It (1927 film)
| It | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Clarence G. Badger |
| Produced by | Clarence G. Badger |
| Written by | Elinor Glyn (novel) Hope Loring and Louis D. Lighton |
| Starring | Clara Bow Antonio Moreno William Austin Gary Cooper |
| Cinematography | H. Kinley Martin |
| Editing by | E. Lloyd Sheldon |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | 1927 |
| Running time | 72 min. |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | Silent film English intertitles |
- For the 1990 mini-series based on Stephen King's novel see It (1990 film).
It is a 1927 cinderella themed silent romantic comedy which tells the story of a shop girl who sets her sights on the handsome and wealthy owner of the department store where she works. Because of this film, actress Clara Bow became known as the "It girl".
In 2001, It was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Contents |
Plot and actors
Spunky but poor shopgirl Betty Lou Spence (Clara Bow) has a crush on her handsome employer Cyrus Waltham Jr (Antonio Moreno), the manager of and heir to the "world's largest store". However they belong to different social classes, and he is already engaged to the blond socialite Adela Van Norman (Jacqueline Gadsdon). Cyrus' silly friend Monty (William Austin) notices Betty Lou, though, and she uses him to get closer to Waltham. When she finally gets Waltham's attention, she convinces him to take her on a date, and she takes him to Coney Island, where he is introduced to the proletarian pleasures of roller coasters and hot dogs, and has a wonderful time. At the end of the evening he loses control and pounces, trying to kiss her. Betty Lou slaps his face, and hurries out of his car and into her tenement flat. She then peeks out her window at him as he is leaving, showing her pleasure on her face.
Drama strikes, however, when Betty Lou bravely proclaims herself as an unmarried mother to protect her sickly roommate Molly (Priscilla Bonner) from having her baby taken away but a couple of meddling welfare workers. Cyrus finds out, and although he is in love with her, being the bastion of respectability that he is, offers her an 'arrangement' that includes everything but marriage. Betty Lou, shocked and humiliated, refuses, quits her job, and resolves to forget Cyrus. When she learns from Monty the presumption that led to Cyrus' proposition, she fumes, and vows to teach Cyrus a lesson.
Cyrus hosts a yachting excursion and Betty Lou crashes it with the help of Monty, masquerading as 'Miss Van Cortland'. Cyrus at first wants to remove her from the ship, but he can't resist Betty Lou's it; he eventually corners her and proposes marriage, but she gets him back, by telling him that she'd 'rather marry his office boy', which accomplishes her goal but breaks her heart. He then learns the truth about the baby, and leaves Monty at the helm of the yacht to go find her. Monty crashes the yacht into a fishing boat, tossing both Betty Lou and Cyrus' soon-to-be former fiancee, Adela, into the water. Betty Lou saves Adela from drowning, punching her in the face when she struggles, and ends the film embracing Cyrus on the anchor of the yacht, with the first two letters of the Ships name, Itola, between them.
Stage actress Dorothy Tree had her first film role in a small, uncredited part. A young ex-stuntman named Gary Cooper was cast in a small role as a newspaper reporter, and his affair with Clara Bow on the set of this film became a major topic of gossip at the time.
The Concept of it
The concept of "it" was invented by Elinor Glyn for a story she wrote and published in serial form in Cosmopolitan Magazine in 1926. She defined the concept as
- that quality possessed by some which draws all others with its magnetic force. With "IT" you win all men if you are a woman—all women if you are a man. "IT" can be a quality of the mind as well as a physical attraction.
In an era when the word "sex" was considered unnacceptable for use in polite company, Glyn's concept was enthusiastically adopted by the public as a euphemism for "sex appeal".
Production
B.P. Schulberg, an associate producer at Paramount Pictures Corporation, read the story and thought it would be a perfect vehicle for his newest star, Clara Bow. He paid Glyn $50,000 to endorse Clara Bow as the embodiment of it, and gave her a small part in the film as herself, as well as giving her a 'story and adaptation' credit. [1]
Schulberg then had the husband-and-wife team of Hope Loring and Louis D. Lighton, as well as George Marion Jr. (who wrote the titles) come up with a screenplay for Clara Bow's screen persona that included the concept of "it". It was directed by Clarence Badger.
This is one of the first examples of a 'concept film', as well as one of the earlier examples of product placement. The concept of it is referred to throughout the film, including the scene where Glyn appears as herself and defines it for the leading man. Cosmopolitan Magazine is featured prominently in a scene where the character Monty reads Glyn's story and introduces it to the audience. [2]
Reception
It was a hit with audiences all over the United States, breaking box office records. Critics praised the film, especially its star, as 'a joy to behold'.[3] It turned Clara Bow from a movie star into a legend. The term It girl has since entered the cultural lexicon.
References
- ^ Stenn, David, Clara Bow: Runnin' Wild, Pg 81-82, 1988 Penguin Books, a Division of Viking Penguin, New York, New York, originially published by Doubleday, New York, New York
- ^ Jeanine Basinger, in the commentary track for the Milestone DVD release of It.
- ^ Stenn, David, Clara Bow: Runnin' Wild, Pg 86, 1988 Penguin Books, a Division of Viking Penguin, New York, New York, originially published by Doubleday, New York, New York
External links
- It at the Internet Movie Database
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