Daring Young Man | |
---|---|
![]() Theatrical poster for the film | |
Directed by | Frank R. Strayer |
Written by | Karen DeWolf Connie Lee |
Produced by | Robert Sparks |
Starring | Joe E. Brown Marguerite Chapman William Wright |
Cinematography | Franz F. Planer |
Edited by | Al Clark |
Music by | M. W. Stoloff John Leipold |
Production company | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 73 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Daring Young Man is a 1942 American comedy film directed by Frank R. Strayer, which stars Joe E. Brown, Marguerite Chapman, and William Wright. Brown plays the dual roles of a failure turned champion bowler, Jonathan Peckinpaw, and his own grandmother. The original screenplay was written by Karen DeWolf and Connie Lee. The supporting cast features Claire Dodd, Lloyd Bridges, and a cameo appearance by Arthur Lake as Dagwood Bumstead.
Jonathan Peckinpaw is a struggling proprietor of an air conditioning store. When his store is destroyed by an explosion in the shop next door, set off by Nazi spies, his failure is complete. He attempts to enlist in the Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Corps. Due to his lack of physical stature, he is refused by each service. His friend, the newspaper reporter Ann Minter, attempts to help him build up his physique by taking up bowling. However, he is terrible at it. Peckinpaw's grandmother is a die-hard gambler, and introduces her grandson to Sam Long, another gambler. Unbeknownst to everyone, Long has developed a sure fire way to cheat at bowling: a radio-controlled bowling ball. He claims to be able to teach Peckinpaw how to bowl in an incredibly short period of time. Using the radio-controlled ball, Peckinpaw becomes an overnight bowling phenomenon, and Long cleans up on the gambling activity betting against him.
The Nazi spies, Hans Mueller, Karl Rankin, and Marlene Frederick, who blew up the building next to Peckinpaw's store, are attempting to signal their counterparts offshore. However, something is interfering with their short wave signals. They discover that the interference is coming from the radio signals Long uses to control the bowling ball. They befriend Long and Peckinpaw, and utilize Long's radio to send coded messages to their comrades. The FBI tracks down the signals to the bowling alley, and attempt to capture the spies. In the confusion, the spies escape, but the radio-controlled ball is revealed. The FBI rushes off after the spies, and Long quietly slips away, leaving Peckinpaw alone to deal with a hostile crowd upset over the cheating scam. They attack him and send him to the hospital.
Minter visits him in the hospital, and despises him for the cheating scam. However, Peckinpaw convinces her that he knew nothing about the radio-controlled ball, and simply thought he was bowling well. Minter eventually believes him, and helps him escape from the hospital. He knows where the spies are hiding out, and gets them to chase him, leading them directly into the custody of the FBI. Right after the spies are arrested Peckinpaw receives his orders from the War Department, requesting that he report for duty.
The picture was originally titled Brownie, and production was announced in the beginning of June, naming Joe E. Brown as the star and Frank Strayer as the director. [2] By the end of June Marguerite Chapman was announced as the female lead in the film, and the title was changed to Daring Young Man. [3] Filming on the picture took place from June 24 - July 24, 1942. [1] [4] [5] Shortly after filming began, it was revealed that Claire Dodd had joined the cast, and Robert Sparks was producing. [6] Eddie Laughton was added to the cast in early July, as the stooge to Brown's character. Laughton had made a name for himself as a mime in vaudeville, and so had never uttered a word on stage. During the filming of Daring Young Man although he appeared in 85 scenes, he once again never had a word to utter in public. [7] The production ran into difficulty using local bowling alleys to film in, as they were kept busy by off-duty defense workers. To alleviate the problem, the studio built its own bowling alley for the production. [8] By the end of August it was announced that the cast included Joe E. Brown, Marguerite Chapman, Roger Clark, William Wright, Don Douglas, Claire Dodd, Lloyd Bridges, William Forrest, Eddie Laughton, Frank Sully, Ben Carter, and Robert Middlemass. The crew of Strayer as director, Sparks as producer, Abby Berlin as assistant director, Planer as cinematographer, Clark as editor, and Lodge Cunningham in charge of sound was also announced. [9] On September 19 the release date was announced as October 8, [10] The picture was released on that date. [1] The Legion of Decency gave the film an "A-1" rating, meaning that it was suitable for all audiences. [11]
Harrison's Reports gave the film a good review, especially complimenting the performance of Joe E. Brown. They felt that while the film was "silly", it was very funny. [12] The Motion Picture Herald did not like the film as much as Harrison's, feeling that only fans of Joe E. Brown would enjoy it. They felt the comedy routines were hackneyed, although they felt that the direction got as much out of the script and actors as it could. [13]
Charles Laughton was a British-American actor. He was trained in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and first appeared professionally on the stage in 1926. In 1927, he was cast in a play with his future wife Elsa Lanchester, with whom he lived and worked until his death.
