Two young men from the same town but different social classes
end up as fighter pilots in WWI. Jack Powell (played by Charles "Buddy" Rogers) is a keen auto mechanic, building
and modifying cars. David Armstrong (played by Richard Arlen) comes from a wealthy family. They are both
in love with the same woman, Sylvia (played by Jobyna Ralston). Her heart belongs to David but she doesn't
let Jack know and plays along with his infatuation. Meanwhile, Jack's
neighbour, Mary, is deeply in love with him but he just views her as a friend.
WWI interrupts the romantic entanglements as Jack and David enlist in the US
Army Air Service (Air Service of the AEF at the time). They are initially
bitter enemies, due to them both vying for Sylvia's affections. Over time,
however, they become very good friends. They are both posted to the same
fighter squadron in France, where being a fighter pilot means every day could
easily be your last. The film also features an early appearance by Gary Cooper.
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IMDb Mini Biography by Denny Jackson
Clara Gordon Bow, destined to become "The It
Girl", was born on July 29, 1905 in Brooklyn, New York, and was raised in
poverty and violence. Her often absentee and brutish father could not or did
not provide and her schizophrenic mother tried to slit Clara's throat when the
girl spoke of becoming an actress. Bow, nonetheless, won a photo beauty contest
which launched her movie career that would eventually number 58 films, from
1922 to 1933.
The movie It (1927) defined her career. The film starred Clara as a
shopgirl who was asked out by the store's owner. As you watch the silent film
you can see the excitement as she prepared for her date with the boss, her
friend trying hard to assist her. She used a pair of scissors to modify her
dress to try to look "sexier." The movie did much to change society's
mores as there were only a few years between World War I and Clara Bow, but
this movie went a long way in how society looked at itself. Clara was flaming
youth in rebellion. In the film she presented a worldly wisdom that somehow sex
meant having a good time. But the movie shouldn't mislead the viewer, because
when her boss tries to kiss her goodnight, she slaps him. At the height of her
popularity, she received over 45,000 fan letters a month. Also, she was
probably the most overworked and underpaid star in the industry. With the
coming of sound, her popularity waned. Clara was also involved in several court
battles ranging from unpaid taxes to being in divorce court for
"stealing" women's husbands. After the court trials, she made a
couple of attempts to get back in the public eye. One was Call Her Savage
in 1932. It was somewhat of a failure at the box office and her last was in
1933 in a film called Hoopla.
She then married cowboy star Rex Bell at 26 and retired from the film
world at 28. She doted on her two sons and did everything to please them.
Haunted by a weight problem and a mental imbalance, she never re-entered show
business. She was confined to sanatoriums from time to time and prohibited
access to her beloved sons. She died of a heart attack in West Los Angeles, on
September 26, 1965 at age 60. Today she is finding a renaissance among movie
buffs, who are recently discovering the virtues of silent film. The actress who
wanted so much to be like the wonderful young lady in It (1927) has
the legacy of her films to confirm that she was a wonderful lady and America's
first sex symbol.