''Our Hearts Were Young and Gay'' is a 1944 American

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by Lewis Allen and written by Sheridan Gibney. It was based on the real life reminiscences of the comic misadventures of

Emily Kimbrough Emily Kimbrough (October 23, 1899 – February 10, 1989) was an American author and journalist. Biography Emily Kimbrough was born in Muncie, Indiana. In 1921 she graduated from Bryn Mawr College and went on a trip to Europe with her friend Co ...

and

Cornelia Otis Skinner Cornelia Otis Skinner (May 30, 1899 – July 9, 1979) was an American writer and actress. Biography Skinner was the only child of actor Otis Skinner and actress Maud Durbin. After attending the all-girls' Baldwin School and Bryn Mawr College ...

in their book ''

Our Hearts Were Young and Gay ''Our Hearts Were Young and Gay'' is a book by actress Cornelia Otis Skinner and journalist Emily Kimbrough, published in 1942. The book presents a description of their European tour in the 1920s, when they were fresh out of college from Bryn M ...

''. The film stars

Gail Russell Gail Russell (born Betty Gale Russell; September 21, 1924 – August 26, 1961) was an American film and television actress. Early years Gail Russell was born to George and Gladys (Barnet) Russell in Chicago and then moved to the Los Angeles ...

Diana Lynn Diana Marie Lynn (born Dolores Eartha Loehr, July 5, 1926 – December 18, 1971) was an American actress. Early years Lynn was born in Los Angeles, California. Her father, Louis Loehr, was an oil supply executive, and her mother, Martha Loe ...

Charlie Ruggles Charles Sherman Ruggles (February 8, 1886 – December 23, 1970) was an American comic character actor. In a career spanning six decades, Ruggles appeared in close to 100 feature films, often in mild-mannered and comic roles. He was also the e ...

Dorothy Gish Dorothy Elizabeth Gish (March 11, 1898June 4, 1968) was an American actress of the screen and stage, as well as a director and writer. Dorothy and her older sister Lillian Gish were major movie stars of the silent era. Dorothy also had great ...

Beulah Bondi Beulah Bondi (born Beulah Bondy; May 3, 1889 – January 11, 1981)According to the State of California. ''California Death Index, 1940–1997''. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California. At ...

, Bill Edwards and

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

. After its premiere in New York on October 12, 1944, ''Our Hearts Were Young and Gay'' went into general release.

Plot

In 1923, on the eve of the high school graduation, a pair of teenage girls,

(

) and

(

) are crestfallen when Emily contracts measles and cannot attend the dance. Cornelia, daughter of famous actor Otis Skinner (

), also bemoans the fact that "heartthrob," Avery Moore (

), ignores her, and is about to leave on a European trip. Emily suggests they both go to Europe, and without a chaperone. On the same boat as Avery, Cornelia accepts a date from him to go to a dance on the ship, while Emily meets Tom Newhall ( Bill Edwards), a handsome young doctor and bachelor. Their romantic intentions go awry when Cornelia comes down with measles, and Tom agrees to use makeup to mask the spots, but she does not want to tell Avery about her infection. When the ship reaches London, Cornelia's parents, who had traveled on another cruise ship, meet the two girls. At a tour of

Hampton Court Palace Hampton Court Palace is a Grade I listed royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, southwest and upstream of central London on the River Thames. The building of the palace began in 1514 for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, the chie ...

in Paris, Cornelia spots Avery and the two young people reunite, but after kissing her, Avery comes down with measles. Cornelia and Emily head off for Paris to sight see on their own. After getting trapped on a balcony at

Notre Dame Cathedral Notre-Dame de Paris (; meaning "Our Lady of Paris"), referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité (an island in the Seine River), in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. The cathedral, dedicated to the ...

, the girls drop articles of clothing to try to get the attention of passersby, to no avail. When Cornelia and Emily finally return to their hotel in their slips, they encounter Mr. Skinner's friend, actor Monsieur Darnet (Georges Renavent), and his friend, Pierre Cambouille (Roland Varno). To help them, the gentlemen escort them inside, but Avery thinks the worst and hits Cambouille. A brawl erupts just as Mr. and Mrs. Skinner arrive from England, and Mr. Skinner insists that it is time for his daughter to return home. After bidding fond farewells to Avery and Tom, Cornelia and Emily board the ship home, ending their European misadventures.

