Tomorrow's Youth (1934)

A look at how his parents' divorce affects the life of a young boy.

Director:

Charles Lamont

Writers:

Harry Sauber (story), Earle Snell (screenplay),

Stars:

Dickie Moore, Martha Sleeper, John Miljan

Cast

Cast overview:
Dickie Moore	...	Thomas Hall Jr
Martha Sleeper	...	Ellen Hall
John Miljan	...	Thomas Hall Sr.
Franklin Pangborn	...	Thornton - the Tutor
Paul Hurst	...	Detective
Gloria Shea	...	Jane Holsworth
Jane Darwell	...	Mary O'Brien
Barbara Bedford	...	Miss Booth
Sam Flint	...	Jim Lawton _ Mrs. Hall's Attorney
Niles Welch	...	Mr. Hall's Attorney
Edward LeSaint	...	Judge

Storyline

A look at how his parents' divorce affects the life of a young boy.

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Plot Keywords:

divorce | triangle | schoolboy | school principal | tutor | 

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Taglines:

"MUST YOU GO OUT TONIGHT?"

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 October 1934 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Monogram Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

63 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Balsley and Phillips Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

User Reviews

Not bad up until the silly court scene...

This film features a young and cute Dickie Moore and, not surprisingly, he plays a kid whose parents are about to become divorced. I say not surprisingly because this is about the fourth film I've seen the kid in when the parents marriage is on the fritz. For some reason, this kid just kept getting these roles--probably because he was so cute and the family problems made you want to take care of the kid yourself! The film begins with his rich dad chasing after some tart instead of "going on business in Boston". However, Moore and his mother see dad and the marriage is doomed. Soon they are legally separated and the divorce is practically a foregone conclusion.

After this, the way this effects the boy's life is shown. He lives half-time with mom and half-time with dad. Things seem best with mom, though they lack the beautiful home and cash that dad has. That's because dad is busy working and an annoying tutor (franklin Pangborn) manages to smother the kid and make him miserable. And, in addition, dad's slut, I mean "girlfriend", makes sure to be there as often as possible, as she doesn't want anything to get in the way of her marrying this sugar-daddy.

By the end of the film, the divorce has finally made its way to court. Up until this point, the film was pretty good in the way you could see the impact of a divorce on a kid. However, the courtroom scenes are just dumb. First, before the judge finally clears the court, the lawyer for the father is WAAAY out of line and the defense attorney seems sound asleep. No judge would allow such shenanigans in a divorce case--the lawyer is just ridiculously written. When the lawyers are finally shut up and the kid is allowed to speak, you think it would improve, but it actually gets worse. The movie manages to become really dumb and schmaltzy...believe me! But, not so bad that it ruins the film.

Overall, the story idea is very good but the ending sucks. It's worth seeing, but not exactly a must-see film, that's for sure!