Ten-pin bowling is a type of bowling in which a bowler rolls a bowling ball down a wood or synthetic lane toward ten pins positioned evenly in four rows in an equilateral triangle. The objective is to knock down all ten pins on the first roll of the ball, or failing that, on the second roll.
Julius Dassin was an American film and theatre director, producer, writer and actor. A subject of the Hollywood blacklist, he subsequently moved to France, and later Greece, where he continued his career. He was a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Screen Directors' Guild.
The Musketeers of Pig Alley is a 1912 American short drama and a gangster film. It is directed by D. W. Griffith and written by Griffith and Anita Loos. It is also credited for its early use of follow focus, a fundamental tool in cinematography.
Cabin in the Sky is a 1943 American musical film based on the 1940 Broadway musical of the same name. The first feature film directed by Vincente Minnelli, Cabin in the Sky features an all-black cast and stars Ethel Waters, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson and Lena Horne. Waters and Rex Ingram reprise their roles from the Broadway production as Petunia and Lucifer Junior, respectively. The film was Horne's first and only leading role in an MGM musical. Louis Armstrong is also featured in the film as one of Lucifer Junior's minions, and Duke Ellington and his Orchestra have a showcase musical number in the film.
Born to Kill is a 1947 RKO Pictures American film noir starring Lawrence Tierney, Claire Trevor and Walter Slezak with Esther Howard, Elisha Cook Jr., and Audrey Long in supporting roles. The film was director Robert Wise's first film noir production, preceding his later work on The Set-Up (1949) and The Captive City (1952).
Marguerite Chapman was an American film and television actress.
Air Raid Wardens is a 1943 comedy film directed by Edward Sedgwick and starring Laurel and Hardy. It was the first of two feature films starring the duo for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Youth's Endearing Charm is a 1916 American silent drama film directed by William C. Dowlan. The film stars Mary Miles Minter, Wallace McDonald, and Harry von Meter. The script for the film was adapted by J. Edward Hungerford from a novel of the same name written by Maibelle Heikes Justice. This was Minter's first film with Mutual Film, having previously been with Metro Pictures. A print is preserved at the Library of Congress.
Spy Smasher is a 12-episode 1942 Republic serial film based on the Fawcett Comics character Spy Smasher which is now a part of DC Comics. It was the 25th of the 66 serials produced by Republic. The serial was directed by William Witney with Kane Richmond and Marguerite Chapman as the leads. The serial was Chapman's big break into a career in film and television. Spy Smasher is a very highly regarded serial. In 1966, a television film was made from the serial footage under the title Spy Smasher Returns.
Don Winslow of the Navy is a 1942 Universal Pictures Serial film based on the comic strip Don Winslow of the Navy by Commander Frank V. Martinek. It was theatrically released in January 1942.
Edgar Warren Hymer was an American theatre and film actor.
Eddie Laughton was a British-American film actor. He appeared in more than 200 films between 1935 and 1952, and is best known for his work with The Three Stooges.
It Started with Eve is a 1941 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Henry Koster and starring Deanna Durbin, Robert Cummings, and Charles Laughton. The film received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Music Score. The film is considered by some critics to be Durbin's best film, and the last in which she worked with the producer and director who groomed her for stardom. It Started with Eve was remade in 1964 as I'd Rather Be Rich.
Jeepers Creepers is a 1939 American musical comedy starring Roy Rogers, with the popular hillbilly comedy troupe the Weaver Brothers and Elviry. Rogers plays a Sheriff in a town where a rich industrialist cheats a poor family out of their land when coal is discovered there.
Massacre is a 1934 American drama film directed by Alan Crosland. The film stars Richard Barthelmess and Ann Dvorak as its Native American protagonists, and also features Charles Middleton, Sidney Toler, Claire Dodd and Clarence Muse.
Social Briars is a 1918 American silent comedy-drama film directed by Henry King and starring Mary Miles Minter. The story was by Jeanne Judson, and it was filmed under the working title of "The Greater Call." As with many of Minter's features, it is thought to be a lost film.
Robert Emmett Keane was an American actor of both the stage and screen.
John F. Kelly was an American actor whose career spanned the very end of the silent film era through the 1940s. While most of his parts were smaller, often-uncredited roles, he was occasionally given a more substantial supporting or even featured role.
This is the complete filmography of actress Marguerite Chapman.