Under 18 (1931)

Director:

Archie Mayo

Writers:

Frank Mitchell Dazey (story), Agnes Christine Johnston (story),

Stars:

Marian Marsh, Anita Page, Regis Toomey

Cast

Credited cast:
Marian Marsh	...	Margie Evans
Anita Page	...	Sophie
Regis Toomey	...	Jimmie Slocum
Warren William	...	Raymond Harding
Norman Foster	...	Alf
Joyce Compton	...	Sybil
J. Farrell MacDonald	...	Pop Evans
Claire Dodd	...	Babsy
Paul Porcasi	...	François
Maude Eburne	...	Mrs. McCarthy
Murray Kinnell	...	Peterson, Butler
Dorothy Appleby	...	Elsie
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lilian Bond	...	Penthouse Party Guest

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

female protagonist | teenage girl | pre code | number in title

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Genres:

Romance | Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 January 1932 (USA)

Also Known As:

Under Eighteen

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The short films Hotter Than Haiti and The Ugly Duckling played in front of this film in many theaters during its original theatrical run.

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Quotes

Margie Evans: Go get ready, Soph. I know just where to take you. I've heard the girls in the store talk about these things.

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Connections

Featured in American Masters: You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story (2008)

User Reviews

A Pre-Code Without Any Fire

Under 18 (1931)

** (out of 4)

A rather bland Pre-Code from Warner doesn't live up to any of its hype especially when you see the cast, the story and the innuendo in the title. Margie Evans (Marian Marsh) lives in poverty and thinks that marriage is the one way out but when her older sister (Anita Page) gets married and still lives poor, she sees another chance of making good. At her factory she learns that rich men can give women what they want with a few "favors" and Margie meets a possible candidate in the womanizing Raymond Harding (Warren William). The story, the title, the suggestive language and throw in Marsh, Page and William and yet the end result is still rather bland and boring. I was really surprised to see how tame and uninteresting this Pre-code was and it really does seem like the studio was trying to do a Pre-code without all the naughty stuff. When I say naughty there's certainly not going to be anything X-rated but if you're a fan of this genre then you know Warner was the king and could deliver perfect entertainment. Several things struck me about this production and the majority of it goes back to the screenplay. The story is rather tame and for the life of me I couldn't understand some of the twists and turns in the story. I won't give away the ending but what happens to the William's character is just downright silly and it gets even double with yet another twist. The main female character is just as confusing because she sells herself so that her sister can get a divorce and you have to wonder what the point of this was since you could have had the sister being unhappy and going into the arms of William to get a divorce. At just under 80-minutes there's quite a bit of dialogue with some of it being funny but the majority of it just doesn't contain enough spice to make up for everything else going on. Marsh is pretty good here even though the screenplay doesn't offer her too much. Those who have seen the Edward G. Robinson film FIVE STAR FINAL will remember the charming Marsh. William is doing William like no one else could and Page is always entertaining even if she spends most of her screen time just fighting with the husband. The sexuality level is pretty low throughout even though it's hinted at at times. UNDER 18 has all the elements for a good Pre-code but sadly the screenplay gets lost one scene after another and in the end you can't help but see it as a disappointment.