OUR MODERN MAIDENS (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1929), directed by Jack Conway, is not a sequel to Joan Crawford's earlier success, OUR DANCING DAUGHTERS (1928). It is more of either a companion piece or sequel in name only with basically the same co-stars (Anita Page and Edward Nugent), and scenario by Josephine Lovett, who also scripted DAUGHTERS. With male co-stars of Rod LaRocque and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in place of John Mack Brown and Nils Asther, there's also blonde Josephine Dunn as the third girl member filling in for Dorothy Sebastian. Being a late silent movie release during the popularity of talkies, OUR MODERN MAIDENS consists of original orchestral repetitive soundtrack to tune, "Should I?" along with crowd noises, talking sequences of radio announcer and choir singing "Here Comes the Bride," as opposed of being a part-talkie with spoken voices provided by its leading actors.
Opening title: "The night after the Stearns School Commencement prom - all roads led to roam." The story opens with a group of young couples in cars drive down the road during the way after midnight hours stopping briefly to dance while listening to music on the radio. Billie Brown (Joan Crawford), daughter of B. Bickering Brown (Albert Gran), business tycoon and manufacturer of Brown Deluxe Motor Cars, receives an engagement ring from Gilbert "Gil" Jordan (Douglas Fairbanks, Jr,), her escort and sweetheart. Aside from keeping her engagement a secret, she intends on making him a business success in Paris before becoming his wife. On a seven-eleven train back home with her friends the following early morning, Billie encounters Glenn Abbott (Rod LaRocque), who's picture she's seen in the newspaper, being a well-noted diplomat millionaire. She uses his influence to help Gil. After inviting him to her 4th of July party, her attention moves more towards Glenn than the jealous Gil. He soon seeks comfort with Billie's best friend, "Kentucky" Strafford (Anita Page), who not only secretly loves Gil, but becomes romantically involved with him. After Glenn, who has fallen in love with Billie, reads about her engagement in the newspapers, he leaves her for his estate in Argentine. Billie, in turn, goes on with her upcoming marriage to Gil, unaware that Kentucky holds more secrets inside herself other than losing the man she loves. Josephine Dunn (The gossiping Ginger) and Edward Nugent (Ginger's beau, Reg) complete the major cast in secondary roles.
While not in the same league as OUR DANCING DAUGHTERS, OUR MODERN MAIDENS is agreeable entertainment, more for its underscoring than its routine plot. Another bonus includes Douglas Fairbanks Jr. (then married to Joan Crawford in real life), during a party sequence, imitating popular silent actors of the day, including John Barrymore (as Jekyll and Hyde); John Gilbert kissing a Greta Garbo imitator, and his very own father, Douglas Fairbanks, as Robin Hood. There's also interesting camera shots, slant angles, pan-back of party guests of the dance floor of lavish art-deco sets. OUR MODERN MAIDENS has the distinction of being a rare silent movie available to contemporary audiences of Rod LaRocque, a once famous but now long forgotten leading man of the 1920s. Unlike her appearance in her talking debut of THE BROADWAY MELODY (1929) where Anita Page looks a bit overweight, here she's both slim and beautiful.
When first shown on Turner Classic Movies dating back to the 1990s, prints to OUR MODERN MAIDENS clocked at only one hour. After 2000, circulating prints have been extended to 75 minutes, with possibly Fairbanks' actor imitation among the missing scenes now restored. Distributed on video cassette, OUR MODERN MAIDENS is also available intact on DVD. It also led to another similar titled production, OUR BLUSHING BRIDES (1930), Joan Crawford reunited with Dorothy Sebastian and Anita Page once more, and Robert Montgomery as the new male co-star. Again, no sequel nor recurring characters returning from previous film(s), but another love triangle in full sound and longer length. (**)
Opening title: "The night after the Stearns School Commencement prom - all roads led to roam." The story opens with a group of young couples in cars drive down the road during the way after midnight hours stopping briefly to dance while listening to music on the radio. Billie Brown (Joan Crawford), daughter of B. Bickering Brown (Albert Gran), business tycoon and manufacturer of Brown Deluxe Motor Cars, receives an engagement ring from Gilbert "Gil" Jordan (Douglas Fairbanks, Jr,), her escort and sweetheart. Aside from keeping her engagement a secret, she intends on making him a business success in Paris before becoming his wife. On a seven-eleven train back home with her friends the following early morning, Billie encounters Glenn Abbott (Rod LaRocque), who's picture she's seen in the newspaper, being a well-noted diplomat millionaire. She uses his influence to help Gil. After inviting him to her 4th of July party, her attention moves more towards Glenn than the jealous Gil. He soon seeks comfort with Billie's best friend, "Kentucky" Strafford (Anita Page), who not only secretly loves Gil, but becomes romantically involved with him. After Glenn, who has fallen in love with Billie, reads about her engagement in the newspapers, he leaves her for his estate in Argentine. Billie, in turn, goes on with her upcoming marriage to Gil, unaware that Kentucky holds more secrets inside herself other than losing the man she loves. Josephine Dunn (The gossiping Ginger) and Edward Nugent (Ginger's beau, Reg) complete the major cast in secondary roles.
While not in the same league as OUR DANCING DAUGHTERS, OUR MODERN MAIDENS is agreeable entertainment, more for its underscoring than its routine plot. Another bonus includes Douglas Fairbanks Jr. (then married to Joan Crawford in real life), during a party sequence, imitating popular silent actors of the day, including John Barrymore (as Jekyll and Hyde); John Gilbert kissing a Greta Garbo imitator, and his very own father, Douglas Fairbanks, as Robin Hood. There's also interesting camera shots, slant angles, pan-back of party guests of the dance floor of lavish art-deco sets. OUR MODERN MAIDENS has the distinction of being a rare silent movie available to contemporary audiences of Rod LaRocque, a once famous but now long forgotten leading man of the 1920s. Unlike her appearance in her talking debut of THE BROADWAY MELODY (1929) where Anita Page looks a bit overweight, here she's both slim and beautiful.
When first shown on Turner Classic Movies dating back to the 1990s, prints to OUR MODERN MAIDENS clocked at only one hour. After 2000, circulating prints have been extended to 75 minutes, with possibly Fairbanks' actor imitation among the missing scenes now restored. Distributed on video cassette, OUR MODERN MAIDENS is also available intact on DVD. It also led to another similar titled production, OUR BLUSHING BRIDES (1930), Joan Crawford reunited with Dorothy Sebastian and Anita Page once more, and Robert Montgomery as the new male co-star. Again, no sequel nor recurring characters returning from previous film(s), but another love triangle in full sound and longer length. (**)