The 1920s were a time of rapid change and women, for the first time, liberated their bodies from corsets, long skirts and other cumbersome, movement limiting clothing - likewise they cropped their curls into a scandalous hairstyle known as "the bob." Still popular today, the hairdo was sported by popular silent film actresses such as Clara Bow who stars in IT and Louise Brooks. Come see what all the fuss was about. First an illustrated history of the flapper hairstyle of choice and then a screening of IT, based on an article/concept on those who have "it" (aka sex appeal). by Elinor Glynn - which made a sensation in its day. Do you have "it?" Come find out on Sunday! We've just confirmed Robert Israel on piano with IT!Sunday, February 21 – 2:00 PM at the Egyptian Theatre
Co-presented with the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles:
Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow: "The Bob"
The turbulent years from the mid-1910s until the stock market crashed in 1929 provided the ideal climate for political and social change - and any hairstyle that could become the topic of editorials, sermons, cartoons, and literature during that time bears investigation. What could a world class tennis player, a murderous housewife, a female evangelist, and a Hollywood star possibly have in common? Bobbed hair! In addition to reflecting upon the broader impact of the bob, we'll examine the lives of both famous and infamous women who sported this provocative cropped hairdo. Some of these women behaved well and others badly, but at least they all looked chic! Lecturer Joan Renner is a social historian and writer. She volunteers for the Los Angeles Police Historical Society, Los Angeles Art Deco Society, Los Angeles Conservancy, and is a board member for the non-profit organization Photo Friends as well as tour guide for Esotouric tours.
IT, 1927, Kino, 72 min. Dir. Clarence G. Badger. The film that launched a thousand bobbed hairdos, IT stars the remarkably sassy Clara Bow as Betty Lou, a department store worker who has "It" (a.k.a. sex appeal). What does an It Girl do when the man of her dreams doesn't know she exists? She dates his best friend! This attention-getting technique works swimmingly, but complications arise when Betty Lou is mistakenly written up in the daily newspaper as an unwed mother. A flirty, fashionable romp about class politics. Live accompaniment on the piano by Robert Israel.
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