Robert Young Movies
Chicago-born Robert Young carried his inbred "never give up" work ethic into his training at the Pasadena Playhouse. After a few movie-extra roles, he was signed by MGM to play a bit part as Helen Hayes' son in 1931's Sin of Madelon Claudet. At the request of MGM head Irving Thalberg, Young's role was expanded during shooting, thus the young actor was launched on the road to stardom (his first-released film was the Charlie Chan epic Black Camel [1931], which he made while on loan to Fox Studios). Young appeared in as many as nine films per year in the 1930s, usually showing up in bon vivant roles. Alfred Hitchcock sensed a darker side to Young's ebullient nature, and accordingly cast the actor as a likeable American who turns out to be a cold-blooded spy in 1936's The Secret Agent. Some of Young's best film work was in the 1940s, with such roles as the facially disfigured war veteran in The Enchanted Cottage (1945) and the no-good philanderer in They Won't Believe Me (1947). In 1949, Young launched the radio sitcom Father Knows Best, starring as insurance salesman/paterfamilias Jim Anderson (it was his third weekly radio series). The series' title was originally ironic in that Anderson was perhaps one of the most stupidly stubborn of radio dads. By the time Father Knows Best became a TV series in 1954, Young had refined his Jim Anderson characterization into the soul of sagacity. Young became a millionaire thanks to his part-ownership of Father Knows Best, which, despite a shaky beginning, ran successfully until 1960 (less popular was his 1961 TV dramedy Window on Main Street, which barely lasted a full season). His second successful series was Marcus Welby, M.D. (1968-1973). Young's later TV work has included one-shot revivals of Father Knows Best and Marcus Welby, and the well-received 1986 TV-movie Mercy or Murder, in which Young essayed the role of a real-life pensioner who killed his wife rather than allow her to endure a painful, lingering illness. Young passed away from respiratory failure at his Westlake Village, CA, home at the age of 91. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1987
In this made-for-television movie, the stability of an extended family is threatened by divorce. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- 1949
Set in the early 1900s, Adventure in Baltimore is a romantic comedy about the woman's suffrage movement. Shirley Temple plays a student at an exclusive girl's school who "sees the light" and begins campaigning for women's rights. This doesn't sit well with her minister father (Robert Young) nor with Temple's boyfriend (John Agar, then married to Temple). Eventually, Temple's dad is won over to his daughter's point of view, and delivers an impassioned sermon on tolerance and individual rights for the edification of the hidebound townspeople. Like most of Shirley Temple's "grown up" films, Adventure in Baltimore was a disappointment at the box office. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Young, Shirley Temple, (more)
- 1972
Robert Young stars as Judge Charles Raleigh in the made-for-television All My Darling Daughters. The Judge happens to have four daughters, played by Darleen Carr, Judy Strangis, Sharon Gless, and Fawne Harriman (what did all the detective shows and sitcoms do for ingenues while these four ladies were tied up in this film?) And, as the fates would have it, all four daughters plan to get married on the same day! Screenwriter John Gay and David Lowell Rich, two of the most prolific TV-movie artisans in Hollywood, managed to maintain audience interest despite the story's inbuilt cliches. Originally telecast November 22, 1972, All My Darling Daughters was followed by a TV-pilot sequel, All My Darling Daughters' Anniversary. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Originally titled My Darling Daughters' Anniversary, this TV movie was the sequel to the popular 1972 presentation All My Darling Daughters. Robert Young returns as Judge Charles Raleigh, who in the first film managed to survive the same-day marriages of all four of his daughters. This time around, it's the widowed Raleigh himself who's bitten by the love bug. When he announces his intention to remarry (to Ruth Hussey), his four offspring are rather taken aback. The Raleigh daughters are played by Darlene Carr, Judy Strangis, Sharon Gless, and Lara Parker, while the supporting cast is dotted with such veterans as Raymond Massey, Anna Lee, Ben Wright, and Lois January. Intended as the pilot for a weekly series, My Darling Daughters' Anniversary debuted November 7, 1973. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1949
Bride-to-be Barbara Hale collapses into a faint while taking the altar vows. Hale learns that she is pregnant by her former husband Robert Young, who steadfastly refuses to give her custody of the unborn child. As it turns out, she isn't pregnant at all, but her reunion with Young has convinced her that she's still in love with her first hubby. Robert Hutton is the prospective bridegroom left out in the cold--but he's a nasty sort, so good riddance. And Baby Makes Three was produced for Columbia by Humphrey Bogart's Santana company. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Young, Barbara Hale, (more)
