The Mammoth Book of Hollywood Scandals by Michelle Morgan

that, sure enough, an amount of approximately $25,000 was withdrawn from the California Trust Company on 17 October 1928, the very day Mrs Pearson had filed for divorce.
    When asked about it, Clara replied, “Why, that’s ridiculous. I never paid off any lawsuit. As far as the doctor’s wife is concerned, I never met her or saw her . . . How was I to know Dr Pearson was married? Is it for me to inquire into their personal affairs?”
    The press thought the whole thing hilarious. “She’s denying everything she claimed on her arrival!” reporters laughed in their editorials. Clara Bow was fed up by this point, especially when current boyfriends began phoning her to see why exactly she was hanging out with Dr Pearson in Dallas. The studio was still on her back and the press continued to camp on her doorstep.
    “My contract is up a year from next October, and perhaps after that I can lead my own life. I am going to retire from pictures then,” moaned the tired actress.
    Turning the clock back to 1929, when the scandal had not yet been leaked and was very much still brushed under the carpet, Clara Bow was at the very top of her game and enjoying thousands of fan letters every week. But with the advent of talkies, her career was being tested, as she sadly told reporters: “I hate talkies. They’re stiff and limiting.” She then declared her plans to take a long rest at the beach once her contract was over, “and just play and eat and sleep”, as well as settle down with a husband and children.
    A new beau in the shape of nightclub-owner turned actor Harry Richman was a welcome distraction from her busy work schedule, though it is true to say he seemed more in love with the publicity she brought than Clara herself. Hungry for headlines, Richman paraded his new girlfriend around like a trophy, and if there was a party to be seen at, they would be there; if there was an opening to go to, he would be grabbing his coat.
    The nightclub-owner was besotted with the fame and notoriety that being Clara Bow’s mate brought to his life, though in all honesty if he thought he was being discreet about his true intentions, he was sorely mistaken. Clara’s friends all became highly suspicious and worried that Richman was using the actress as a ticket to fame, rather than genuinely being in love with her.
    It would seem that they were right. Richman’s hunger for fame was unfortunately demonstrated towards the end of 1929 when Clara was admitted to hospital for a gynaecological operation. The surgery was to remove an ovary – a dreadful operation for any woman to go through – but rumour-mongers started whispering that they believed the actress was secretly having an abortion. Any man worth the title of gentleman would have jumped immediately to his partner’s defence, but not Harry. Instead, he remained quiet in order to enhance his own reputation: that of a stud who was capable of getting the “It Girl” pregnant.
    Why would he do such a caddish thing? It was all very simple really. Harry Richman was sterile and thoroughly enjoyed the idea of people thinking he was able to father a child. His ego was such that he would never acknowledge the fact that he could not father children, so he went along with the rumours to enhance his own libido, while allowing his girlfriend’s reputation to be thoroughly discoloured.
    Several months before her surgery, however, Clara surprised friends by announcing her engagement to the unscrupulous nightclub-owner. This raised many eyebrows, primarily because Clara had a long list of failed romances, but gossip columnists were nevertheless happy to hear about her plans. “As soon as we complete our pictures, [Harry and I] are going to be married,” she told them. She refused to name a date though, which prompted several newspapers sarcastically to comment that she had been in this situation before – several times.
    Richman responded to the negativity by declaring that the wedding would take