"Young and Beautiful" (1934) must be included in any keen movie- lover's must-see list for its one outstanding musical number in which the engaging dancers wear masks of many famous Hollywood players. Whilst this sequence is definitely the high point of the movie, it is on the whole a very entertaining effort from "B" studios' Mascot Pictures, who are doubtless making a determined effort to step into the big time. Producer Nat Levine collared for his principal players, popular William Haines, recently fired by M- G-M, plus Joseph Cawthorn (who provides a wonderful running gag with his side-splitting impersonation of Universal's then-embattled founder, Carl Laemmle) and the beautiful Judith Allen. Whatever happened to her? 1934 was her greatest year, with no less than nine movies to her credit. Her career slowly wound down. After playing the female lead to Frankie Darro's "Tough Kid" (1938), she made a bad career move by accepting a job as a walk-on in "Four Girls in White" (1939). Anyway, getting back to the fast-paced "Young and Beautiful", also on hand are no less than twelve of the year's Wampas Baby Stars. We don't see much of them, despite all the razzamataz, and there should be thirteen. See how many you can count on the Alpha DVD!
Review of Young and Beautiful
