If you want to see Joan Crawford when she's young and darling, and you don't want to sit through a silent movie, your best options are Dancing Lady and Dance, Fools, Dance. In both movies, she's paired with Clark Gable, and in both movies she gets to show off her dancing talents in cute tap-dancing numbers in skimpy costumes.
While in Dancing Lady, Joan is a chorus girl who gratefully giggles, "Thank you!" after Clark smacks her bottom, in Dance, Fools, Dance, she detests Clark. She's a newspaper worker under cover to expose the criminal dealings of his bootlegging organization. Clark plays a bad guy in this movie, and you'll even get to see a rare performance without his mustache. He hams it up as a stereotypical gangster, but keep in mind that this is a very early talkie.
Joan dances to the popular tunes "Little White Lies" and "Free and Easy," and gets to play a variety of emotions throughout her role, from society lady to destitute to chorus girl to reporter to ganger's moll. This movie isn't very well known, and it's not as cute as Dancing Lady, but if you're in the mood for a drama, give it a chance.
DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. About an hour in, right after Joan Crawford decides to go under cover, there's a scene change that involves a warped image, and the motion will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"
While in Dancing Lady, Joan is a chorus girl who gratefully giggles, "Thank you!" after Clark smacks her bottom, in Dance, Fools, Dance, she detests Clark. She's a newspaper worker under cover to expose the criminal dealings of his bootlegging organization. Clark plays a bad guy in this movie, and you'll even get to see a rare performance without his mustache. He hams it up as a stereotypical gangster, but keep in mind that this is a very early talkie.
Joan dances to the popular tunes "Little White Lies" and "Free and Easy," and gets to play a variety of emotions throughout her role, from society lady to destitute to chorus girl to reporter to ganger's moll. This movie isn't very well known, and it's not as cute as Dancing Lady, but if you're in the mood for a drama, give it a chance.
DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. About an hour in, right after Joan Crawford decides to go under cover, there's a scene change that involves a warped image, and the motion will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"