The Young in Heart (1938) is a film comedy starring Janet Gaynor, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Paulette Goddard, Roland Young, and Billie Burke.
Made by Selznick International Pictures and distributed by United Artists, the movie was directed by Richard Wallace and produced by David O. Selznick from a screenplay by Paul Osborn, adapted by Charles Bennett from the serial The Gay Banditti by I. A. R. Wylie.
The music score was by Franz Waxman and Heinz Roemheld. Waxman received two Academy Award nominations, for Best Music, Original Score and Best Music, Scoring. Leon Shamroy's cinematography was also nominated.
Plot
The French police identify the Carltons as a family of con artists and insist they leave the Riviera. On the train to London, George-Anne Carlton (Janet Gaynor) encounters her persistent former suitor, Duncan Macrae (Richard Carlson). He still wants to marry her, despite knowing of her family's checkered past, but he is not wealthy, so she tells him to leave her alone.
The penniless family soon latches onto kind-hearted fellow passenger Miss Ellen Fortune (Minnie Dupree), a rich but lonely old woman. When there is a train crash, George-Anne and her brother Richard (Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.) take good care of her. As a result, the Carltons are invited to stay with Miss Fortune at her mansion in London. Richard and their parents, "Colonel" Anthony "Sahib" Carlton (Roland Young) and "Marmy" (Billie Burke), consider it a short-term refuge while they search for another opportunity, but George-Anne convinces them to try to ingratiate themselves with the old woman, supposedly with the goal of becoming her heirs; secretly, she hopes that her family will mend their crooked ways. Miss Fortune's lawyer, Felix Anstruther (Henry Stephenson), is suspicious of their motives and, while in France on business, checks up on them.
In the meantime, Duncan resurfaces. Having seen Sahib's half-hearted newspaper advertisement for a job, Duncan secures one for him as a car salesman for the Flying Wombat (actually Rust Heinz's futuristic car, the Phantom Corsair). Richard wanders into the office of an engineering firm that is looking to hire a mail boy; admiring hardworking employee Leslie Saunders (Paulette Goddard), he takes the job. Soon, they are going out together, though he does not hide from her the fact that the only reason he is working is to impress Miss Fortune.
Despite themselves, the Carltons start to change. Sahib turns out to be a fine salesman and is soon promoted to sales manager for London, while Richard starts studying engineering.
When Anstruther returns, he informs his client all that he has uncovered about the Carltons, but Miss Fortune, though believing what he tells her, refuses to think ill of her guests. Her faith is justified. When she becomes seriously ill, Anstruther informs the Carltons that Miss Fortune is not wealthy after all. Her finances have worsened and she may even lose her house. Each of the Carltons insists that they are only concerned about her welfare, much to George-Anne's surprised delight. Sahib states that Miss Fortune will never want for a home.
In the end, George-Anne marries Duncan, Richard does the same with Leslie, and Miss Fortune goes to live with the Carltons in their cottage.
Maude Adams, the famous stage star, originally screen tested for the part that went to Minnie Dupree. The screen test of Adams, made by David Selznick, still survives and is the only visual and aural record of that great actress.
Cast
Legendary Broadway actresses Laurette Taylor and Maude Adams were considered for the part of Miss Fortune. Both made tests, which still exist—the only examples of sound film of these famous stage actresses.
This was Gaynor's final film role before retiring while at her height (though she did make one more movie, 1957's Bernardine).
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