- 1963
The third season of The Avengers arrived with the happy news that Cathy Gale would henceforth be John Steed's full-time partner, displacing such second-season "temps" as Venus Smith (Julie Stevens) and Dr. Martin King (Jon Rollason). Even so, the first episode of the season, "Brief for Murder," found Steed methodically plotting Cathy's murder. It's all part of a master plan to trap a pair of crooked lawyers (Harold Scott and John Laurie), but this isn't made apparent until after Cathy has (apparently) shuffled off her mortal coil. Written by the dependable Brian Clemens, "Brief for Murder" originally aired in England on September 29, 1963; it was first shown in America on March 5, 1991. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Born Free is the heartwarming true story of a British couple who teach their pet lioness how to survive in the wilds of the African jungles. Joy and George Adamson (portrayed by real-life married couple Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers) involuntarily domesticate several lions while living in Kenya. They keep one, named Elsa, until she is fully grown, and rather than turn her over to a zoo, they decide to train her to live like a wild animal so that they can release her into her natural habitat. Geoffrey Keen is a sympathetic government official who convinces the Adamsons that they should set Elsa free to avoid being ordered to place her in captivity. The film, based on Joy Adamson's book, is poignant and emotional without ever becoming banal or overly sentimental. The title song and film score both won Academy Awards. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Virginia McKenna, Bill Travers, (more)
- 1939
Veteran German director William Thiele managed to add a continental flavor to the MGM assembly-line romance Bridal Suite. Annabella stars as Luise Anzengruber, a poor but cheerful young lady who manages an Alpine hotel. When handsome playboy Neill McGill (Robert Young) checks into Luise's establishment, it's love at first (or at least second) sight. Alas, Luise's future happiness is complicated by Neill's disapproving family and his bitchy fiancee Abby Bragton (Virgina Field). Bridal Suite was originally titled Maiden Voyage, but the name was changed to capitalize on Annabella's recent real-life marriage to Tyrone Power. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Annabella, Robert Young, (more)
- 1949
Bride for Sale is an old-fashioned romantic triangle brightened by the star power of Claudette Colbert, George Brent and Robert Young. In search of a "perfect" husband, Nora Shelly (Colbert) decides to comb through the tax records of several eligible males, and to that end takes a job at Paul Martin's (Brent) accounting firm. When Paul learns the real reason behind Nora's diligence, he decides to teach her a lesson. He convinces his wealthy friend Steve Adams (Young) to woo and win Nora, then leave her flat. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that Paul and Steve will both fall in love with Nora by reel seven. Produced independently by Jack H. Skirball's Crest Productions, Bride for Sale proved to be a moneyspinner for its distributor, RKO Radio. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claudette Colbert, Robert Young, (more)
- 1942
Written by real-life intelligence agent Ladislas Fodor, Cairo is both a spoof of espionage thrillers and a good-natured refutation of Jeanette MacDonald's established screen image (it was her last film on her MGM contract). MacDonald plays wisecracking movie star Marcia Warren, who while "between pictures" in London hires fellow American Homer Smith (Robert Young) as her butler. What Marcia doesn't know is that Smith is an American newspaperman, who strongly suspects that our heroine is a Nazi spy (the real enemy agent is played by Mona Barrie, who looks not at all like dear Marcia). All such misunderstandings are forgotten once the principal characters end up in Cairo, with Marcia and her maidservant Cleona (Ethel Waters) pitching in to help Smith break up an Axis espionage ring. There are "in jokes" aplenty in Cairo, ranging from Jeanette MacDonald's flippant reference to her 1936 film hit San Francisco to the "it's only a movie, folks" closing shot. The music isn't bad, either. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeanette MacDonald, Robert Young, (more)
- 1935
Calm Yourself starts off as ace advertising man Pat (Robert Young) is fired from his job when he offends the highly offendable -- and none too likeable -- Mary Elizabeth (Betty Furness). This segues into a phony kidnapping scheme that thrusts Pat and Mary together, furthering their mutual animosity. Fortunately for Pat, heroine Rosalind (Madge Evans) is an agreeable sort, and it is she with whom he ends up at fadeout time. Nat Pendleton goes through his usual paces as comic-opera gangster Knuckles Benedict. Director George B. Seitz, who ground out four films for MGM in 1935, allows the cast of Calm Yourself to mug and glower to their heart's content: some of it is funny, some of it isn't. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Young, Madge Evans, (more)
