No Time to Be Young

As he leaves his local draft board, Buddy Root, who has just flunked out of college, defiantly tosses his cigarette into the gutter and then drives to a diner, where he meets fellow classmate Bob Miller. Bob is enamoured by Gloria Stuben, a self-centered, thrill-seeking waitress at the diner. After Buddy berates Bob for becoming romantically involved with someone beneath him, he turns his contempt on Stuart Bradley, another classmate, who is an aspiring writer. When Stuart brightly announces that he has just sold the rights to his novel, Buddy openly doubts him. Afterward, Buddy goes to visit Mrs. Doris Dexter, the widowed college instructor with whom he is conducting a clandestine affair, and tells her that he has flunked out. After confiding that he fears a stint in the Army will break his spirit, Buddy announces that he plans to dodge the draft and asks Doris to run away with him. Later that night, when Gloria returns home from a date with another man, she finds Bob waiting for her. When Bob desperately proposes to her, she derides him for a being a boy, not a man. Infuriated, Bob rips her dress and she slams the door in his face. Stuart, who has secretly married his sweetheart, Tina Parner, is eager to prove himself to Tina's wealthy family and so tells her that he has sold his novel, while in reality his manuscript has been rejected. In the morning, Buddy's divorced, career-driven mother Helen ignores the signs of her son's distress and instead hurries to work. Soon after she leaves, Stuart comes to ask Buddy for $500 in order to prove to Tina and her overbearing father that he has sold his book. After Buddy suggests that Stuart borrow the money from hard-working Bob, who is employed at the local supermarket, they drive there and Bob drains his savings to write Stuart a check. Proud of Stuart's "advance," Tina takes him to meet her father at his office. Stuart is intimidated by Mr. Parner, and admits that his novel was rejected, after which Parner admonishes him to learn the meaning of hard work before considering marriage. That night Gloria, driving a friend's convertible, offers Bob a ride, and when they begin to quarrel, she slams on the brakes, forcing the car in back of them to suddenly stop. Furious, the two teenage boys driving the car approach the convertible, and Gloria shamelessly begins flirting with them and orders Bob out of her car. Meanwhile, when Tina rebukes Stuart for deceiving her, he blames her for forcing him to lie and then runs away. Later, Bob and Gloria reconcile and go out drinking. Returning to the house drunk, Gloria discovers that she has forgotten her keys and climbs onto the roof to sneak in. Losing her balance, she falls and breaks her back. The next day, Doris, hoping to persuade the dean to allow Buddy to retake the exam he failed, arranges a meeting between Buddy and the dean. When the dean takes umbrage at Buddy's flippant behavior, however, Buddy loses his temper and storms out of the office. That night, Buddy informs his mother that he is leaving town and then goes to say goodbye to Doris. Helen follows him and then berates Doris for taking advantage of one of her students. After Doris bids Buddy a final goodbye, he returns home with his mother. When Buddy blames his situation on Helen's neglect, she threatens to have Doris fired, prompting Buddy to jump into his car and speed away. The next day, Bob tells Buddy that he blames himself for Gloria's accident and feels he is financially responsible for her convalescence. Buddy then suggests robbing the supermarket where Bob works and using the money to buy a boat and sail away to South America. Stuart, despondent, agrees to join them. When Bob and Stuart later experience misgivings about the robbery, Buddy assures them that they are too smart to be caught and they succumb to his blandishments. That night, after disabling the store's phone line and alarm system, the three, wearing masks, burst into the store and demand the cash register receipts. When a panicked customer pulls the mask from Bob's face, Buddy shoots the clerk, who recognizes him. In despair over the killing, the three run from the store and take refuge at Doris' apartment. After Doris disappears into the kitchen, Bob states that he plans to surrender to the police, causing Stuart to contemptuously slug him in the stomach. Stepping into the kitchen, Buddy overhears Doris making a furtive phone call to the police and departs immediately with Stuart, leaving Bob behind. When Stuart insists upon phoning Tina before leaving town, Buddy drops him off at a phone booth and then enters an adjacent store to buy some food. As Buddy dials, two policeman surround the phone booth and arrest him. Buddy escapes, however, and takes cover in a dance club. While he is gyrating on the dance floor, the stolen cash slips out of his pocket, attracting the attention of two police officers at the club who chase him into the alley. Successfully eluding the police, Buddy hitches a ride with a truck driver. After the exhausted Buddy falls asleep, the driver notices his gun and pulls into a Highway Patrol station for help. While the driver is inside, Buddy awakens and speeds away in the truck with the police in hot pursuit. Losing control, Buddy sends the truck careening over a cliff and there meets his death.