It | 1927 | Romantic Comedy

Title: It | 1927 | Romantic Comedy Director: Clarence G. Badger. Studio: Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation. Starring: Clara Bow, Antonio Moreno, William Austin, Priscilla Bonner, Jacqueline Gadsdon, Julia Swayne Gordon, Elinor Glyn, Gary Cooper. Based on: It by Elinor Glyn, serialized in Cosmopolitan . Release Date: February 19, 1927. Runtime: 72 minutes. Format: Silent, black-and-white; 35mm; 1.33:1; 7 reels; English intertitles. Country: United States. Language: Silent with English intertitles. Genres: Romantic comedy; comedy-drama; silent film. --- Chapters: 00:00:00 Department store introduction 00:15:00 Coney Island outing 00:32:00 Misunderstanding and fallout 00:50:00 Yacht party and masquerade 01:06:00 Rescue and reconciliation --- Summary: A spirited shopgirl, Betty Lou Spence, sets her sights on department-store heir Cyrus Waltham Jr. After a flirtation that bridges their class divide, gossip and a misconstrued claim about a child threaten their romance. Betty Lou’s wit and resolve drive a series of encounters that test pride, reputation, and affection. The film popularizes the idea of “It” as a magnetic quality that transcends beauty and status. Through comedy, workplace and leisure scenes, and a climactic yachting episode, the story explores modern urban courtship, social mobility, and the allure of celebrity in Jazz Age America. --- Background: Paramount acquired Elinor Glyn’s “It” concept for adaptation; Glyn also appears onscreen defining the term. Clarence G. Badger directed, with some scenes attributed by AFI to uncredited assistance from Josef von Sternberg during Badger’s illness. The film opened in New York on February 5, 1927 and achieved wide release on February 19, 1927, becoming Clara Bow’s defining star vehicle. Long thought lost, a nitrate print surfaced in Prague in the 1960s; in 2001, It was named to the U.S. National Film Registry. --- Trivia: Elinor Glyn, whose story inspired the film, appears as herself and delivers the definition of “It” within the narrative. A young Gary Cooper has an early screen appearance as a newspaper reporter. The finale stages the lovers on the yacht Itola’s anchor, with the letters “It” framed between them in the shot. The term “It girl” entered widespread use after the film’s success and became synonymous with Clara Bow. --- Public Domain / Rights: Original Release: February 19, 1927. Original Studio / Distributor: Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation / Paramount Pictures. Copyright Status: Public Domain . Renewal: Yes . --- Hashtags: It1927 ClaraBow SilentFilm RomanticComedy ClassicCinema Paramount PublicDomain Source page: https: //commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:It_(1927).webm Direct media URL: https: //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/It_%281927%29.webm