Young and Willing

The movie went along well enough when they weren't acting out parts that were supposed to illustrate they were still neophytes with very little talent. There were many elements of a screwball comedy but as much as I was interested in seeing the cast at this stage in their careers, this movie was so amateurishly written almost any of us could think of ways to improve it substantially. And Florence MacMichael's voice gave me a headache.

There was a bottle of medicine that figured in the plot that was supposed to be helpful for an expectant mother. It seemed to be a mystery substance known only to fictional doctors.

I'd suggest that a 1943 audience would be annoyed, even angered, that the guys weren't all in the military and the gals were totally uninterested in anything but acting. This movie would have gone over a lot better before Pearl Harbor.

I prefer Robert Benchley's writing to his movie roles but I always find him enjoyable and he worked well with Mabel Paige as the two responsible adults with all these immature young people.

If you are a very tolerant and easy-going person who laughs readily, you might enjoy this movie as a light-hearted romp. If you want to know what these people were like then, you might want to see this movie. Everybody else would be happier avoiding it.

In the 1940s, it simply wasn't proper for a man and a woman to cohabitate without being married. Let alone three men and three women! Although they've all taken a pledge not to get romantically involved with each other until their acting careers have taken off, young love just can't be stopped. When one of the girls' father stops by for an impromptu visit, the boys are forced into a hasty exit to pretend they don't live in the apartment.

The entire film takes place in the one-room apartment, so it's easy to imagine Francis Swann's original play onstage. It feels like one lengthy Frasier episode, with gags, mistaken identities, and situational comedy, so if you like that sort of fast-paced hilarity, you'll probably like this one. I couldn't stop laughing. I love fast-paced wit, and it's always funny to laugh at fledging actors if you once were one yourself.

While William Holden and Susan Hayward play two of the roommates, it's Florence MacMichael who stays in my memory as the funniest one in the show. She's the thorn in everyone's side, and while she might annoy some audience members with her constant baby-talk, I found it adorable. Young and Willing isn't a classic most people remember, but it's certainly funny enough to rent during a fun girls' weekend.

This comedy from Paramount Pictures/United Artists and director Edward H. Griffith has six aspiring stage performers, Norman (William Holden), George (Eddie Bracken), Tony (James Brown), Kate (Susan Hayward), Dottie (Martha O'Driscoll), and Marge (Barbara Britton), all sharing an apartment to save on expenses. They have to keep their co-habitation a secret though, so as to not upset the morals of the day and risk immediate eviction. Their situation is upended by the arrival of cousin Muriel (Florence MacMichael) who wants to spill the beans on their arrangement, and playwright Arthur Kenny (Robert Benchley), a major Broadway figure who resided in the same apartment building in his younger years, and who has returned to recharge his creative batteries.

I found this more irritating than amusing. MacMichael uses an incredibly annoying cutesy baby voice that grates on the nerves. Neither the screenwriters nor the director succeeded in opening up the action much from its stage origins, and as such the majority of the film transpires in a single room. Future big-time movie stars Holden and Hayward are fine in their roles, but neither really displays much in the way of screen magnetism. Bracken gets to do most of the silliest shtick, naturally. This reminded me of a prototype version of Friends.

I love this movie but I fear that it is now, possibly, lost forever. If there is a print of this movie, I hope that it can be restored and put back out. I last saw it on Night Owl Theater, on TV, in the 1960's. You can see that I have remembered it for a very long time. I know that "Out of the Frying Pan" is still periodically revived, but I really want to see the 1943 movie. I understand that this movie is unavailable. I was unaware that William Holden and Susan Hayward were in it. I do recall Eddie Bracken. It would be great if this movie could be put on the list for restoration. There are few other movies that would be more suitable for restoration

william holden stars in his last film before going to war. the film did not get the credit it should have so i'm giving it now. it is a near perfect comedy that keeps going and never slows down. william holden susan hayward martha o'driscoll and eddie bracken all turn in fine performances but the always great robert benchley steals the show. this film is well worth a four star treatment.