Young Ideas (1943)

Academy Award-winner* Mary Astor (The Maltese Falcon) stars as a widow whose grown children try to break up her romance with a college professor in this charming, offbeat comedy directed by... See full summary »

Director:

Jules Dassin

Writers:

Ian McLellan Hunter (original screenplay), Bill Noble (original screenplay)

Stars:

Susan Peters, Herbert Marshall, Mary Astor

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Susan Peters	...	Susan Evans
Herbert Marshall	...	Michael Kingsley
Mary Astor	...	Jo Evans
Elliott Reid	...	Jeff Evans
Richard Carlson	...	Tom Farrell
Allyn Joslyn	...	Adam Trent
Dorothy Morris	...	Co-Ed
Frances Rafferty	...	Co-Ed
George Dolenz	...	Pepe
Emory Parnell	...	Judge Canute J. Kelly
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Grady Sutton	...	Undetermined Minor Role (unconfirmed)

Storyline

Academy Award-winner* Mary Astor (The Maltese Falcon) stars as a widow whose grown children try to break up her romance with a college professor in this charming, offbeat comedy directed by the legendary Jules Dassin (Never on Sunday, Naked City, Rififi). When Susan (Susan Peters) and Jeff Evans (Elliot Reid), the adult children of widowed author and lecturer Jo Evans (Astor), discover that their mother has fallen in love with staid professor Michael Kingsley (Herbert Marshall), they intervene to try to end what they believe is an inappropriate relationship.

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Plot Keywords:

teenager | spanking | screwball comedy | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 August 1943 (USA)

Also Known As:

Faculty Row

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

77 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Film debut of Myron Healey.

User Reviews

Too much selfishness rolled up into one film...I didn't like it.

"Young Ideas" is supposed to be a quirky comedy but it really annoyed me because so many people in the film were utterly selfish jerks. A comedy should NOT annoy the viewer.

The film begins with Jo Evans (Mary Astor) becoming a number one best selling author. Then, because she's fallen in love, she completely abandons her book tour--telling no one and simply not showing up for her book signings and lectures. Jerk.

You then meet Jo's kids--and they haven't fallen far from the proverbial tree. When these grown children learn that their mother has married and doesn't plan on writing any more, they are NOT happy for her and her new husband. Instead, they're only concerned that their free lunch (so to speak) might be coming to an end. So, they decide the best course of action is to try to destroy the marriage!

What is with these people and WHY is this considered funny? The only one I ended up caring about and feeling for was the man Jo married-- the Professor (Herbert Marshall). Again and again, her kids lie to him--telling him that the crazy characters in Jo's books are autobiographical AND contacting her old boyfriends and arranging for them to just 'drop by'.

Overall, this is a comedy with few laughs and is so mean-spirited and full of selfish people that it completely took me out of the story. I hated this film despite some good acting.