This is one of Deanna Durbin's lesser known vehicles at Universal from the late 1930s. It's a harmless feel-good production. As in all the other films she made at the studio that were produced by Joe Pasternak, she is surrounded by an accomplished supporting cast. True to form(ula), there is a nice boy her own age (Jackie Cooper), a group of wholesome teenaged pals that could be mistaken for friends of Andy Hardy's, and in this case, we get the added bonus of a refined older gent (Melvyn Douglas) that Durbin crushes on, lest the film get a bit too boring.
In between the romantic interludes and comic antics, there is music. No Deanna Durbin movie would be complete without music, usually of the operatic variety in which our lovely adolescent star hits all the right high notes. Often this seems like an adult's version of how a teen should behave, with all the proper enculturation. But as 95 minutes of pure hokum, it's not too bad.
This frothy concoction is not meant to be taken too seriously, though Durbin's fans (then and now) probably do take it all to heart. Instead, this is a film the studio made to entertain and uphold certain values. And if you peel some of the layers back, you will see underneath the lighter elements, there's some sexism and propaganda.
The film starts with a boys scouts rally, led by Cooper and his buddies. He mentions an upcoming camp event that some of the lads cannot afford. However, there's good news: Deanna Durbin's rich family will provide the use of a guest house to practice an act for the camp show the kids will be putting on. Also, one might guess that the families of other girls will help cover costs for boys who can't afford the camp. So the idea here is that Durbin, her onscreen cronies, and the girls in the audience must do their part to help the boys, whatever the price.
The boys in this environment don't ever rally to help the girls. In addition to this, there is some not so subtle propaganda extolling the virtues of patriotism in advance of the war. Female folk will have to make the necessary sacrifices to support the male folk.
Into this mix we have Melvyn Douglas as a successful journalist who works for Durbin's dad (John Halliday). He is battling some illness after having been on assignment in a foreign country. His ailment is not identified specifically by the script, but one assumes it is probably malaria. He is invited by Halliday to move into the family guest house, to finish recovering and complete some articles. Of course, the peace and quiet Douglas expects to find will be upset by Durbin and her pals who will also be there making noise.
At first Durbin is unhappy that her father promised the guest house to Douglas, and she tries to drive Douglas out. But then she learns he's ill, starts crushing on him big time, and his welfare takes priority. Predictably, this causes Cooper to get jealous, since he sort of considers Durbin his sweetheart.
Melvyn Douglas appears in this film on loan from MGM and Columbia, which shared his contract. Because he was usually so busy at those other studios, he seldom made pictures at Universal. His role in THAT CERTAIN AGE, the handsome older guy, was the type that would've been played by Franchot Tone or Edmond O'Brien in the 1940s, when they were under contract at Universal.
As for Cooper, he'd just finished a long run at MGM as a child star. Now he was signed to Universal where he'd do a series of juvenile parts. There are scenes in this movie where Cooper's character is directing the musical show, which is interesting, because years later Cooper would direct many episodes of television.
Originally, the story was going to have Durbin's character get married at the end. But when publicity materials relayed this to the public (spoilers 1938 style), Durbin's fans protested...so the marriage bit was nixed. The studio could apparently suggest a happy ending for her, but they couldn't exactly provide one.
In between the romantic interludes and comic antics, there is music. No Deanna Durbin movie would be complete without music, usually of the operatic variety in which our lovely adolescent star hits all the right high notes. Often this seems like an adult's version of how a teen should behave, with all the proper enculturation. But as 95 minutes of pure hokum, it's not too bad.
This frothy concoction is not meant to be taken too seriously, though Durbin's fans (then and now) probably do take it all to heart. Instead, this is a film the studio made to entertain and uphold certain values. And if you peel some of the layers back, you will see underneath the lighter elements, there's some sexism and propaganda.
The film starts with a boys scouts rally, led by Cooper and his buddies. He mentions an upcoming camp event that some of the lads cannot afford. However, there's good news: Deanna Durbin's rich family will provide the use of a guest house to practice an act for the camp show the kids will be putting on. Also, one might guess that the families of other girls will help cover costs for boys who can't afford the camp. So the idea here is that Durbin, her onscreen cronies, and the girls in the audience must do their part to help the boys, whatever the price.
The boys in this environment don't ever rally to help the girls. In addition to this, there is some not so subtle propaganda extolling the virtues of patriotism in advance of the war. Female folk will have to make the necessary sacrifices to support the male folk.
Into this mix we have Melvyn Douglas as a successful journalist who works for Durbin's dad (John Halliday). He is battling some illness after having been on assignment in a foreign country. His ailment is not identified specifically by the script, but one assumes it is probably malaria. He is invited by Halliday to move into the family guest house, to finish recovering and complete some articles. Of course, the peace and quiet Douglas expects to find will be upset by Durbin and her pals who will also be there making noise.
At first Durbin is unhappy that her father promised the guest house to Douglas, and she tries to drive Douglas out. But then she learns he's ill, starts crushing on him big time, and his welfare takes priority. Predictably, this causes Cooper to get jealous, since he sort of considers Durbin his sweetheart.
Melvyn Douglas appears in this film on loan from MGM and Columbia, which shared his contract. Because he was usually so busy at those other studios, he seldom made pictures at Universal. His role in THAT CERTAIN AGE, the handsome older guy, was the type that would've been played by Franchot Tone or Edmond O'Brien in the 1940s, when they were under contract at Universal.
As for Cooper, he'd just finished a long run at MGM as a child star. Now he was signed to Universal where he'd do a series of juvenile parts. There are scenes in this movie where Cooper's character is directing the musical show, which is interesting, because years later Cooper would direct many episodes of television.
Originally, the story was going to have Durbin's character get married at the end. But when publicity materials relayed this to the public (spoilers 1938 style), Durbin's fans protested...so the marriage bit was nixed. The studio could apparently suggest a happy ending for her, but they couldn't exactly provide one.