When They Were Making It

She was the face of the Roaring Twenties, Hollywood's original It Girl, and one of the biggest box-office stars of the silent era. Then the headlines stopped being about her movies.

From a Brooklyn tenement to Paramount superstardom, Clara Bow's rise was extraordinary. With Mantrap, It, and the Oscar-winning Wings, she helped define a generation. But the arrival of talking pictures, relentless studio pressures, and a string of explosive scandals threatened everything she'd built. In 1931, the sensational trial of her former secretary, Daisy DeVoe, turned Bow's private life into a national spectacle.

This week, we're exploring the extraordinary life of Clara Bow — her difficult childhood, meteoric rise, Hollywood romances, public downfall, and eventual retreat from the spotlight.

More than ninety years after her last film, her influence lives on, from Margot Robbie's character in Babylon (2022) to Taylor Swift's song "Clara Bow" on The Tortured Poets Department (2024). 

Beyond the scandalous headlines and enduring myths lies the story of a remarkably talented actress — whose legacy was as extraordinary as it was complicated.

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When They Were Making It is written, produced, and hosted by Patrick Rankin. Original artwork by Simone Beech and original music by Lionel Ziblat.

Join WTWMI: The Backlot — our Patreon — for exclusive extras including mini and full-length bonus episodes, episode companion pieces, and behind-the-scenes materials at https://www.patreon.com/WhenTheyWereMakingIt.

For episode information, show notes, upcoming episodes, and more, visit whentheyweremakingit.com.

Follow WTWMI on Instagram and TikTok: @whentheyweremakingit. On Instagram, we share visual companion pieces for every episode, bringing the images, people, places, and atmosphere behind the story to life.

New episodes of When They Were Making It drop every Tuesday. Follow now wherever you get your podcasts.
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Creators and Guests

Host
Patrick Rankin
Creator and host of When They Were Making It, a narrative documentary podcast exploring classic Hollywood — from the silent era through the early 1960s.

What is When They Were Making It?

The real human stories behind classic Hollywood's greatest films and legends.

Marilyn Monroe. Casablanca. Audrey Hepburn. The Wizard of Oz. Charlie Chaplin. Breakfast at Tiffany's. Alfred Hitchcock. Sunset Boulevard.

What do they all have in common?

They had to make it first.

Each week, we go beyond the legend to explore classic Hollywood's biggest icons and most beloved films.

Not the myths. Not the takedowns. The whole human story.

From the silent era to the early 1960s — the people, the films, and the impossible work of becoming a legend.

WTWMI is written, produced, and hosted by Patrick Rankin. Original artwork by Simone Beech and original music by Lionel Ziblat.

A new chapter every Tuesday. Follow wherever you get your podcasts.