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Made in 1938, and starring Janet Gaynor and Douglas Fairbanks Jr, THE YOUNG IN HEART also introduced two newcomers, notably Paulette Goddard and Richard Carlson. It also featured Bille Burke and Roland Young. The story is about a clever family of spongers who latch onto an older rich lady who lives alone and is need of companions. Their intentions are to make her like them, which she does, and eventually get her to leave everything to them in her will.

Along the way, to impress her doubting attorney, Young and Fairbanks go out to find a job, something they have never done in their entire lives. Fairbanks runs into Goddard, as he applies for a job, and is smitten (who wouldn't be), and Young learns his trade as a car salesman very well, beginning to take pride in his endeavors.

This is a lovely film with performances simply stated. It was produced by David Selznick and directed by Richard Wallace. Selznick was, at the time this picture was being filmed, looking for a cast for his up and coming production of GONE WITH THE WIND. A bit of trivia: Paulette Goddard was the first choice for Scarlett O'Hara beating out other outstanding stars trying for the coveted role. That is until Vivien Leigh came along. Leigh got the role Goddard was after. Leigh auditioned for the role in THE YOUNG IN HEART that Goddard got.

The Young In Heart is the story of the Carleton Family an civilized and amiable a group of grifters that the screen ever portrayed. The members are Roland Young and Billie Burke and their children Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and Janet Gaynor.

On one train trip where Janet's caught the eye of earnest Richard Carlson and Doug is maybe getting in over his head with southern belle Margaret Early, the family makes the acquaintance of an ingenuous old woman played by Minnie Dupree. They seem to hit it off, even more so after a train wreck and the Carletons look after her.

Dupree's family is long gone and she lives in genteel splendor in a very big house in London. In a burst of generosity she invites the whole family to stay with her. It's an opportunity to good to pass up, I know I wouldn't pass up free lodging even for a short spell.

But in order to keep up appearances and maybe she'll leave them the place in a will, they have to get jobs to appear on the up and up. At least the men folk do. Doug gets a job in an engineering firm, he charms Paulette Goddard into hiring him in an entry level position. And Young gets a job selling a brand new state of the art British car, the Flying Wombat. Both the guys especially Young prove really good, although you have to admit that selling cars should be something an accomplished grifter could take to right away.

In order for The Young In Heart to work the part of the old lady must be carefully cast and played. Minnie Dupree in one of her very few screen appearances is great in the part, bringing the right amount of charm to the role without it becoming maudlin. When you think about it, her's is the most important part, the whole film is structured around it.

Next to Dupree, I like Young the best. He's got a great scene when instead of being fired because they've found out he's a crook, he's offered a promotion to general manager, he's done that well.

I've known a few people in my life, one in particular who was one of the brightest people I've ever met, but who spent his whole short life of some 31 years on earth, running one big revolving con game. He was hard to dislike like the Carletons are, but you could never really get close to him. And if he'd ever applied himself honestly, he could have been a success in any field that interested him.

That's the charm of The Young In Heart, the thought that some people like this can be redeemed. Or maybe that in itself is a big con.

The Young In Heart got Oscar nominations for musical scoring and cinematography. Certainly one talented and charming cast gave it their best and the film is a delight.

What a delightful treat this little movie turned out to be! Not daffy enough to be considered a screwball yet too amusing to be regarded as anything but a comedy, "The Young In Heart" (1938) shows us what happens when an entire nuclear family of con artists finally gains a conscience, while living with a sweet, rich old lady who they are trying to bilk. And what a bunch of performers have been collected to portray that family! Roland "Topper" Young (in heart) plays the father, Sahib; everyone's favorite twittery witch, Billie Burke, is the mom; Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. is the son; and Janet Gaynor, here in her last role before her comeback 20 years later (in "Bernardine"), plays the daughter. All give delicious comedic performances, and are ably abetted by former stage actress Minnie Dupree, excellent and understated as the little old lady, and Paulette Goddard, who Dougy is trying to woo. This is a David Selznick picture--it came between the previous year's "A Star Is Born" and the following year's "GWTW"--and is yet another class production for the legendary showman. But the real operative word for this film is "charm," which it exudes more than any other single ingredient. And my goodness, just how pretty is Janet Gaynor here, right before her retirement? Well, she makes even the yummy-looking Paulette Goddard look second best, and that should tell you something! Anyway, all in all, this picture is a real joy, and the crisp-looking DVD offered here only adds to the pleasure.

Janet Gaynor, won the first Oscar for 3 silent films but had a considerable talkie career in the 1930s. At 32, she retired from films, and The Young in Heart was her final film. She mad once more film appearance in the 1950s. This is a subtle little film, and Gaynor plays against type as a con artist. Actually her brother and parents are con artists also. They happen upon a little old lady and move in with her in high hopes of getting her money. Sweet little comedy also boasts Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Billie Burke, and Roland Young as the family members. They are all terrific. Minnie Dupree is quite wonderful as Miss Fortune, and Richard Carlson, Paulette Goddard, Henry Stephenson, Billy Bevan, Eily Malyon, and Lucile Watson co-star. Not a screwball comedy, but more a comedy of manners, this is nonetheless a delightful if rarely seen little gem. Gaynor was so awful in her early talkies (like Sunnyside and Delicious) but somehow she learned the new medium and became a solid actress. She is wonderful in A Star Is Born, Three Loves Has Nancy, Small Town Girl, and The Farmer Takes a Wife. Too bad she quit films at such an early age. Fairbanks was always underrated. Goddard makes a nice impression here as well. And what about those Flying Wombats!

..., the Carltons, who meet a rich, lonely old lady and move into her lavish London home to keep her company while hoping to get written into her will.

Roland Young and Billie Burke play the parents, with Janet Gaynor and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. As their charming offspring. A monocled Young passes himself off as a former member of the Bengal Lancers, a role he had actually played in a Toronto stage presentation. Richard Carlson, in his film debut, plays a young Scotsman in love with Gaynor, while Paulette Goddard plays Fairbanks' boss of an engineering firm at which he is hired who takes an interest in him (and vice versa). Stage veteran Minnie Dupree plays the old lady, ironically named Miss Fortune.

This handsomely mounted Selznick production remains a charming delight throughout, with engaging performances from the entire cast. Scenes of sentiment that could easily have turned mawkish are rescued from that fate by the sincere performance of Miss Dupree as a kind, trusting soul. Also the love interests (Carleton, Goddard) of the fortune hunting offspring are both in on their schemes fairly early so there's no later nastiness in the film. It may be predictable where sentimental material of this nature will be headed but the charm of the writing and cast helps to maintain our interest.

Roland, by the way, gets hired as a salesman for a sleek lined, futuristic car called The Flying Wombat, which had car enthusiasts excited. The car in the film, a Phantom Corsair, cost $12,000 to make and can be seen speeding down lane ways in the film. It was going to be produced in limited numbers but those plans ended when its inventor died suddenly. Still, the Phantom Corsair or "Flying Wombat" can, at least, be seen in the film today.