The Young in Heart (1938)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Richard Wallace

Writers:

I.A.R. Wylie (serial The Gay Banditti)
Charles Bennett (adaptation)

Release Date:

3 November 1938 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

The Carletons make a living as card sharps and finding new suckers to mooch off of. When their latest scam backfires...

Plot Keywords:

Will | Monte Carlo | Actor | Drunkenness | Dominoes

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars.

Cast

Janet Gaynor	...	George-Anne Carleton
Douglas Fairbanks Jr.	...	Richard Carleton
Paulette Goddard	...	Leslie Saunders
Roland Young	...	Col. Anthony 'Sahib' Carleton
Billie Burke	...	Marmy Carleton
Minnie Dupree	...	Miss Ellen Fortune
Henry Stephenson	...	Felix Anstruther
Richard Carlson	...	Duncan Macrae
Lawrence Grant	...	Mr. Hutchins
Walter Kingsford	...	Inspector
Eily Malyon	...	Sarah
Tom Ricketts	...	Andrew
Irvin S. Cobb	...	Senator Albert Jennings
Lucile Watson	...	Mrs. Jennings
Margaret Early	...	Adele Jennings

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved

Company:

Selznick International Pictures

Trivia:

It cost $12,000 to build the "Flying Wombat" car.

Janet Gaynor's Last Starring Role

Janet Gaynor, won the first Oscar for 3 silent films but had a considerable talkie career in the 1930s. At 32, she retired from films, and The Young in Heart was her final film. She mad once more film appearance in the 1950s. This is a subtle little film, and Gaynor plays against type as a con artist. Actually her brother and parents are con artists also. They happen upon a little old lady and move in with her in high hopes of getting her money. Sweet little comedy also boasts Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Billie Burke, and Roland Young as the family members. They are all terrific. Minnie Dupree is quite wonderful as Miss Fortune, and Richard Carlson, Paulette Goddard, Henry Stephenson, Billy Bevan, Eily Malyon, and Lucile Watson co-star. Not a screwball comedy, but more a comedy of manners, this is nonetheless a delightful if rarely seen little gem. Gaynor was so awful in her early talkies (like Sunnyside and Delicious) but somehow she learned the new medium and became a solid actress. She is wonderful in A Star Is Born, Three Loves Has Nancy, Small Town Girl, and The Farmer Takes a Wife. Too bad she quit films at such an early age. Fairbanks was always underrated. Goddard makes a nice impression here as well. And what about those Flying Wombats!