It (1927)

(On Cable TV, October 2020) Awareness is knowing that an It Girl refers to the starlet of the moment—the one who may develop into a major talent. Knowledge is knowing that the expression derives from the 1927 film, and originally referred to Clara Bow. Expertise is seeing the film and realizing that the “It” of the title is that elusive magnetism that some people have and some don’t… which brings us closer to the more familiar definition. Sometimes called the first concept film, It adapted a then-popular novella by Elinor Glyn (who shows up briefly in the film, as characters comment on her magazine piece) to take advantage of cross-market popularity. The story isn’t all that complex, as it features a rich man falling for an attractive shopgirl and dealing with the social complications that this entails. But the story is far less important than, well, the It girl herself—Even nearly a century later, Clara Bow remains an incredibly striking presence, one that (with a more modern haircut) would still get heads turning today. (Ironically, she would retire six years after It, and spend the rest of her life away from Hollywood.) As a romantic comedy, It is serviceable, but it’s best seen as a splendid illustration of the power of personal magnetism—any film that features charisma as its central narrative hook must have a star that can follow through, and Clara Bow was indeed the It Girl of the time.