''Young Ideas'' is a 1924 American silent

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

Robert F. Hill Robert F. Hill (April 14, 1886 – March 18, 1966) was a Canadian film director, screenwriter, and actor. Career Bob Hill began his screen career in 1915 at Universal Pictures. In those early days, members of film crews were sometimes c ...

and starring

Laura La Plante Laura La Plante (born Laura Laplante; November 1, 1904 – October 14, 1996) was an American film actress, whose more notable performances were in the silent era. Early life La Plante was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on November 1, 1904, the dau ...

T. Roy Barnes Thomas Roy Barnes (August 11, 1880 – March 30, 1937) was a British-American actor. Biography Barnes appeared in over 50 films between 1920 and 1935, primarily in comedies. Although born in England, he lived in the United States from early chil ...

, and

Lucille Ricksen Lucille Ricksen (born Ingeborg Myrtle Elisabeth Ericksen; August 22, 1910 – March 13, 1925) was an American motion picture actress during the silent film era. She died of tuberculosis on March 13, 1925 at the age of 14. Early life Ingeborg ...

. It also featured an uncredited appearance of the future star

Janet Gaynor Janet Gaynor (born Laura Augusta Gainor; October 6, 1906 – September 14, 1984) was an American film, stage, and television actress. Gaynor began her career as an extra in shorts and silent films. After signing with Fox Film Corporation (later ...

Plot

As described in a

film magazine Film periodicals combine discussion of individual films, genres and directors with in-depth considerations of the medium and the conditions of its production and reception. Their articles contrast with film reviewing in newspapers and magazines whi ...

, Octavia Lowden (La Plante) is the mainstay of a family consisting of Aunt Minnie (Titus), firmly convinced that she is "not long for this world," Eloise (Ricksen), a younger sister with a twisted disposition, Uncle Eph (Barrows), who fought with

General Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General of the United States ...

at Appomattox, Bob (Messinger), a kid brother with a sleep-and-mischief complex, and Grandma (Lee), the only regular sport in the outfit, but tied to her chair. Octavia is a photographer in Pritchett Spence's (Barnes) gallery and much, but hopelessly admired by Spence. With a family of sick people Octavia cannot give Spence a moment's attention. Finally he ventures to her house one Sunday afternoon, with such results that he is driven to a desperate trick. To get her away from her bloodsucking relatives, he sends her on an out-of-town assignment and then has a doctor friend quarantine the house. Detectives keep Octavia and the other inmates of the house within, and of course Octavia worries over her fam- ily, all of them probably starving or dying. As a matter of fact, they are all — but Grandma — at work, facing a realization that they either work or starve. Meanwhile, Spence and Dr. Hiram Smith sit back and chuckle — until Grandma gets sick. Then Spence goes to the country place to bring Octavia home, and has to whip the very detectives he put around the house because they do not know him. But a skunk releases the "prisoners" and in a short time Octavia finds herself at home — and a strange home it is, with Bob in overalls and Eloise and Aunt Minnie in aprons. And then Spence seeks forgiveness for his "trick" and receives punishment extraordinary — a life sentence with Octavia.

Cast

Preservation

A print of ''Young Ideas'' is held at the

EYE Film Institute Netherlands Eye Filmmuseum is a film archive, museum, and cinema in Amsterdam that preserves and presents both Dutch and foreign films screened in the Netherlands. Location and history Eye Filmmuseum is located in the Overhoeks neighborhood of Amsterdam in t ...

.Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Database: ''Young Ideas''
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References

Bibliography

* Goble, Alan. ''The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film''. Walter de Gruyter, 1999.

External links

* * 1924 films 1924 comedy films Silent American comedy films Films directed by Robert F. Hill American silent feature films 1920s English-language films Universal Pictures films American black-and-white films 1920s American films {{1920s-silent-comedy-film-stub