Cast

as Otis Skinner *

as Mrs. Skinner *

as Miss Horn *

as Avery Moore * Bill Edwards as Tom Newhall *

Jean Heather Jean Heather (February 21, 1921 – October 29, 1995 ) was an American actress who appeared in eight feature films during the 1940s. Early years Heather was the only child of Dewey and Florence Heatherington. She was born in Omaha. After ...

as Frances Smithers *

Alma Kruger Alma Kruger (September 13, 1871 – April 5, 1960) was an American actress. Career Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1871 (or 1868 according to other sources), Kruger had a long career on stage before appearing in films. From 1907 to 1935 ...

as Mrs. Lamberton * Helen Freeman as Mrs. Smithers (uncredited) *

Joy Harington Joy Harington (22 February 1914, London - 22 October 1991, Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the no ...

as English girl (uncredited) * Valentine Perkins as English girl (uncredited) *

Georges Renavent Georges Renavent (born Georges DeChaux, April 23, 1892 – January 2, 1969) was a French-American actor in film, Broadway plays and operator of American Grand Guignol. He was born in Paris, France. In 1914, he immigrated to the United Stat ...

as Monsieur Darnet (uncredited) *

Roland Varno Roland Varno (March 15, 1908 – May 24, 1996) was an American character actor from Utrecht, Netherlands. Varno's father was a tea planter, Martin Fredrick Vuerhard, and his mother was a concert pianist. Although they hoped for him to ha ...

as Pierre Cambouille (uncredited)

Production

Principal photography on ''Our Hearts Were Young and Gay'' began on August 24, 1943 and continued until October 21, 1943. Added scenes began shooting on November 10, 1943. Although Cornelia Otis Skinner and Emily Kimbrough, on whose memoirs the film is based, worked on the script, they were not credited, although Emily did have a "bit" part in the film. In casting, a number of actors were considered including

Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress in film, stage, and television. Her career as a Hollywood leading lady spanned over 60 years. She was known for her headstrong independence, spirited perso ...

to play Cornelia, with

Jane Withers Jane Withers (April 12, 1926 – August 7, 2021) was an American actress and children's radio show host. She became one of the most popular child stars in Hollywood in the 1930s and early 1940s, with her films ranking in the top ten list for ...

and Mimi Chandler also tested for roles in the film.

Reception

Film critic Armond White (A.W.) in reviewing ''Our Hearts Were Young and Gay'' for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' said, "Obviously not designed to deliver a message, ''Our Hearts Were Young and Gay'', Paramount's film version of the Cornelia Otis Skinner-Emily Kimbrough book of remembrances of hectic things past, lives up to its title. Blithely recalling the trip abroad made by those ladies when they were in their impressionable 'teens, its story is as light as a marshmallow and sometimes as cloyingly sweet. Although the picture's foreword coyly denies that it is intended as a period piece, it very often uses the devices of dated clothes and manners to garner laughs. If the film occasionally stumbles on its merry way, blame it on those arid humorless stretches when ''Our Hearts Were Young and Gay'' becomes more young than gay. Generally, however, the producers have fused the effervescence of youth with rosy-tinted nostalgia to make an amusing and satisfying entertainment."White, Armond (A.W.)
"Movie review: 'Our Hearts Were Young and Gay' at the Paramount."
''The New York Times'', December 10, 1944. Retrieved: August 26, 2016. In 1945, although a news item in ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' indicated that Skinner and Kimbrough took legal action against Paramount to prevent a sequel to ''Our Hearts Were Young and Gay'', a judge ruled in favor of the studio. In the sequel, ''

Our Hearts Were Growing Up ''Our Hearts Were Growing Up'' is a 1946 American comedy film directed by William D. Russell and written by Melvin Frank, Norman Panama and Frank Waldman. It is the sequel to the 1944 film ''Our Hearts Were Young and Gay''. The film stars Gail ...

'' (1946), Gail Russell, Diana Lynn, James Brown and Bill Edwards reprised their roles."Notes: 'Our Hearts Were Young and Gay'."
''Turner Classic Movies'', Retrieved: August 26, 2016.

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* Skinner, Cornelia Otis and Emily Kimbrough. ''Our Hearts Were Young and Gay''. New York: Bantam Books, 1942.

External links

* * {{Lewis Allen 1944 films 1944 comedy films American black-and-white films American comedy films Films about vacationing Films based on non-fiction books Films directed by Lewis Allen Films set in 1923 Paramount Pictures films 1940s English-language films 1940s American films