life in her heyday of the '20's. All sorts of rumors circulated about her sex life (from taking on a whole college football team to beastiality!). Typical of pre-code cinema she wears some very "skimpy" clothing too. Watch her scene where she wrestles with a dog! It's too bad she only made one more movie then retired to raise two sons with her husband, cowboy star Rex Bell (later a senator). Unfortunately, she suffered from mental illness later in life and died in 1965.

Strangely two co-stars of CHS died tragically. Monroe Owsley died of a heart attack four years later at the age of 36. Thelma Todd died of carbon monoxide poisoning that was ruled an accident but was more likely murder. She was 30 years old. Her last movie was Laurel & Hardy's THE BOHEMIAN GIRL.

Thanks for reading!