Dancing Mothers


Dancing Mothers is a 1926 American silent drama film directed by Herbert Brenon, and stars Alice Joyce, Conway Tearle, and making her debut appearance for a Paramount film, Clara Bow. The film was released to the general public on March 1, 1926, by Paramount Pictures. The film tells the story of a pretty mother, who was almost cheated out of life by a heartless husband and a thoughtless daughter.

Plot

As described in a film magazine review, a wealthy woman, whose daughter is carrying on a flirtation with a notorious man, steps between them, but finds that she herself is fascinated by the man. There follows a period of stress for both the older woman and her daughter, which ends with the daughter altering her mode of living and the mother deciding to leave her philandering husband and daughter and travel to Europe to forget.

Cast

Dancing Mothers was adapted from a successful Broadway stage play by Edgar Selwyn and Edmund Goulding, and Paramount reportedly bought the rights for $45,000. On Broadway the principal parts had been played by Helen Hayes as the daughter, John Halliday as the father, and Mary Young as the mother. Shooting began at Paramount's Astoria Studio in November 1925, after actress Betty Bronson, the star of Peter Pan, was cast for the role of Katherine "Kittens" Westcourt by the studio, but was rejected after director Herbert Brennon reported to studio executives that "when she tried to be sexy, she looked like a little girl who wanted to go to the bathroom." After production ended in December 1925, Brennon reported to Paramount's top officials that Clara was not only very talented as an actress, but that she took direction very well.

Reception

Reviews of the film tended to be positive:
  • "A splendid picture containing mother appeal, flapper appeal and well balanced with comedy and a climax that's different, since 'they don't live happy ever after'".
  • "...it is an effective drama, well acted and Clara Bow is a real little modern."
  • "It is a picture that strikes home to the adult mind and is a tremendous indictment to every age."

    Preservation

The film survives in the Niles Essanay [Silent Film Museum] film vault and in private film collections.