Our Modern Maidens(1929).

Our Modern Maidens(1929). A silent film directed by Jack Conway. Cast: Joan Crawford in her last silent film role, Rod La Rocque, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., and Anita Page. Our Modern Maidens is the second of three film where Crawford and Page appear together. Fun Fact: Joan Crawford married co-star Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in a well orchestrated publicity event for the film.




The story begins during the "Jazz Age". Billie Brown and Gil Jordan, decide to secretly get married. To find Gil a diplomatic job in Paris, Billie, decides to trick Glenn Abbott, who falls in love with her, saying Gil is only a boy. While this is all going on Gil and Kentucky have an affair, which he regrets, telling her of his engagement to Billie. Kentucky, says she will never tell Billie, her best friend.

Soon After, Glenn gets Gil the job and their engagement is announced, enraging Glenn to the point he almost rapes Crawford. Billie and Gil, go ahead with their plans and get married in an elaborate wedding.

All is well.. until Billie discovers Gil's affair with Kentucky. Giving them good wishes, she leaves her husband.

Sometime later.. in France, she and Abbott meet again. Will, they find themselves back in each other arms?

This silent film has it all... Fast cars, jazz parties, a love quadrangle, great art deco sets.. a wonderful glimpse back in time..

Modern Maidens(1929)  Please check out Silents movie review..

Joan Crawford

Anita Page.

“The Black Pirate” (1926)

“The Black Pirate” (1926) is a silent action drama starring Douglas Fairbanks, Billie Dove and Donald Crisp. Directed by Albert Parker and written by Douglas Fairbanks, this film is a particular favorite of many of Fairbanks’ loyal fans.

The story begins with a lot of treacherous pirates having just captured and looted another ship. They then tie their captives to the mast and use the powder to blow up the ship. However, a father and son, played by Douglas Fairbanks, escape. When the father dies, the son vows revenge on the murderers responsible for his father’s death. Becoming the Black Pirate, he joins the crew and becomes their leader. However, his plans for revenge become more complicated when he meets his first captive, Princess Isobel, a beautiful Spanish princess, played by Billie Dove.


“The Black Pirate” was a huge hit, receiving both critical raves and box office patronage. The film is greatly enhanced by its beautiful two-strip Technicolor photography. The underwater photography sequences were spectacular in their day, and are still highly effective. Fairbanks looks terrific in “The Black Pirate.” He is amazing, especially when he executes a grand stunt in which he slides down a ship’s sail. Fairbanks was an accomplished boxer, gymnast, fencer, and horse rider offscreen, and his onscreen stunts presented few problems. With its impressive stunts by Fairbanks, sword fights, a damsel in distress and a last minute rescue, this silent gem is definitely worth discovering.


Born Lillian Bohny,Billie Dove was born in New York City on May 4, 1903. Billie was an exceptional beauty, and her brown hair lightly streaked with gray added to the dramatic effect. In 1927, Billie starred in a feature titled “The American Beauty” and became known by the nickname. Billie worked as an extra at Fort Lee, New Jersey, before receiving her first screen credit, “Get-Rich-Quick-Wallingford” (1921) and came to prominence with “All the Brothers Were Valiant” (1923). Billie was featured in two early Technicolor features, “Wanderer of the Wasteland” (1924) and “The Black Pirate” (1926), where she is “doubled” in the final love scene by Mary Pickford, who probably did not want her husband too close to the sultry Billie Dove. By 1926, Billie had become a star, but as she would be the first to admit, she was not a great actress. Billie credited director Lois Weber as the woman who taught her to act. For Weber, Billie starred in “The Marriage Clause” (1926) and “Sensation Seekers” (1927). Neither is a great film and does little to enhance Weber’s reputation as the major directorial talent that she was. Billie made in all 45 feature films, starring in 23 after she left Weber. As Howard Hughes’ mistress, Billie starred in two films, “The Age for Love” (1931) and “Cock of the Air” (1932). Billie was not particularly good in either film, and Hughes lost interest in her. Following the breakup with Howard Hughes and completion of “Blondie of the Follies” (1932), Billie married wealthy rancher Robert Kenaston in 1933 and settled down to a life of luxury. Billie died on December 31, 1997. She was 94 years old.

A WOMAN OF AFFAIRS (1928).

A Woman of Affairs (1928). Drama. Director: Clarence Brown. Cast: Greta Garbo, John Gilbet, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Lewis Stone. The film was based on a 1924 play by Michael Arlen, The Green Hat. Later renamed, A Woman of Affairs. This was Greta Garbo's 14th film, the 7th of her Hollywood career and her 6th silent movie. It was also her 3rd collaboration with John Gilbert, after Flesh and the Devil (1926) and Love (1927), her 2nd film with Clarence Brown and was the 1st of seven collaborations between Garbo and Lewis Stone. In 1934, MGM made a remake of the film starring Constance Bennett, titled Outcast Lady.

