That Certain Age

Deanna Durbin is excellent as bright and talented rich girl Alice Fullerton. She and her pal Ken (Jackie Cooper) put on musical plays in the guest house of her parents' estate. Alice's newspaper mogul father invites journalist Vincent Bullitt (Melvyn Douglas) to stay and work in said guest house—and Alice is quickly distracted from her friends by the romantic and dashing Mr. Bullitt.

Jackie Cooper gives a superior performance as the best friend who loves Alice and has to watch her chase after the older, successful and glamorous man of the world. Melvyn Douglas is good as Vincent Bullitt but his character is slightly bland, at least for someone who's supposed to be such an adventurer.

The plot is okay if not especially surprising; it's a sympathetic look at young love that tries to represent the viewpoints of both the kids involved and the parents and other grownups around them. It doesn't entirely work—this is one of those pictures where all the adults are so darn wise and well-meaning it's just kind of irritating. The kids—Durbin, Cooper, even little Juanita Quigley as the pesty little sister—come across as much more genuine.

Deanna sings a few songs—a couple of operatic numbers that are fine as well as a handful of new songs that are pleasant but no classics. Durbin's acting performance, however, is superb—she is totally convincing, as is Jackie Cooper, himself an old pro at age 16. Durbin and Cooper certainly leave the grown up actors in the dust.

Definitely worthwhile for fans of these young stars.

Research question: Did everybody really know Morse code in the 1930s, or was it just kids in the movies?

Brave reporter Vincent Bullit has just returned from following the Spanish Civil War. His boss, newspaper magnate Fullerton, has several plans to send him to China. However, first Fullerton invites Bullit to the peace and quiet of his own home to write a series of articles on European topics. When Fullerton's adolescent daughter Alice fell in love with Bullitt, her suitor, boy Ken Ken Warren, seems to have no chance. Mr. And Mrs. Fullerton, Ken Warren, and even Vincent Bullit himself are doing their best to distract young Alice's feelings from the older man. It is a difficult task though, as she is 'in those Certain Age'.

This is a heartwarming and feel good film! Deanna Durbin is really great with her singing of the title number as well as other good songs! "That Certain Age" received two Oscar nominations in the musical category. The story is about a well to do family headed by a newspaper magnate who invites one of his reporters to his expansive estate to stay in the guest house behind their mansion. Durbin and her friends are rehearsing for a show that they are going to put on at the theatre in town and of course, they are using the guest house for their rehearsals. When they get word that this distinguished reporter is coming to visit to work on some articles, they don't like it and Durbin decides they will all pull some shenanigans to make him want to leave. Only one problem, the love bug bites Durbin and she is smitten by the older man. She becomes so enamored that she ignores the show and her friends and even her boyfriend. The reporter now has the task of setting her straight but that isn't going to be that easy to do! If you are a Deanna Durbin fan or a Melvyn Douglas fan, this film is one you won't want to miss! The rest of the cast is great too! Some really good laughs!

Melvin Douglas and Jackie Cooper co- star with Deanna Durbin in this comedy about romance and teenage infatuation. Durbin had already reached stardom by age 16, and she plays teenager Alice Fullerton who gets a crush on an older man. That's Douglas's Vincent Bullitt, a top-notch ace reporter and journalist for her father's big New York newspaper.

Bullitt was wounded covering the Spanish Civil War and has come home for a rest. Publisher Gilbert Fullerton (played by John Halliday) wants him to relax and stay at his country home while writing a series of articles on the political scene in Europe. But, Alice's youth group has moved into the family guest quarters where they are rehearsing for a benefit play. Alice has to come up with a plot for them to chase Bullitt away, and they carry it out initially. But as she starts to fall for Bullitt, the story takes a turn with a couple of twists that lead to family turmoil and some more humor.

Jackie Cooper plays Ken Warren, who is directing the play and is himself smitten with Alice. While not a true love triangle, the story has the characters in positions that lend to good humor along those lines. In the meantime, Gilbert and Mrs. Fullerton (played by Irene Rich) get involved and stumble through the teenage infatuation of their daughter. A young Juanita Quigley plays Cooper's little sister, The Pest, whom he calls Butch once or twice; and she has a couple of funny scenes.

This was one of the films that helped Deanna Durbin's star rise and stay up through her short career which she ended just 10 years later. The plot is strictly comedy romance, with the music and Durbin's singing interspersed. But that did contribute to "That Certain Age" receiving two Oscar nominations - for sound recording and original song.

What I liked about this 1938 Comedy/Romance/Musical was - (1) The scenes where it was the teens who were the focus of the action. (I wish there had been more of these scenes) - and - (2) The moments when the 17-year-old Deanna Durbin thrilled us all, singing away like a trilling sparrow. Durbin sang a total of 5 songs in this film.

What I didn't like about this light-weight cinematic fluff was all of the emphasis placed on the boring, silly, and predictable crush that Durbin's character (Alice) had on the Vincent Bullitt character, who happened to be twice her age and he was the dullest dullard imaginable.

All-in-all - This was a fairly entertaining vintage "Chick Flick".

By the way - Deanna Durbin's real name was Edna Mae Durbin and she was originally from (are you ready for this?) Winnipeg, Manitoba.

*Note* - In 2013 - Deanna Durbin (91 at the time) died of natural causes.