- 1934
Carolina, a melodrama directed by Henry King, follows a young woman's attempt to restore a southern plantation back to its pre-Civil War glory. Joanna Tate (Janet Gaynor), originally travels from her home in Pennsylvania to the plantation in order to collect her deceased father's belongings. Though he didn't own the plantation himself, he had worked there as a farmer for a number of years. Once she arrives, Joanna (Gaynor) finds that the actual plantation owner, Bob Connelly (Lionel Barrymore), is a Civil War veteran who, despite his dogged determination to return his farmland to what it was before the war, has fallen to alcoholism. Least expected, however, was the love that would develop between Joanna and the plantation's handsome young heir, Will Connelly (Robert Young). Joanna and Connelly (Young) eventually marry, and the farm is successfully restored through their dedication and hard work. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Janet Gaynor, Lionel Barrymore, (more)
- 1943
Dorothy McGuire charmingly recreates her stage role in this film adaptation of Rose Franken's Broadway hit Claudia. The title character (McGuire) is the naïve, somewhat childish young bride of David Naughton (Robert Young). Slowly adapting to married life, the unworldy Claudia receives several "wake-up calls" regarding the maintenance of a household, dealing with her husband's (and her own) sexual urges, impending childbirth, and, on a more somber note, the inevitable death of a loved one. A subplot involving the criminal past of the family butler is downplayed on screen, and the film is the better for it. Tops among the supporting cast of Claudia is Ina Claire as the heroine's witty, sprightly and, alas, doomed mother. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dorothy McGuire, Robert Young, (more)
- 1946
Dorothy McGuire and Robert Young reprise their roles from the film Claudia, which followed the titular young couple as they dealt with the trials of parenthood. Claudia, a bit wiser than she was in the first film but still charmingly naive and a bit nervous, is struggling with the responsibilities of motherhood when a fortune teller predicts that something horrible will happen to her husband. Since David is soon to travel to the West Coast on business, Claudia tries to persuade him not to go, even though it could mean losing his job. Claudia is next convinced that the baby has contracted a fatal illness, though it turns out to be nothing more than the measles. And jealousy creeps into the relationship when Elizabeth (Mary Astor) starts consulting David on a building project, while Claudia is attracting the uninvited attentions of Phil (John Sutton), who happens to be married. Like its predecessor, Claudia and David was based on a series of short stories by Rose Franken, which also inspired a successful stage play and radio series. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dorothy McGuire, Robert Young, (more)
This drama was one of the first major-studio efforts to confront anti-Semitism (beating the Oscar-winning Gentleman's Agreement by several months), and it features a standout performance from Robert Ryan as a bigoted soldier on the run. Monty Montogomery (Ryan) is a violent and unstable soldier who, while out on a pass, goes on a drinking spree with three buddies, Floyd (Steve Brodie), Arthur (George A. Cooper), and Leroy (William Phipps). While boozing it up in a tavern, the four men meet Joseph Samuels (Sam Levene) and strumpet Ginny (Gloria Grahame), who invite the soldiers back to their apartment for a party. Monty, however, has a fierce hatred of Jews, and he later goes into a drunken rage in which he beats Joseph to death. Monty's friends can barely remember the incident through their liquor-shrouded memories, but they recall just enough to make themselves scarce when police detective Capt. Finlay (Robert Young) begins making the rounds looking for information on Joseph's murder. Sgt. Kelly (Robert Mitchum), a soldier who knows the four men, begins to suspect that something is up, and he works with his wife and Finlay to help ferret out the killer in his ranks, while Monty kills Floyd when he becomes convinced that he's going to talk to the authorities. While director Edward Dmytryk showed real bravery in bringing this story to the screen, it had greater repercussions than he might have expected; the film's controversial themes led to Dmytryk's denunciation by the House Un-American Activities Committee during the McCarthy-era investigations of the 1950s. Luckily, unlike other filmmakers who suffered similar accusations by HUAC, Dmytryk continued to work steadily through the '50s and '60s. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Young, Robert Mitchum, (more)
- 1937
The Dangerous Number of the title is madcap showgirl Elinor (Ann Sothern). Notorious throughout Manhattan for her zany antics, Elinor is also quite a handful for her conservative husband Hank (Robert Young). In addition, Hank must contend with the heroine's flamboyant ex-burlesque queen mother Gypsey (Cora Witherspoon). Not that Hank's family is anything to write home about; the most eccentric member of his clan is cousin William (Reginald Owen), who has lost one girlfriend after another because he refuses to shave off his beard. Trying very, very hard to qualify as a "screwball" comedy, Dangerous Number succeeds about three-fourths of the time. PS: This was Ann Sothern's first starring assignment at MGM. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Young, Ann Sothern, (more)
