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Young And Willing

1943, Movie, NR, 83 mins

Young And Willing: Review

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A fluffy film adaptation of an equally fluffy Broadway play about three struggling actors who share a Greenwich Village apartment with three struggling actresses. The young men--Holden, Bracken, and Brown--sleep in one bedroom while the ladies--Hayward, O'Driscoll, and Britton--share another. While trying to strike it rich on the stage, the group must figure out a way to pay past-due rent to landlady Paige. They get a break when they learn that their downstairs neighbor is Benchley, a highly regarded playwright. Naturally, the close confines of the six lead to an entanglement of romances. O'Driscoll has fallen for Holden, but he seems not to take notice; Hayward is in love with Bracken; and Britton and Brown have secretly married. To further complicate matters, Britton is pregnant and Brown is about to enter the service. One day Paige, who is still demanding her rent, hands the young hopefuls an unsigned play that she has found. They enthusiastically begin rehearsals in the apartment. Benchley soon discovers that they are rehearsing his long-lost first play--one he wrote when he lived in the apartment years ago as a struggling playwright. Holden and the gang con Benchley into watching their rehearsal by telling him the play has been lost, but that they have memorized it. Eventually their young talent is recognized and, with Benchley's assistance, they are given the chance to bring their version of the play to the stage. While the source material isn't particularly strong, the enthusiasm of the young actors (Holden was 24; Hayward 23) is enough to recommend the picture. Hayward discovered that playwright Swann had based his work on the true adventures of his sister (on whom Hayward's character was based). With characteristic preparatory fervor, Hayward made contact with Swann's sister, who was in Hollywood at the time, and based her characterization on the resulting experience. Produced by Paramount in 1942, YOUNG AND WILLING was one of a handful of films that were sold to United Artists (I MARRIED A WITCH and THE CRYSTAL BALL were also included) and thereby saw a delayed release. Unfortunately for Holden, this less-than-memorable picture did not have the public waiting in anticipation for his follow-up. Holden would fall further from memory until 1947, the date that marked his return to the screen after a stint in the service. leave a comment
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