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This week on «Film Friday,» I bring you one of the first silent movies I saw. It is also the only film that paired real-life husband and wife Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Joan Crawford. Directed by Jack Conway, Our Modern Maidens (1929) tells the story of Billie Brown (Joan Crawford), the fun-loving daughter of motorcar tycoon B. Bickering Brown (Albert Gran), who plans to marry her childhood sweetheart, Gil Jordan (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.), as soon as his diplomatic promotion comes through. Hoping to expedite matters, Billie begins a fake romance with a well-connected diplomat, Glenn Jordan (Rod La Rocque). While Billie is spending all of her time with Glenn, Gil drunkenly seduces her friend, Kentucky Strafford (Anita Page), who becomes pregnant. Billie's manipulations work and Gil is soon assigned to a diplomatic post in Paris. When their engagement is officially announced, Glenn is devastated, as he had thought that Billie was really in love with him. Heartbroken, Glenn accepts a di...

Because today is J ohn Gar field's birthday, m y initial thought was to write about one of films. However, since I wrote about one his films last week and am better acqua inted with Jean Harlow, whose 105th birthday was yesterday, this week on "Film Friday" I have decided to bring what is possibly my favorite film of hers . Theatrical release poster Directed by Jack Conway, Libeled Lady (1936) opens when heiress Connie Allenbury (Myrna Loy) is falsely accused of breaking up a marriage and sues the New York Evening Star newspaper for $5,000,000 for libel. Warren Haggerty (Spencer Tracy), the mana ging editor, turns in desperation to fo rmer reporter and notorious ladies' man Bill Chandler (William C handler) for help. His sc heme is to ha ve Bill marry Gladys Benton (Jean Harlow), Warren 's long-s uffering fiancé, then pursue Connie and m ake the charges of man-stealing that the paper made against her ring true. That way, the suit will have to be droppe...