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Joan Crawford's Breakthrough Performance
"Our Dancing Daughters", the epitome of everything we have come to expect from the 1920's Jazz Age, fast cars, fast dancing, high energy and life led at top speed came along surprisingly late in that decade and was the film that really saw the emergence of Joan Crawford as one of Hollywood's top stars. Prior to this film she had appeared in almost twenty silent films and played leading lady to some of MGM's biggest male stars including Ramon Novarro (Across to Singapore),Lon Chaney (The Unknown), John Gilbert (Twelve Miles Out), and William Haines (West Point). This film however moved Joan forever out of leading lady roles into true stradom that she enjoyed in her illustrious career for the next 50 years.

"Our Dancing Daughters", relates the interwoven lives of three young women that are typical examples of Jazz Age "Flappers". Dangerous Diana (Joan Crawford) is a well heeled young socialite who leds a frantic life of dancing and hard partying. Very extroverted and socially mobile Diana's wild exterior actually conceals a kindly nature and a genuine care for the feelings of others. Her friend Ann (Anita Page in her most stunning performance),is the exact opposite in both appearance and personality. Outwardly demure and childlike, this facade actually conceals a selfish and nasty character who will go to whatever lengths are needed to get what she wants. When Diana begins to get serious on wealthy Ben Blaine (Johnny Mack Brown) Ann, jealous of the relationship also sets her sights on him . Because of Diana's flighty outward appearance and love of flirting innocently with the other boys in their party group, Ben gets the impression that she is not serious about their relationship and ends up falling for the devious machinations of the calculating Ann who plays up her innocent loving facade when with him. Soon they are married however the marriage is not a happy one as Ann's true character very quickly emerges and totally disillusions Ben who begins to realise that Diana is the girl he still wants. Conducting affairs behind his back and embarrassing Ben with her drinking and unexceptable behaviour at the social gatherings of friends Beatrice (Dorothy Sebastian and Norman (Nils Asther) she suddenly begins to accuse Ben and Diana of resuming their old relations. Diana indeed realises what she has lost in the decent Ben but is appalled by Ann's vicious slander attack on her. After a particulary nasty argument Anne is killed falling drunk down a flight of stairs and only in the light of day and with what has happened do Ben and Diana finally see a way to beginning a new life together.

Debate has often arisen from whether Anita Page in the showy supporting role of the nasty Anne actually stole the film from Joan Crawford playing the fast living good girl Diana. In my belief both women are wonderful in their respectice roles and combined with Dorothy Sebastian's solid but less showy role as Bea make a highly successful acting trio. So popular was this film on release with acclaim handed out to all three women that they were reteamed in two more films "Our Modern Maidens", and "Our Blushing Brides" which contrary to popular belief were not direct sequels to this story but merely had similiar titles with different characters and storylines. Joan Crawford is the very essence of the frantic pre stock market crash high living socialite in this film. Her energy in the famous Charleston scenes is depicted at an almost exhausting level and Joan is also excellent is depicting the quietier moments of the decent but bubbly party girl. Anita Page who gave many fine silent film performances in the late 20's really is excellent as the nasty Ann and her confrontation scenes with Diana often make me wonder why this dramatic powerhouse of an actress didn't enjoy more success at MGM when the sound era fully arrived. "Our Dancing Daughters", also belongs to that most interesting group of films termed "transitional talkies". Generally made around the 1928- early 1929 period when sound was really beginning to come in with full force, the film has no spoken dialogue but includes numerous sound efects like party noises or a car starting up. They make for an interesting type of presentation that only lasted a few more months before sound came fully into Hollywood movie making.

I consider "Our Dancing Daughters", to be an extremely important film on a number of different levels. Any student of the legendary Joan Crawford should include this excellent film in their collections as it reveals for the first time the real acting abilities of Joan Crawford when finally she is given a role with some meat on it. It's place in the transition between silent films and talkies is also important as it was one of the last great silent efforts in the late twenties and preserved forever how sound was gradually incorporated into MGM's major productions that year. Any film historian or lover of good drama is bound to get alot out of "Our Dancing Daughters" and for me the real plus is the wonderful acting of Joan Crawford and Anita Page in two roles for which they are still justly acclaimed.

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Page the winner!
This was the big break-through movie for Joan Crawford and she's exciting to watch as a young, high-spirited jazz baby of the late Jazz Age. However, it's Anita Page who constantly catches the eye in her flashy subordinate role of the alcoholic bad girl. Anita also conspicuously stole the thunder from Bessie Love in "Broadway Melody" in l928, which won Best Picture of the year. Why she never became a great star is one of the biggest mysteries in HOllywood history. She alleges Louis B. Mayer wanted her to be a real-life goodtime gal. She resisted. She also changed agents when Broadway Melody became an international smash hit and naturally wanted more money and better roles. Mayer hit the ceiling and deliberately threw her into lack lustre parts, brutally throttling her rising stardom. Anita can be seen on cable TV's "Mysteries and Scandals" now and then. She's also a major character in the bio about her great buddy, William Haines "Wiseacre". Page shoulda been one of the greatest stars of them all. Watch her strut her stuff in this wonderfully Jazz Age flick and especially in Broadway Melody where she not only sings and talks but dances--and steals the picture from everybodyl.

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ANITA PAGE STEALS THE SHOW
Excellent and racy silent film about three girls in the unhibibited jazz age. Despite Joan Crawford's top billing, blonde beauty Anita Page steals the film as the baddest girl