The new Taylor Swift album kinda sounds like the same low-tempo Lana Del Rey song over and over, but still has its charm — and may work as a “background music for writing newsletters” playlist on Spotify. One song on “The Tortured Poets Department” — “Clara Bow” — stood out to the team at City Cast Las Vegas for a local connection.
🎞️ So, Who Was Clara Bow?
Clara Bow was a defining figure of the Roaring '20s; a movie star who appeared in 46 silent films and 11 talkies between 1922 and 1933. She was overworked, underpaid, and considered the first American sex symbol with her personal life fodder for tabloids. She starred in the first movie to win the Academy Award for Best Picture (“Wings”) and was the inspiration for Betty Boop.
🎵 What is the song about?
Taylor Swift says it best herself: “Clara Bow was the first ‘It Girl’” — a phrase coined by the actress's appearance in the 1927 film “It.” Swift wrote “Clara Bow” as a commentary on how women are used in show business and counts Bow among the “women who’ve done great things in the past and … archetypes of greatness in the entertainment industry.”
🤠 Nevada Ranch Life
Clara Bow married actor Rex Bell, withdrew from Hollywood in the early ‘30s, and moved to Nevada, where the couple raised a family at the Walking Box Ranch near Searchlight. The 400,000-acre property remains a scenic destination in what is now a desert tortoise conservation area and was nominated for the National Register of Historic Places.
🎰 Connection to Vegas
As City Cast Las Vegas co-host Dayvid Figler points out, Clara Bow and Rex Bell also owned a house in Downtown Las Vegas. (It later became an office where Dayvid worked as a lawyer for three years.) The couple’s son, Rex Bell Jr., was Clark County District Attorney from 1986 to 1995. His father was involved in politics too as Nevada’s lieutenant governor and died while campaigning for governor in 1962. Clara Bow moved to Santa Monica, passing away three years later.
