The Plastic Age (1925)

Hugh Carver is an athletic star and a freshman at Prescott College. He falls in love with Cynthia Day, a popular girl who loves to go to parties. He finds that it is impossible to please ... See full summary »

Director:

Wesley Ruggles

Writers:

Frederica Sagor Maas (adaptation) (as Frederica Sagor), Percy Marks (novel)

Stars:

Donald Keith, Mary Alden, Henry B. Walthall

Cast

Cast overview:
Donald Keith	...	Hugh Carver
Mary Alden	...	Mrs. Carver
Henry B. Walthall	...	Henry Carver
Gilbert Roland	...	Carl Peters
Clara Bow	...	Cynthia Day
David Butler	...	James Henley

Storyline

Hugh Carver is an athletic star and a freshman at Prescott College. He falls in love with Cynthia Day, a popular girl who loves to go to parties. He finds that it is impossible to please her and still keep up with his studies and his athletic training, and soon the two face some difficult decisions.

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Plot Keywords:

college | american football | flapper | based on novel | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance | Sport

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 December 1925 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Idade de Amar

Filming Locations:

Pomona College - 333 N. College Way, Claremont, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

B.P. Schulberg Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

73 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Plastic Age was based on the popular 1922 novel of the same name, which was written by Brown University professor Percy Marks. Ben Schulberg, the film producer who discovered Clara Bow in 1923, paid $45,000 for the rights of the book.

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Connections

Remade as Red Lips (1928)

User Reviews

The Dangers of Sex

You can't go wrong with Clara Bow, but if you're expecting a movie on the order of her later work prepare to be disappointed. I was entertained by this film, but some of the moments that made me laugh were probably not intentionally funny.

Donald Keith plays Hugh Carver, a high school athletic star who is going off to college. Before he leaves home, his mother (Mary Alden) tells his father (Henry Walthall, best known as the Little Colonel in "Birth of a Nation), to discuss with him "the things he should know." As his father explains sex to him, Hugh looks bewildered and shocked.

Upon arriving at Prescott College, Hugh initially learns that higher education consists of harmless hijinks. His roomie, Carl Peters, is quite the ladies man and party animal. Hugh dismisses talk of such things, saying "my athletics are fun enough for me."

We all know that can't last, and sure enough, while invading a womens house during his freshman hazing, Hugh meets Cynthia Day (Bow), the "real hotsy-totsy." Hugh ends up dancing with Bow, who is not so much dancing as having sex with her clothes on.

That's the start on Hugh's road to ruin, as he returns to his dorm and is apparently so inflamed by hormones that he decides to take up smoking. So much for being a big track star. Sure enough, he loses his first race, estranging him from his father.

Hugh doesn't care. He's deep into the party scene by this time, dating Bow mostly. This causes a fight between Hugh and Carl, destroying their relationship. Eventually Bow breaks up with Hugh, not wanting to completely destroy his innocence.

This puts him back on the right track, and he makes it to his senior year where the movie resolves itself predictably.

"The Plastic Age" comes on a 2 film DVD with "The Show-Off," another silent comedy that has Louise Brooks in a backup role. Bow and Brooks were destined for better things, but the DVD offers an interesting glimpse at the early work of two women who, along with Colleeen Moore, defined the flapper era. The two actresses were very different; Bow's style was barely contained animal sexuality, while Brooks was more elegant and graceful.

Silent fans will enjoy these second-tier movies, but to see the actresses at their peak, Bow's "Wings" or "It" and Brook's "Diary of a Lost Girl" are far better films.