Tonight I watched another pre-coder, "The Age of Consent"(1932), starring relative unknowns Dorothy Wilson and Richard Cromwell, who play students at a "State College" that looks a lot like the campus of USC. Cromwell is "Mike", a biology major working hard toward his degree. He is in love with "Betty" (Wilson), but he's got competition from his frat brother "Duke"(Eric Linden), who comes from a wealthy family. Duke's got a brand new car and fancy clothes. He's also got a pickup line for every girl on campus. The one he uses on Betty works well enough to get her to accompany Duke to the school dance. When Mike sees her there, he begins to fear losing her. The next time they are together he offers to drop out of school to marry her.
Betty is more than flattered by Mike's proposal, but doesn't want him to quit the university. She tells him she can wait. It'll only be two more years, then they can get married and Mike will have his degree. Then they'll have something to build on. But Mike, a shy, refined boy, doesn't trust the passage of time. He confides in his biology professor, telling him about how "modern" all the girls are now, and how they'll find someone else if you can't show them a good time. In other words, he is certain that if he stays in school and studies, that ladies' man Duke will steal Betty away from him. Betty comes to him and tells him this isn't true; she's loyal and will wait. She tells him Duke is nothing to her, just a ham with a luxury sedan, but Mike feels inferior. His fear of losing Betty eats away at him.
Mike sometimes stops at a diner near campus that is open after hours. One night, when he is feeling low, he strikes up a conversation with his insouciant waitress (Arline Judge). She's got a Betty Boop look and a Bronx attitude, in total contrast to Mike's straight backed modesty. But, he's put himself in agony with his assumptions about Betty and Duke, so when the waitress asks him to walk her home, he agrees. When they get there, she asks if he'd like a drink. She lives with her Dad, who's got plenty of booze on hand. After sharing half a bottle of Vodka, they dance drunkenly to some romantic music.
You can guess what happens next. :):)
When Mike and Arline wake up the next morning, he's got a hangover the size of Rhode Island. He can't recall what took place the night before, but Arline can, and she's now pretty smitten with Mike. He then gets the general idea of what went on; Arline doesn't have to spell it out for him, but now Mike, instead of feeling happy or excited, is a nervous wreck. "I've gotta get to class"!, he exclaims. He is not only remembering his university schedule, but that he is in love with Betty and he has now cheated on her. Mike hurries to get dressed and leave, but before he can do so, Arline's Dad walks in the door. He sees Mike. He sees his daughter. He sees the messed up couch, and he sees the liquor bottle. Boy is he pissed. To make matters worse, he's Irish. Mike is now in a whole lotta trouble.
It boils down to this : "You're either gonna marry my daughter or I'll have you sent to the penitentiary"! Please pronounce the above with an Irish accent. Thanks.
Remember that Mike is a straight laced boy. A major theme of the movie is the promiscuity of Mike's frat brothers and the philosophy of "free love" that is widespread on campus. Mike has complained to his professor that the old ways of courtship and marriage are out of fashion now. This is in the early 1930s, so we see that the Hippies didn't invent "free love" after all. As mentioned in a recent review, the kids of the '30s were pretty wild, and here we see that again. Many of the girls at the college are fine with the new sexuality, and are eager to sleep with guys like Duke and his pals. But Mike is different, and he hoped that in Betty he'd found a kindred spirit. But now he's done it himself. He's gotten plastered and slept with the waitress, and now that her Dad has discovered them, and threatened Mike with prison (for sex with a minor), he has no choice but to tell Betty. She's gonna find out either way, whether Mike goes to the slammer or avoids it by marrying Arline.
What a mess, eh?
The whole thing ends up in the district attorney's office. Arline's Dad is demanding that charges be brought against Mike, who has refused to marry her because "I don't love her, so it wouldn't be right". The biology professor is on hand to advocate for Mike, and it's a good thing, too, because he can explain in technical terms the biological urge in young people that leads them to have sex with each other in the first place, without regard for consequences like pregnancies or pissed off Dads. The DA is a considerate man. He says if it were up to him, he would not charge Mike. "These things happen", he tells the assembled. "It's not worth ruining a boy's life". But the Irishman isn't having any of it. He wants Mike in prison, and the DA explains that, unfortunately, he has to follow the law. If the father won't relent, Mike will have to stand trial.
Mike is petrified, naturally, so at the last minute he agrees to marry Arline the waitress. Her Dad is now satisfied. He drops the charges, but insists Mike marry his daughter that evening. "No tricks now, or I'll come straight back to the DA"! The next scene shows Mike and Arline about to take their vows, right there at the courthouse. But then a university official rushes in with a message for the professor. Something terrible has happened.
It seems that while Mike was in court, his girl Betty became despondent and ran off with Duke, who surprisingly didn't take advantage of the situation. Instead, he tried to play the Good Guy. You kind of always expected that Duke wasn't as bad as you thought he was. In this situation he was trying to cheer Betty up, but now a tragedy has occurred.
I can't tell you what it is (even though I've told you 90% of the story, lol), but the plot will turn on this event. The movie runs a mere 62 minutes, and as you can see, a ton of stuff happens. That's one reason we love short movies! The acting is a little stiff in places, but that's a minor complaint. The young performers are still good, especially Arline Judge as the waitress and Eric Linden as Duke. Keep in mind that this was 1932. Sound had only been in use for three years and the motion picture industry was still adjusting to the change. Perhaps there was not a supply of young actors at the time who were used to speaking on camera. Two other performers merit special mention. One is Reginald Barlow, who played Arline's father. I am always looking at actors' bios on IMDB, and sometimes I see an older one who was born in the 1880s or even the 1870s. Mr. Barlow was born in 1866 (one year after the Civil War), which makes him perhaps the oldest movie actor I've ever seen. The other performer I want to mention is Dorothy Wilson, who played the lead role of "Betty". It is noted in her bio that she was not a professional actress but was a secretary for one of the studio executives. When they couldn't cast the role, he suggested Dorothy. She is very good in her first screen appearance, and went on to make a couple of dozen films. But the reason I mention her is that, on IMDB, it says that when she retired from acting, she moved with her husband to a ranch in Reseda! So how cool is that? Tonight's leading lady is a homegirl. :)
I love pre-code movies and I very much enjoyed "The Age Of Consent". It tells an everlasting story that's been with us since the world began, of The Biological Urge, it's pleasures and potential consequences. Two Big Thumbs Up, and highly recommended for a look at Early Hollywood. ////
That's all for now. I'm off to Trader Josephus then back to Pearl's See you tonight at the Usual Time.
Tons of love. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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