Jan 29, 2021
In this Clara Bow Acteurist Oeuvre-view episode, two crime films from 1925: The Primrose Path, directed by Harry O. Hoyt and produced by Hunt Stromberg for Arrow Film Corporation (which folded the following year); and Free to Love, another Schulberg production, directed by Frank O’Connor. The Primrose Path, a bizarre mishmash of Griffith and gangsters, gives us Clara as a showgirl with a heart of gold, but with very little to do. The more interesting Free to Love finally allows Clara to be the hero of the movie. As an orphan and wrongly convicted ex-con who wants to devote herself to helping other unfortunates, she finds herself thwarted by a sort of minor Batman villain who happens to be the father of her betrothed. Clara’s emotions shine through even the dopey plot and wretched print.
Time Codes:
0h 01m 00s: The Primrose Path (1925) [dir. Harry O. Hoyt]
0h 21m 01s: Free to Love (1925) [dir. Frank O’Connor]
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* Check out our Complete Upcoming Schedule - now projected to the end of our Lilli Palmer series in 2024
*Intro Song: “Sunday” by Jean Goldkette Orchestra with the Keller Sisters (courtesy of The Internet Archive)
* Find Elise’s latest film piece on Billy Wilder and 1930s Romantic Comedy
*And Read lots of Elise’s Writing at Bright Wall/Dark Room, Cléo, and Bright Lights.*
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