- 1934
Based on a novel by Cortland Fitzsimmons, the storyline of this "gimmick" mystery follows the St. Louis Cardinals during a championship season. The arrival of hotshot pitcher Larry Kelly (Robert Young) coincides with an apparent plot to sabotage the Cards' chances of making it to the World Series. A failed attempt to poison all the pitcher's mitts is followed by a series of murders: catcher Dunk Spencer (Joe Sauers) is shot while sprinting to third base, pitcher Frank Higgins (Robert Livingston) is strangled in the locker room, and lovable catcher Truck Hogan (Nat Pendleton) is killed with an arsenic-laden hot dog. Finding himself one of the many suspects, Kelly nearly becomes a victim as well when he is slipped a booby-trapped baseball. With the help of sportscaster Jimmy Downey (Paul Kelly), Kelly exposes the murderer, surviving to win the pennant and the heroine, team secretary daughter Frances Clark (Madge Evans). Partly filmed on location at Los Angeles' Wrigley Field (home of the Chicago Cubs' minor-league LA farm team), Death on the Diamond offers a fresh slant to the standard whodunit format, with some particularly good work by Ted Healy as an exasperated umpire. That MGM produced the film is tipped off by two of the studio's trademarks: The killer's last-minute confession, wherein the guilty party transforms from a mild-mannered soul into a raving lunatic, and the shoddy process-screen work in the ballgame scenes. Future stars Mickey Rooney, Walter Brennan and Bruce Bennett show up in bit roles. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Young, Madge Evans, (more)
- 1940
Dr. Kildare's Crisis is actually one suffered by his fiancee, nurse Mary Lamont (Laraine Day). Mary's financier brother Douglas Lamont (Robert Young) is subject to unpredictable seizures, and for a while it seems that he is suffering from hereditary epilepsy. This being 1940, Douglas' affliction carries an onus which seriously threatens the impending marriage between Mary and Jim Kildare (Lew Ayres); after all, who knows how their children will turn out? But by using an unorthodox therapeutic method, Dr. Kildare proves that Douglas' medical condition was borne of an accident rather than a genetic disorder. The final diagnosis is rendered by crusty Dr. Gillespie (Lionel Barrymore), who thereby manages to justify his appearance in the film in the very last reel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lew Ayres, Lionel Barrymore, (more)
- 1959
This special episode of Father Knows Best was done one behalf of the United States Treasury Department in 1959, and was never aired on television -- it was, however, widely shown on 16mm prints at schools and churches, and to civic groups, to help sell U.S. Savings Bonds. Jim Anderson (Robert Young) is chosen to run a campaign to sell Savings Bonds through the Payroll Savings Plan and the Bond-a-Month Plan, and discovers that his three children are reluctant to participate. When he realizes the depth of their apathy, he decides to prove to them the importance of Savings Bonds and what they provide, in securing peace and freedom, by making them a bet -- that for 24 hours, they will not live in America, but in "Tyrantland," where a dictator in their home will control every aspect of their lives. He and Margaret (Jane Wyatt) play their roles to the hilt, eliminating all freedom of expression and choice for them for the next night and day. Betty (linor Donahue), Bud (Billy Gray), and Kathy (Lauren Chapin) are given numbers instead of names, and put on a rigid regimen of chores and errands. In the end, the three children recognize what they risk losing and relent. Like other, similar shows done for the Treasury Department (such as "Stamp Day For Superman"), "24 Hours In Tyrantland" was never part of the official list of episodes of its parent series, and only saw official commercial release in 2008, as part of the DVD set Father Knows Best: Season One. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- 1977
Father Knows Best: Home for Christmas was the second of three TV pilot films for a proposed (and abandoned) revival of the 1950s sitcom classic Father Knows Best. Robert Young, Jane Wyatt, Elinor Donahue, Billy Gray and Laurin Chapin reprise their old TV roles as the Anderson family. Jim and Margaret Anderson (Young and Wyatt), facing the prospect of celebrating Christmas alone, are further depressed by the possibility of having to sell their home. Their children Betty, Bud and Kathy (Donahue, Gray and Chapin), now grown and pursuing their own lives, drop what they're doing to rally around their parents. Father Knows Best: Home for Christmas was slightly more realistic than its 1950s inspiration, but Sentiment wins out over Truth once more. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
