Our Dancing Daughters (1928)

The story of three very different girls: The wild child (Joan Crawford) who's really a good girl, the "pure" girl (Anita Page) who's really a deceitful bitch and the good girl (Dorothy Sebastian) who will be haunted by her one mistake the rest of her life. Directed by Harry Beaumont (THE BROADWAY MELODY). The Jazz Age! Flaming youth! It looked to me like the kids were just having a good time but the film's layer of moral judgement puts a spoiler on it. The bitch has to be punished for being wicked and comes to a bad end as a warning to other bitches. The wild child is rewarded for being true and honest but the good girl continues to be punished for her error in judgment. Sheesh! This is the film that made Crawford a star and one can see why. She just seems to have more vitality than anyone else in the movie and, of course, the camera loves her. She seemed to define the flappers of the period so much so that even F. Scott Fitzgerald made note of it. Although a silent film (no direct dialogue), the film's soundtrack has sound effects. With Johnny Mack Brown and Nils Asther.