Under Eighteen
1931 film
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Under Eighteen is a 1931 American pre-Code romantic drama film directed by Archie Mayo and starring Marian Marsh, Anita Page, Regis Toomey and Warren William. It is based on the short story "Sky Life" by Frank Mitchell Dazey and Agnes Christine Johnston.
| Under Eighteen | |
|---|---|
| |
| Directed by | Archie Mayo |
| Written by | Charles Kenyon |
| Based on | |
| Starring | Marian Marsh Anita Page Regis Toomey Warren William |
| Cinematography | Barney McGill |
| Edited by | George Marks |
| Music by | Leo F. Forbstein |
Production company | |
Release date |
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Running time | 80 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
A wealthy Broadway producer tries to take advantage of a poor young seamstress who needs money to help her sister divorce her worthless husband.
Cast
- Marian Marsh as Margie Evans
- Anita Page as Sophie
- Regis Toomey as Jimmie Slocum
- Warren William as Raymond Harding
- Norman Foster as Alf
- Joyce Compton as Sybil
- J. Farrell MacDonald as Pop Evans
- Claire Dodd as Babsy
- Paul Porcasi as François
- Maude Eburne as Mrs. McCarthy
- Murray Kinnell as Peterson
- Dorothy Appleby as Elsie
Critical reception
In his New York Times review, Mordaunt Hall described the film as "earnest, rather than intelligent" and stated that "The authors have more to answer for than the players."[1]
Variety gave a negative review and also blamed the quality of the writing saying that it "handcuffs everyone." They continued, "Mayo, the director, has permitted all the usual studio exaggerations which invariably go with this much-repeated interpretation of Cinderella." They noted that this marked the first starring role for Marian Marsh and that the studio was aiming to build Marsh and co-star Warren William, but stated that this film "will not benefit either of them" and that Marsh "fails to impress" in the dramatic scenes.[2]
The Film Daily described the story as "artificial" and "old fashioned", and commented, "Almost from the beginning the outcome of this story is so obvious that it hardly seems to justify the lavishness expended upon it."[3]
