''Second Youth'' is a 1924 American silent

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

film produced by Distinctive Pictures (

George Arliss George Arliss (born Augustus George Andrews; 10 April 1868 – 5 February 1946) was an English actor, author, playwright, and filmmaker who found success in the United States. He was the first British actor to win an Academy Award – which he ...

) and distributed through

Goldwyn Pictures Goldwyn Pictures Corporation was an American motion picture production company that operated from 1916 to 1924 when it was merged with two other production companies to form the major studio, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was founded on November 19, 1 ...

. The film is one of the few and rare silent appearances of Broadway husband and wife team

Alfred Lunt Alfred David Lunt (August 12, 1892 – August 3, 1977) was an American actor and director, best known for his long stage partnership with his wife, Lynn Fontanne, from the 1920s to 1960, co-starring in Broadway theatre, Broadway and West End thea ...

and

Lynn Fontanne Lynn Fontanne (; 6 December 1887 – 30 July 1983) was an English actress. After early success in supporting roles in the West End, she met the American actor Alfred Lunt, whom she married in 1922 and with whom she co-starred in Broadway and We ...

Plot

As described in a film magazine review, Roland Francis, a timid silk salesman, is much sought after by the ladies, but he avoids them. A sub-deb, a stenographer, an extremely modern miss, and, worst of all, Mrs. Benson, a very experienced widow, are all trying to land him in the matrimonial net. The latter, having disposed of three husbands, wants to grab Francis for a fourth trial, and is naturally the hardest of the lot to evade. Anne Winton decides that a young woman has the right to flirt whenever and with whomever she pleases, and selects Francis as her victim. Anne, stimulated by the gibes of a sportive brother-in-law, invites Francis out to supper, takes him in Bohemian circles, lures him under the white lights, and gives him a heck of a time, generally speaking. The result is that he falls genuinely in love with her and not even his ingrained bashfulness is a strong enough barrier to save him from traveling the path to the marriage goal. Anne is brought to realize that she has started something she cannot stop. Still, Francis is hampered by other women and their indignant suitors. After many adventures, he eludes his pursuers and weds Anna.

Cast

Preservation

Prints of ''Second Youth'' are held in the collections of

Cinematheque Royale de Belgique CINEMATEK (Dutch: Koninklijk Belgisch Filmarchief; French: Cinémathèque royale de Belgique; English: Royal Belgian Film Archive) is a film archive in Brussels, Belgium. The archive was established in 1938 under the name Royal Belgian Film Arch ...

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

and the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

.The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: ''Second Youth''
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References

External links

* * *Lobby posters of ''Second Youth''

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1924 films American silent feature films Films directed by Albert Parker Films based on American novels Goldwyn Pictures films 1924 romantic comedy films American black-and-white films American romantic comedy films 1920s American films Silent romantic comedy films Silent American comedy films {{1920s-romantic-comedy-film-stub