Diana Merrick, falls in love with aristocratic Neville Holderness, but respecting his fathers wishes they do not marry. Heartbroken and living a reckless life, Diana marries her brother's friend, David Furness, unaware that he is a thief. On their honeymoon, learning that the police are after him, David jumps out a window and kills himself.



Diana makes it her mission to repay the victims of her husband. After a few years she returns to England, to find her brother has died from alcoholism. When Neville finds Diana, she turns him away, because he is still influenced by his father and he is now married. She is heartbroken, never to recover.

One of my favorite scenes, is when Diana is wearing a special ring on her finger, sitting on the couch with Neville, Diana tells him, "I would only take it off for the man I love." then you see her hand just as the ring slowly slips off her finger. The costumes and hairstyles are wonderful and Garbo looked amazing.

Dorothy Sebastian (April 26, 1903 – April 8, 1957). Her first contact in Hollywood was Robert Kane, who gave her a film test at United Studios. She performed in George White's Scandals with Joan Crawford and Anita Page for a popular series of MGM romantic dramas: Our Dancing Daughters (1928) and Our Blushing Brides (1930). Sebastian also performed in 1929's Spite Marriage, cast opposite her then-lover Buster Keaton.

Our Modern Maidens (1929)

"Our Modern Maidens" (1929) is a little gem directed by Jack Conway that is one of my favorite silent films. This "Jazz Age" melodrama is so fun to watch. It provides a glimpse of the roaring 1920's with its fast cars, jazz parties, flappers, bootleg booze and a love quadrangle. Joan Crawford plays Billie Brown and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. plays Gil Jordan, a happy couple who are engaged but keep their engagement a secret until Gil's appointment at the embassy comes through. It is a secret so Billie can charm influential businessman Glenn Abbott, played by Rod La Rocque, in the hope that he can get Gil a diplomatic job. Kentucky Strafford, played by Anita Page, is Billie's best friend whom is secretly in love with Gil. While Billie is trying to get Glenn, Gil and Kentucky have an affair. After Glenn gives Gil the appointment, Billie and Gil's engagement is announced, angering Glenn to the point where he almost rapes Billie. Shortly after Billie marries Gil, Kentucky tells Billie that she is pregnant with Gil's baby. This news creates an upheaval in the lives of the flaming youths.

"Our Modern Maidens" was Crawford's final silent film and her only on-screen appearance with Douglas Fairbanks,Jr. whom she married the same year it was released. It is not surprising they had tremendous chemistry together. The film is very enjoyable to watch. The love scenes are interspersed with a lot of "Jazz Age" fun. Crawford looks radiant dancing with a skimpy Adrian outfit. Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. is charming and the party scene in which he mocks John Barrymore's facial changes in "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" and imitates his own father in "Robin Hood" is very amusing and clever. Anita Page is adorable and gives a great performance. What fascinates me the most about this film is the stunning Art Deco sets with its sweeping staircases and geometric designs. "Our Modern Maidens" represents the peak achievements of Hollywood's designers just before the arrival of sound and it is one of the definitive "Jazz Age" films.

THE RAGE OF PARIS (1938)

"The Rage of Paris" (1938) is a delightful screwball comedy directed by Henry Koster that deserves to be more widely known. It stars the charming French film star Danielle Darrieux in her American debut and debonair leading man Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. The film starts with unemployed French model Nicole de Cortillon, played by Danielle Darrieux, coming to New York City to find a job. She applies for a nude modeling position but accidentally gets the addresses mixed up. When Nicole arrives at the wrong address she is told by the secretary to "make herself comfortable" until Mr. Trevor arrives. Nicole misunderstands the secretary and is in the process of taking off her clothes when businessman Jim Trevor, played by Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. enters the office. Although he looks somewhat amused, Jim thinks she is a trollop and orders her to leave. Desperate for money, Nicole returns to her boarding house where her best friend Gloria, played by Helen Broderick, lives. Gloria and her hotel headwaiter friend Mike, played by Mischa Auer, convince Nicole to try gold digging. They set up Nicole with a suite at the lavish hotel Mike works in to trap a millionaire. The man they decide to snare is Canadian millionaire Bill Duncan, played by Louis Hayward. The scheme works and Nicole and Bill become engaged. However, Bill's best friend happens to be Jim Trevor, the same man who saw Nicole undressing in his office just weeks before. Even though Jim tries to stop his best friend from marrying a gold digger, Bill agrees to marry Nicole anyway. At their engagement party, Jim kidnaps Nicole and takes her to his secluded country home. I think at this point fans of 1930's screwball comedies will know how this one will turn out.

"The Rage of Paris" is fast-paced and very enjoyable to watch. The basis for the film's charm is in its lively dialogue and great performances. Darrieux demonstrates that she is a fine comedienne with captivating facial expressions. I found her thick French accent actually cute. Fairbanks, Jr. is excellent and very pleasing to watch. The supporting cast is simply top-notch. The glossy Art Deco sets and Darrieux's lavish wardrobe enhances the viewer's enjoyment of the film. What amazes me most about the film is that director Henry Koster was able to go as far towards risque as possible during Hollywood's Production Code era.

http://www.archive.org/details/RageofParis

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