IMDb RATING
7.2/10
3.9K
YOUR RATING
A salesgirl pursues a handsome playboy.A salesgirl pursues a handsome playboy.A salesgirl pursues a handsome playboy.
- Awards
- 1 win total
Elinor Glyn
- Madame Elinor Glyn
- (as Madame Elinor Glyn)
Elmo Billings
- Office Boy
- (uncredited)
Gary Cooper
- Newspaper Reporter
- (uncredited)
Lloyd Corrigan
- Yacht Cabin Boy
- (uncredited)
Cheryl Holt
- Baby
- (uncredited)
Eleanor Lawson
- First Welfare Worker
- (uncredited)
Rose Tapley
- Second Welfare Worker
- (uncredited)
Dorothy Tree
- Waltham Employee
- (uncredited)
Featured reviews
this is a very fast paced and cute comedy starring the beautiful clara bow. the plot is fairly routine for it's era, but clara gives this film a real boost. she's especially appealing in a scene where she is making funny faces at her friends baby. the scenes at coney island are also fun to watch. and check out the subtitles with the 1920's slang. pretty funny stuff.
Cyrus (Antonio Moreno) is the heir to a large, successful department store. He falls for counter girl Betty (Clara Bow), a young woman who definitely has "IT", that indefinable quality that makes certain people the center of attention. Cyrus' goofball friend Monty (William Austin) tries to facilitate the "opposite sides of the track" romance between his buddy and Betty, with more than a few hiccups along the way. Also featuring Priscilla Bonner, Jacqueline Gadsdon, Julia Swayne Gordon, and Gary Cooper.
This was based on a story by Elinor Glyn, and if you don't know the name, you sure will by the end of the movie. Her name is featured prominently in the opening credits, then in a title card explaining what "IT" is, then in a copy of the story being read by a character in the movie, and then when Glyn shows up for a cameo, playing herself! Anyway, most people have heard of this movie and the "It Girl" moniker that it gave Clara Bow for the rest of her life..
It's a decent romantic comedy of the period, with many little period details that make modern viewing interesting. The changes in fashions, manner and speech are amusing. I don't think I'd ever seen the exclamation "Hot Socks!" before. Bow is cute, and pushes the boundary for what a woman could do, say and look like on screen (near the end of the film as she climbs soaking wet out of the water with her clothing clinging to her, leaving little to the imagination, comes to mind). In that way It prefigures the coming Pre-Code early sound era.
This was based on a story by Elinor Glyn, and if you don't know the name, you sure will by the end of the movie. Her name is featured prominently in the opening credits, then in a title card explaining what "IT" is, then in a copy of the story being read by a character in the movie, and then when Glyn shows up for a cameo, playing herself! Anyway, most people have heard of this movie and the "It Girl" moniker that it gave Clara Bow for the rest of her life..
It's a decent romantic comedy of the period, with many little period details that make modern viewing interesting. The changes in fashions, manner and speech are amusing. I don't think I'd ever seen the exclamation "Hot Socks!" before. Bow is cute, and pushes the boundary for what a woman could do, say and look like on screen (near the end of the film as she climbs soaking wet out of the water with her clothing clinging to her, leaving little to the imagination, comes to mind). In that way It prefigures the coming Pre-Code early sound era.
I decided I'd watch a little bit of this film on the computer. Knowing me I usually get distracted and stop watching but this film was so very different. My first silent film, and already a favourite. I could literally not stop watching Clara Bow, she was absolutely fascinating. I'd read David Stenn's wonderful biography on her so it was great to see her finally acting. When she's on screen you block out everything else and her acting ability wonderful - she can cry at the drop of a hat! So, instead of getting distracted I watched this movie the whole way through and enjoyed every moment of it... but my favourite parts were definitely with Clara. In fact, you could say I wasn't really interested in anyone else! This movie is HER movie. It's fun, flirty and just a great movie. I recommend it for anyone who loves silent movies, Clara Bow, or flirtatious movies pushing the limit. Age wise, I think I can recommend it for about 15 onwards - I'm 14 and I really enjoyed it - but not all teenagers will appreciate the film. Which is a pity, because it's wonderful!
I'm completely smitten with Clara Bow. After having seen Wings, and having just watched It and the TCM documentary Clara Bow: Discovering the It Girl, I have to say that she's just about the most amazing actress of the silent era. Even besides her limitless beauty, it seems like she can accomplish anything with her face. It's far too bad that she was never given a role that fully suited her immense talent. Wings is the closest she ever came to making a great film, it would seem, but, even though she steals the movie away from the other actors, the dogfights and action sequences steal the movie from her. So then It has to stand as her testament, the film that best demonstrates her legacy. And because of this, it's not surprising that Bow is all but forgotten. I mean, It certainly isn't a bad movie. It's a moderately well done romantic comedy where the shopgirl goes after her rich boss. It's fun and entertaining, but not necessarily something you'll remember for that long afterwords. Much like any romantic comedy that would be released today, among which the best is only an average movie. But then those looking to observe Clara Bow's talent don't exactly need another movie. Bow effortlessly raises the level of the project. It would have been rather average without her, but she makes it good. Quite good, in fact. I couldn't take my eyes off her, and I know that I'll visit the film again because of her. The other actors are mostly forgettable, except for William Austin. He plays the boss's best friend, and he's pretty obviously a homosexual. It's one of the more open depictions I've seen. He's quite funny, as well, and it's no mean feat that he wins any attention whatsoever away from Ms. Bow. 8/10.
Nothing earth shattering here, no high art, just pure entertainment! A bit like today's light romantic comedies, but a tad better in a lot of instances! The real star here is Clara Bow who could after all really act and wasn't just another pretty face, although she was that and more! It's not difficult to see why she became a popular personality with her vivacity, energy and contagious charm! The girl just exuded fun! As Antonio Moreno said in the movie, "She has plenty in reserve!" There are some cute lines in the movie, like when Monty says, " I feel so low I'd have to walk on stilts under a dachshund." William Austin is an entertaining secondary character.
The print I saw was in good shape and I enjoyed the high angle shots of the department store at the beginning of the movie with the camera panning down to the street, the amusement park scenes and the scenes on the yacht. Makes me want to see Clara in a serious drama too! Worth watching for Clara to see what It was all about! I don't think It has changed that much even in the present day!
The print I saw was in good shape and I enjoyed the high angle shots of the department store at the beginning of the movie with the camera panning down to the street, the amusement park scenes and the scenes on the yacht. Makes me want to see Clara in a serious drama too! Worth watching for Clara to see what It was all about! I don't think It has changed that much even in the present day!
Did you know
- TriviaElinor Glyn gave many confusing and sometimes contradictory explanations for what "It" meant, but she always said that "It" did not mean "sex appeal" necessarily and that anyone who said it did was vulgarizing her concept. Nonetheless, "It" became a euphemism for "sex appeal," which caused that pronoun to be entered into the American lexicon as a noun in the late 1920s.
- GoofsAs Waltham climbs onto the anchor, his shirt sleeve is intact. The scene cuts away to Monty and Adela in the rowboat for a brief moment; however, in the next scene, Waltham's sleeve is completely torn.
- Quotes
Monty Montgomery: I feel so low, old chap, that I could get on stilts and walk under a dachshund.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The House That Shadows Built (1931)
- How long is It?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $411,891
- Runtime
- 1h 12m(72 min)
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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