Our Dancing Daughters

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Movie
Original title Our Dancing Daughters
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1928
length 84 minutes
Rod
Director Harry Beaumont
script Josephine Lovett
production Cosmopolitan Productions on loan from MGM
camera George Barnes
cut William Hamilton
occupation

Our Dancing Daughters is an American film starring Joan Crawford . The film was the first of a series of three films that came to an end with Our Blushing Brides in 1930 and always portrayed the fate of three friends. The film made a star out of Joan Crawford and represented the lifestyle of the Roaring Twenties .

action

Diana Medford comes from a good family and is a classic party girl. With her friends Beatrice and Anne she celebrates the nights and dances the Charleston and other fashion dances on every table that can be found. She flirts exuberantly, but without crossing the line into frivolity. She meets the wealthy heir Ben in a wet and cheerful company. She falls in love, but Anne, who is looking for a wealthy man, relaxes Ben. Anne, who has never been too strict about virtue, manages to land at the altar, but her drunkenness and continued infidelity make their marriage hell. After many entanglements, Anne dies so that Ben and Diana can become happy.

background

Joan Crawford had been with MGM since 1925 and had quickly become a popular actress. However, she had not yet found a fixed type of role for herself and so she alternated between main and supporting roles in a wide variety of genres. By chance, Crawford got a copy of the script for Our Dancing Daughters , a film in which Marion Davies was to play the leading role , in mid-1928 . Joan Crawford recognized the potential of the role and personally convinced producer Hunt Stromberg to give her the part of Diana Medford. The film was then made by Davies' own production company Cosmopolitan Productions , funded by their patron William Randolph Hearst , and brought to distribution through MGM.

The actress later commented in an interview on the reasons that led her to believe she was perfect for the role.

“That was exactly the life I knew. I was a flapper , wild on the outside, a girl who threw his bob around (my hairstyle set trends) and danced exuberantly to the saxophone, a girl who toasted her youth and love of life. "

MGM released the film at the height of the Jazz Age , the Roaring Twenties . The role type of the flapper, including the haircut typical of the time called bob , had been popularized by Colleen Moore in 1923. In the following years, actresses like Louise Brooks and especially Clara Bow successfully copied the look and had success at the box office. Our Dancing Daughters turned out to be a financial hit. The studio was surprised by the positive response from the audience, but responded quickly and made Crawford the nominal star of the flick. In this respect, it was not unfounded when the actress always maintained:

“The audience made me a star. Not the studio. "

Over the next few years Crawford shot a number of variations on the theme, including in the two subsequent films in the Our series: Our Modern Maidens and Our Blushing Brides . While filming, the film initially had the working title These Modern Girls , then Dancing Daughters and These Naughty Times . It was only shortly before the official rental that the studio agreed on Our Dancing Daughters .

Theatrical release

The film came into national distribution on September 1, 1928. With a budget of $ 178,000, it was an inexpensive production by MGM standards. With a sum of 757,000 US dollars, he makes a considerable sum in the USA, which was an indication of the great popularity of Joan Crawford with her fans. With foreign revenues of $ 342,000 and a cumulative total result of $ 1,099,000, the studio was able to realize a profit of $ 304,000 in the end.

Awards

The film went to the 1930 Academy Awards (April) with two nominations , but failed to win any of the awards:

Reviews

Bland Johaneson compared Joan Crawford to Clara Bow in a very favorable way in the New York Mirror newspaper :

“Joan Crawford, a fun-loving girl who always stands by her ideals, is the best representation of her career. She has a typical Clara Bow role and does everything to be the prototype of a modern flapper. Joan has beauty, charm and more class than the long-legged Bow. She gives them the impression that she always remains reliable, even in the hot, thoroughly offensive scenes that she has to play. She also shows a character like Bow and she can do pretty hot dance numbers. "

Photoplay , one of the most influential magazines in the film industry, stated:

“Girls with gold digger dreams should watch the film and learn. The story tells from the life of Jeunesse Doree and is about two girls who fight over a boy. The portrayal of the lifestyle is very good, complete with a yacht club and cocktails. "

literature

  • Roy Newquist (Ed.): Conversations with Joan Crawford . Citadel Press, Secaucus, NJ 1980, ISBN 0-8065-0720-9 .
  • Lawrence J. Quirk : The Complete Films of Joan Crawford . Citadel Press, Secaucus, NJ 1988, ISBN 0-8065-1078-1 .
  • Lawrence J. Quirk, William Schoell: Joan Crawford. The Essential Biography . University Press, Lexington, KY. 2002, ISBN 0-8131-2254-6 .
  • Alexander Walker: Joan Crawford. The Ultimate Star . Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London 1983, ISBN 0-297-78216-9 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ It was a way of life I knew. I was the flapper, wild on the surface, a girl who shakes her windblown bob (mine started a craze) and dances herself into a frenzy while the saxes shriek and the trombones wail, a girl drunk on her own youth and vitality.
  2. ^ The public made me a star. Not the studio.
  3. ↑ Joan Crawford, as the girl who was free and wild but maintained her ideals, does the greatest work of her career. She has a typical Clara Bow role and she gives a lively run around for first honors as a modern flap. Joan has beauty, charm and more refinement than the trim-legged bow. She makes you believe she's straight even through the torrid, questionable scenes she is required to play. She also shows a snappy Bow figure and she can dance a mean varsity drag.
  4. ↑ Gals with gold-digging aspirations can see this and learn. The story depicts life in the younger set and deals with the struggle of two gals for one lad. The presentation of youth is a lovely one, what with a yacht club and cocktails.