The Young Lovers (1964 film)

The Young Lovers
Directed by Samuel Goldwyn, Jr.
Produced by Samuel Goldwyn, Jr.
Screenplay by George Garrett
Based on a novel by Julian Halevy
Starring Peter Fonda
Sharon Hugueny
Nick Adams
Deborah Walley
Music by composed and conducted by Sol Kaplan
Cinematography Joseph Biroc, A.S.C.
Ellsworth Fredericks, A.S.C.
Edited by William A. Lyon, A.C.E.
Production
company
Tigertail Productions
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release dates
 Copyrighted: June 23, 1964
premiere (in Cleveland):
October 14, 1964
Running time
 110 min.
Country United States
Language English

The Young Lovers is a black-and-white American romantic drama,[1] released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in November 1964.[2] The sole directorial effort of its producer, Samuel Goldwyn, Jr.,[3] it stars Peter Fonda[4] and Sharon Hugueny (in the final of her four feature film appearances),[5] with second leads Nick Adams and Deborah Walley.[6] Scripted by George Garrett from a 1955 novel by Julian Halevy, the film was shot in September–October 1963[7] and released a year later.

Plot

While attending college, Eddie (Peter Fonda) shares an apartment with another student, nicknamed Tarragoo (Nick Adams). Tarragoo's girlfriend Debbie (Deborah Walley) and her friend Pam (Sharon Hugueny), who is studying to be a teacher and lives with her widowed mother (Beatrice Straight), are frequent visitors. Eddie and Pam develop a close relationship; and, during the time her mother is away from home for a few days, Pam allows Eddie to stay the night. Finding herself pregnant, she tells Eddie who reacts with unhappiness, being low on funds and dismayed by the prospect of losing his scholarship. Pam discusses the situation with her mother, considers having an abortion, decides against it and makes plans to leave.

Meanwhile, Eddie, with help from professors Schwartz (Malachi Throne) and Reese (Joseph Campanella), improves his educational standing by passing an exam and consults with Tarragoo and Debbie who advise him to take the morally correct path. At the crossroads of integrity, Eddie chooses rectitude and goes to Pam's mother, intent upon telling her so. Learning that Pam has already departed, he aims to follow her, with the conviction that whatever life offers, they will be able to face it together.[8]

Cast

Tagline

"There is a moment when the rest of the world ceases to exist."[9]

Evaluation in film guides

The New York Times Guide to Movies on TV (1970 edition, edited by Howard Thompson), starting with the write-up tagline "Uh-huh", provides a one-sentence overview of the plot and describes the film as "A tasteful, occasionally interesting and tentative little drama, that seems decorously light years away from today's campus realism but even on its own terms disappointingly beats a retreat from reality". The review also praises Malachi Throne, Joseph Campanella and Beatrice Straight, and ends with "Best of all are Nick Adams as Fonda's roommate and Deborah Walley as his peppery, virtuous little quarry." A small photograph from the film depicts the four young leads sharing a drink.[10]

Steven H. Scheuer's Movies on TV (1986–87 edition) gives The Young Lovers 1 star (out of 4), describing it as "pangs of first love, Hollywood-style" and concluding, As usual, the principals act more dopey than romantic". By the 1993–1994 edition, the conclusion had been deleted, leaving only the description. Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide (2009 edition) manages a higher rating, 2 stars (out of 4), but not a higher opinion, dismissing it as an "Amateurish, meandering drama of college youth involved in romance".[11]

The Motion Picture Guide (1987 edition) goes half a step higher than Maltin, assigning 2½ stars (out of 5) and deciding that "This 'youth in trouble' film is hardly fresh in story content and is lacking in production values". The review also notes that "The direction is choppy, with a somewhat confusing time frame, but the cast proves able to overcome the problems and inherent soap-opera qualities of the script".

References

  1. ↑ Howard Thompson (February 11, 1965). "Movie Review: The Young Lovers". The New York Times. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  2. ↑ No byline (February 28, 1964). "To Preview Film: Samuel Goldwyn Jr. Sets Visit". The Free Lance-Star. Retrieved February 4, 2014. (includes photograph with caption "Producer Samuel Goldwyn Jr. coaches actress Sharon Hugueny for her role in "The Young Lovers".)
  3. ↑ Thomas, Bob (September 25, 1963). "Goldwyn Jr. Rolls On As He Gets His Feet Wet". Sarasota Journal. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  4. ↑ Johnson, Erskine (October 27, 1963). "Hollywood Today! Movies — Television". The Victoria Advocate. Retrieved February 4, 2014. (includes photograph with caption "CHIP OFF A STAR—When Peter Fonda, son of star Henry, decided acting was his dish, wild horses couldn't hold him. Here, he's shown with Sharon Hugueny in his fourth film, "The Young Lovers".)
  5. ↑ No byline (March 4, 1964). "Spurred by TV: Goldwyn Sees Movie Comeback". The Free Lance-Star. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  6. ↑ Thomas, Bob (October 17, 1964). "Something Lost in Translation". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  7. ↑ Garrett, George; Hardison, O. B.; Gelfman, Jane R. Film Scripts, Volume 3. Ardent Media, 1989. ISBN 0829022775
  8. ↑ No byline (1964). "Black-and-white photograph of Peter Fonda and Sharon Hugueny from The Young Lovers". Photo. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  9. ↑ Film poster for The Young Lovers (1964)
  10. ↑ Lobby cards and stills of Peter Fonda and Sharon Hugueny from The Young Lovers
  11. ↑ Maltin, Leonard. Leonard Maltin's 2009 Movie Guide. Penguin, 2008, page 1578 ISBN 0452289785
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