The Youngest Profession

The Youngest Profession
The Youngest Profession
	Australian theatrical poster
Directed by	Edward Buzzell
Written by	Lillian Day (book); George Oppenheimer ; Charles Lederer ; Leonard Spigelgass ; Jan Isbell Fortune
Produced by	B.F. Zeidman
Starring	Virginia Weidler ; Edward Arnold ; John Carroll
Cinematography	Charles Lawton Jr.
Edited by	Ralph E. Winters
Music by	David Snell
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date	February 26, 1943;
Running time	82 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$446,000
Box office	$1,546,000

Last updated October 09, 2025

The Youngest Profession is a 1943 film directed by Edward Buzzell, and starring Virginia Weidler, Edward Arnold, John Carroll, Scotty Beckett, and Agnes Moorehead. Based on a short story series and 1940 novel written by Lillian Day, it contains cameos by Greer Garson, Lana Turner, William Powell, Walter Pidgeon, and Robert Taylor.^[2]

Plot

Lively teen Joan Lyons and her best friend, Patricia Drew, are dedicated autograph seekers who run around New York City attempting to meet celebrities. Deceived by trouble-making governess Miss Featherstone, Joan is distracted from her star-chasing by concerns over her parents' marriage. This leads Joan to hire a muscle man named Dr. Hercules to flirt with her mother, which only results in more misunderstandings.^[3]

Cast

Virginia Weidler as Joan Lyons
Edward Arnold as Burton V. Lyons
John Carroll as Dr. Hercules
Ann Ayers as Susan Thayer
Marta Linden as Edith Lyons
Dick Simmons as Douglas Sutton
Agnes Moorehead as Miss Featherstone
Jean Porter as Patricia Drew
Raymond Roe as Schuyler
Dorothy Morris as Secretary
Scotty Beckett as Junior Lyons
Marcia Mae Jones as Vera Bailey
Sara Haden as Sister Lassie
Beverly Tyler as Thyra Winter
Marjorie Gateson as Mrs. Drew

Box office

According to MGM records, the film earned $1,187,000 in the US and Canada and $359,000 elsewhere resulting in a profit of $583,000.^[1]^[4]

References

1 2 3 The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
↑ T.M.P (June 25, 1943). "NY Times review". New York Times. Retrieved 14 November 2008.
↑ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036554/ ^{[ user-generated source ]}
↑ "Top Grossers of the Season", Variety, 5 January 1944 p 54

External links

The Youngest Profession at IMDb
The Youngest Profession at the TCM Movie Database
The Youngest Profession at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films

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[Mannix-1] 1 2 3 The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.

[2] T.M.P (June 25, 1943). "NY Times review". New York Times. Retrieved 14 November 2008.

[3] ttps://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036554/ ^{[ user-generated source ]}

[4] "Top Grossers of the Season", Variety, 5 January 1944 p 54

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